Northern Enterprise Awards 2021

60 | Northern Enterprise Awards 2021 inactive sites. For search engines to remain effective they have to find ways of selecting only the most useful information. Algorithms and techniques are always evolving and changing. For Andy, keeping up with these changes is crucial. He tells us, “Right now, the SEO industry is very active. Google is releasing a large number of updates, which means SEO consultants and agencies must act quickly. I ensure I stay up to date with Google’s algorithm updates as they happen. As soon as I know about something, I look at my procedures to see what needs tweaking or changing. I can often implement updates for my clients in a few hours.” Although many businesses saw their efforts thwarted in 2020, those in digital marketing saw the demand for their products and expertise soar. Andy was no exception, “During the pandemic, I was busier than ever. Although not everyone was able to, many of my clients increased their demands to ensure they were ready when the economy restarted again.” So, what do Andy’s future plans look like? He says, “I’ll continue to test strategies and evolve existing ones to keep pace with Google’s updates. I have a few exciting changes planned for 2022, but I can’t release them just yet. Watch this space.” Contact: Andy Drinkwater Company: Andy Drinkwater Ltd Web Address: https://andydrinkwater.com Freelance SEO Consultant, Andy Drinkwater, has been helping companies get more from their online marketing for 22 years. Offering a no-nonsense, transparent service has seen Andy’s business go from strength to strength. Starting out working with small businesses, Andy has helped hundreds of companies improve their analytics. Today he counts several billion-dollar companies among his clients. The first website was published by the British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, in 1991. By 1999, when Andy Drinkwater began helping companies optimise their websites, there were over 3 million sites on the web. Statistics show that in 2021 this number has grown to over 1.8 billion. Today, having a website is seen as an essential component of any successful business. The effectiveness of your online presence may make or break your business strategy. Levels of competition are always increasing. Search engines are more selective than ever. Swimming in the turbulent and overpopulated sea of the world wide web, how is it possible for one website to stand out from the crowd? Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short, is the science of getting your website into shape so that search engines such as Google take notice. Contrary to popular belief, Google doesn’t know immediately when a new site goes live. The search engine works with complex algorithms that check the web for new content, but if your content doesn’t tick the right boxes, you remain anonymous. Knowing how to speak ‘SEO’ can be the key to success. When Andy first started out in the industry, little was known or published about SEO techniques. He was one of the pioneers and challenged himself to innovate. He came up with his own ideas and techniques to get his clients’ sites noticed. As the number of websites continues to grow, so too does the number of invalid, corrupt and Best Online Marketing Consultant 2021: Andy Drinkwater Oct21090