In my previous article, I gave an overview of Manchester’s digital sector and its growth from the hub of the industrial revolution to digital. In this article, I will focus on the technical sector in Manchester and the growth of Ecommerce websites and the importance of SEO and PPC. Read on for more information.
Birthplace of the first commercial computer
As I previously mentioned, Manchester has a rich history and technology has been at the forefront. Manchester, significantly is the hometown of Alan Turing, the father of modern technology. Manchester is also the birthplace of the first commercial computer, named the ‘baby’ in 1951, and ever since has made Manchester become an up and coming city in the tech sector. Now many flock to study and live in Manchester, to learn in the city of bright minds and creativity.
Education
Manchester has three massive Universities which contribute to the tech sector. The University of Manchester, University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University, all champion the technology sector and produce over 5000 graduates with degrees relating to computers and similarly related specialisms each year.
This makes Manchester a hub of fresh talent, through the high level of education and practical skills they gain. The University of Salford, based at Media City UK in particular is one of the leading media centres in Europe and provides studios with all the latest equipment. As I previously mentioned in part one, the younger generation are set to become the leaders of the digital revolution. This Digital Generation have grown up with technology, and subsequently are more knowledgeable in the digital sector than older generations. Therefore education has significantly made a massive development to the digital sector, with technology being at the forefront.
Tech Hub, the Sharp Project and the Manchester Science Park
The tech sector has risen significantly with the help from agencies such as Tech Hub, Techcelerate and the Sharp Project. They have driven the start-up tech scene in Manchester, giving support to new entrepreneurs and providing the latest information on the changes in the digital sector. One agency that specifically helps start-ups is Tech Hub. They provide a workplace for likeminded people to work, meet and collaborate in a friendly, fun atmosphere. They provide events and information to all the new changes in the technology sector. This has significantly improved the tech sector and new start-ups, giving the support to new businesses in Manchester.
Similarly The Sharp Project offers support and various office working spaces for new tech entrepreneurs, as well as providing a strong community with expert advice. Furthermore they provide events and opportunities to meet other businesses in meetings. The Sharp Project continues to help new entrepreneurs and is constantly drawing new companies and businesses to Manchester.
Furthermore, the Manchester Science Park (MSP), houses more than 150 science and tech companies and contributes to the tech sector with its community of innovators, scientists, investors and entrepreneurs, helping to grow businesses in the technology and digital sectors. MSP offer workspace, for all start up business and those looking to expand and grow. These agencies have significantly helped the tech sector in Manchester, and have grown the amount of new businesses.
Tech start-up companies
When it comes to start-ups in Manchester, there is plenty to choose from to help grow your business. The key leaders are CANDDi, which provide a sales data intelligence product for businesses. The company offers you start-up help by identifying prospects and potential customers and how to tailor your sales/marketing approach. There are other various companies that can help with the start-up of businesses, such as Malinkoapp, scheduling software; App55, a one click payment solution for retailers and Edocr, a document sharing start up.
The variety of companies which aid with start-up businesses make Manchester a great place for companies and entrepreneurs to setup or relocate to. With the technical help from these companies setting up a business in Manchester becomes very advantageous.
Broadband and internet
Most importantly, to understand the growth of the digital sector we have to address the access to internet. Many modern businesses are predominantly run online and therefore it is vital to have a strong, fast broadband speed. Manchester provides this, and is the only major city outside of the Capital that offers next generation fibre optic broadband speeds up to 100Mbit/s. This was achieved by the London Internet Exchange (LINX) launching its first regional peering points in Manchester. IX Manchester is the UK’s newest Internet Exchange Point and moves traffic faster, cuts costs and increases resilience against network problems. This is vitally important to businesses as network failure, or slow broadband can significantly lower work productivity and affect a business’s success.
Furthermore, Manchester is in a central location in the UK and therefore is a primary telecom carrier, making it a key access point in the North of England. This has made the tech sector stand out from other Northern cities as it is one step ahead of the rest.
The only city that has fibre optic speeds like Manchester, is London. London is a bigger city with a massive digital sector. However many companies are being drawn to Manchester as it offers lower prices. This makes Manchester a very desirable place to live and start-up businesses, as it provides you with the latest technology, like London, but at a lower price tag.
Cloud computing
One of the main technology assets of Manchester is cloud computing. Manchester is at the forefront of cloud computing and offers security to businesses. Cloud computing stores data and programs over the internet, making them accessible across broadband connections. This is beneficial to the digital sector, as there is no need to access data from a hard drive, and makes data much more secure. Key cloud computing companies such as Cisco, Oracle and EMC all centrally located in Manchester, giving Manchester the best sources available at their doorstep. This makes Manchester a very appealing city for set up businesses, as it offers the latest technology to make businesses secure and accessible.
Government funding
The government has funded the growth of digital with over 31 million being given to the city as part of the government’s Technology Strategy Board. Most recently the government has announced new plans to create a new tech hub in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. This comes after Tech Nation, a data study on the growth of digital clusters across the UK found that the digital companies had grown by 70 percent in Manchester from 2010 to 2013. This means that there will be more chances for new start-ups and the digital sector to increase more and more. Combined with new investment into travel infrastructure, Manchester is set to have more access to other local cities, gaining more workforce and skills.
So, what jobs are available?
One of the jobs that have particularly increased with the rise of the tech sector is SEO and PPC jobs. These digital jobs focus on the online ranking of a business’s websites, particularly the ranking on Google search engine. These jobs are highly sought after in Manchester due to the continued rise in online marketing. An SEO/PPC expert will generally have analytical skills, in particular finding trends from spreadsheets and graphs to understand areas for improvement for a company’s website. An SEO expert should be able to discover why a website is ranking were it is within the SERP rankings. This is done through taking into consideration a variety of factors such as, quality of keywords, use of keywords throughout content and social media etc. Furthermore, ensuring keywords are used in titles, Meta titles and content is important to improve Google rankings.
However this is not the only way to improve rankings. Making sure all links to a website are organic and natural is important to ensure your website doesn’t lower its domain or page authorities. There are many aspects to address in a SEO/PPC job, but most of all it is important to make sure to keep up to date with all the changes in the digital sector. In particular Google updates are constantly being changed and upgraded, therefore ensuring you keep up to date with these changes is integral to the job. This is where associations like Manchester Digital, Techhub and the Sharp Project become incredibly helpful as they provide you with all up to date changes.
At the moment SEO/PPC jobs are in high demand, with many companies hiring people/teams in house, outsourcing SEO/PPC companies or hiring freelancers. The drive to be at the top of Google SERP rankings has become incredibly important in the digital sector and it is only set to continue. Furthermore, the importance of mobile responsive website designs have become incredibly important with more and people choosing to buy online rather than going to shops themselves. The Google ranking update on April 21, in 2015, made companies update their websites to mobile responsive, to ensure their Google ranking didn’t suffer. With the latest knowledge in the digital sector, a business has the basis to succeed.
Web designers and Ecommerce websites
Web designers have increasingly become important with the rise of the digital sector. Websites have become more advanced and the use of ecommerce sites, have risen significantly. Purely Ecommerce based companies have considerably increased in recent years making it a highly competitive industry. Ecommerce companies are, generally speaking, less expensive to set up and therefore can be more achievable to set up by yourself. Companies, in fashion retail, such as Boohoo and Daisy Street have had massive successes in Manchester. These ecommerce businesses have become more and more popular in Manchester because of the central location and lower rental rates than London, allowing these savings to be passed to the customer in terms of competitive pricing. Ecommerce is set to continue to grow, and Manchester has become a hotspot for online start-up businesses.
Web design skills
There are a variety of courses on web design in Manchester, including the three main Universities, Salford, Manchester Metropolitan and Manchester University itself. Furthermore there are a variety of short courses including, the Manchester College, City College and Griffin College, as well as a selection of online courses. This variety of education ensures Manchester has a wide variety of options when it comes to learning the skills to become a web designer and to start-up businesses.
There are a variety of web design companies in Manchester, including Creative Spark, e3creative Ltd, Pixel Kicks Ltd, Kudos Web Design etc. These companies provide services to companies across the UK and ensure that websites are designed to be accessible across PC’s and across, widely used mobile devices; as well as being easy to navigate and aesthetically appealing.
What is the future for the tech sector in Manchester?
It is predicted in the next five years, tech jobs are expected to increase by 5 times, making the digital sector a massive sector in the UK, overtaking sectors such as industrial. The thing for Manchester to consider is whether it can be the leading city, to overtake the dominion London holds at the moment. Many say this is possible, with the support of associations such as Manchester Digital and Tech City and help from start-up businesses, allowing the digital sector to grow. Not only this, but the lower prices compared to London has encouraged companies to start-up businesses in Manchester as it is less expensive. Furthermore, Manchester has become a hotspot for new businesses generally as it has become increasingly become a prime place to be in the past few years.
Coming soon to SMG Recruitment. We take a more critical look at the development of marketing, content and social media in the digital sector in Manchester and how it is currently utilised.
Watch this space for part three…
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