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The last international break before the World Cup is done and that means, a smattering of pre-tournament friendlies aside, its all off to Qatar next. Once everyones played about 27 club games in the next nine weeks first anyway.

So why not have a quick look at the current top 10 in the betting, then? We could think of literally no reason not to do it, and so we have done it. Teams ranked by best odds currently available at oddschecker.com

1) BrazilAlways up there, arent they? Always There Or Thereabouts. Its Brazil! Carnival, Sex, Pele! But when it comes to the World Cup, theyve been really quite underwhelming for a couple of decades now. Since Ronaldos Redemption in 2002 theyve only made it past the quarter-finals once and given what happened next on that occasion would probably rather they hadnt.

Still the only non-Europeans to triumph since Diego Maradona dragged Argentina to glory in 1986 and right now they do once again look the likeliest to break that cycle of European dominance. Already this year theyve won three games 4-0, another couple 5-1 and yet another 3-0. And the teams theyve beaten arent joke teams, either. Chile, Paraguay, South Korea, Tunisia and Ghana are among those swept away by Tites side, one that has a distinctly Premier League flavour with your Alissons, your Thiago Silvas, your Casemiros and the Richarlisons of this world all key figures. Although Brazils depth and lets be real Tites eccentricities meant the final pre-World Cup squad for the September friendlies had no room for Arsenals trio of Gabriels; Jesus, Margalhaes and Martinelli.

Cruised through South American qualifying, winning 14 and drawing three of their 17 games (scoring 40 goals and conceding just five) and being so far clear they never even bothered replaying the Argentina game that was abandoned when Brazilian health officials stormed the pitch demanding four Argentine players go into isolation for breaching Covid rules.

2) FranceHolders and possessors of legendarily absurd strength in depth, with the added bonus that the draw throws up the high possibility of a last-16 clash with Mexico, which is basically a bye to the quarter-finals under the ancient, unbreakable if inexplicable World Cup Law that decrees Mexico must always go out in the last 16.

France are second favourites and to be honest their second XI would be about sixth favourites and their third XI would be dark horses.

Didier Deschamps side qualified for Qatar in comfortable if not quite entirely convincing fashion, drawing home and away with Ukraine and also failing to beat Bosnia at home.

As ever when it comes to major tournaments, we like the chances of the French but they can be a little bit French. Tend to either crush all-comers (see Russia 2018) or go out in pitifully meek fashion as talent succumbs to squabbles and infighting (see Euro 2020 et al) and it is generally impossible to know which one youre going to get.

If the Nations League is any guide (and it probably isnt) then itll be the latter. They werent England-level bad, but only narrowly avoided relegation after taking a single point from four games against Croatia and Denmark.

3) ArgentinaMessis Last Chance at the Big Dance, and it might just be his best opportunity as well. Argentina have a formidable squad that blends youth and experience perfectly and they havent lost a game since the 2019 Copa America.

They won the 2021 edition to finally end Messis wait for a major international honour and do appear to have an excellent chance of adding global glory to continental success after an unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaign. They will, though, need to overcome a relatively modest recent record at the World Cup.

Since winning it twice and finishing runner-up once in the space of four tournaments from 1978 to 1990, Argentina have been beyond the quarter-finals only once, when they narrowly lost the final to Germany in Brazil in extra-time after a goalless 90 minutes.

But their recent form really does suggest something quite special could happen. They gave Italy a 3-0 shoeing in the Finalissima and have won their last four games by a combined score of 14-0.

The group stage draw in Qatar appear to have been relatively kind too, pitting them as it does against teams who can generally be relied on to follow a set pattern and in none of those cases does that pattern involve winning their group. Mexico always finish second before going out in the last 16, Poland always underwhelm, and Saudi Arabia mainly get thrashed horribly. It all points, then, to Argentina cruising into the knockouts looking a million dollars before getting bantered off by tricky Group D runners-up Denmark in the last 16.

4) EnglandAlways and inevitably far too short with British bookmakers, Englands position in the betting as ever owes more to the vast liabilities racked up than an objective rating of their chances. Especially as they currently find themselves in the midst of a horror run of form and calls for the managers head.

Didnt win a single game as they bombed out of the top tier in the Nations League, losing home and away to Hungary in the process. Theyve conceded seven goals in their last two home games, which seems decidedly sub-optimal but their recent tournament form deserves our grudging respect.

They once again made short work of qualification for this World Cup, something that isnt necessarily true of all the top European sides, and are the only team to have reached the last four of both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 where they went all their way to a first major final since 1966 before going down to Italy on penalties.

Have had luck with draws opening up for them, but could well do so again in Qatar. If they can top an initial group containing Iran, USA and Wales admittedly a bigger if than might have been expected then a last-16 clash against (probably) Qatar, Ecuador or Senegal doesnt look too awful. Then its just a case of hoping this is one of the tournaments where potential quarter-final opponents France are rubbish for some reason and BOOM! Southgate is back in the semi-finals again and all the doubters and haters will be in the mud.

Its all technically possible. But, to reiterate, this is a team that will go in to the tournament on a six-game winless run and with problems all over the pitch.

5) SpainIt seems somehow old-hat to think of Spain as serious contenders these days. Theyre somehow a team that rose to astonishing prominence and widespread acceptance as the very best in the world and then just suddenly sort of werent anymore, really, without ever being short of good players or anything.

Since the absurd glory days that saw them win three straight tournaments two Euros and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012, theyve been very meh in the majors. This is a strong case of What have you done for me lately? but the facts are that theyve gone out in the group stage and last 16 of the last two World Cups since ending their long wait for a global crown in South Africa. The Euros hinted at a return to the very top table with a run to the last four ended only on penalties by eventual champions Italy.

It was a strange old run, though, involving a couple of staid group-stage draws before giving Slovakia an absolute humping and then knocking out Croatia 5-3 after extra time in an immensely silly game. Then they needed penalties to scrape past Switzerland.

Have just qualified for the Nations League finals as well, pipping Portugal to top spot thanks to a late Alvaro Morata winner in Braga on the final matchday. How much the Nations League actually matters is up for debate, but its arguably notable that the other top European sides towards the head of the World Cup market Germany, France, England have made varying degrees of a bollocks of it.

6) GermanyA team in decline at the Euros 18 months ago, to the extent that they managed to be fairly comfortably beaten in a knockout game by England having already lost at home to giant-bothering scamps North Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier.

Did seem to put all that confusing unpleasantness behind them by crushing all-comers in all of their remaining qualifiers for Qatar, but then had a confusingly uneven Nations League campaign in which they thrashed eventual group winners and European champions Italy 5-2, but lost at home to Hungary and most embarrassingly of all failed to beat Gareth Southgates disastrous England side home or away.

In general, though, Hansi Flick has started to mould a pretty compelling squad that contains enough of the old guard to keep things sensible but has successfully integrated assorted exciting young talents such as former England Under-21 star Jamal Musiala.

For a team with such a formidable record in major tournaments, though, this is a team charged with arresting something of a decline. After reaching at least the last four of six majors in a row between 2006 and 2016 they have gone out in the group stage and last 16 at their last two attempts.

7) NetherlandsThe 2010 beaten finalists and 2014 semi-finalists failed to qualify at all for Russia four years ago, but put at least that right by seeing off Turkey and Norway in a competitive qualifying group and there is arguably no team hitting Qatar in better form than the Dutch.

They havent lost a game since their 2-0 defeat to the Czechs in the last 16 at last summers Euros and have just absolutely pulverised a top-tier Nations League group featuring fellow World Cup qualifiers Belgium, Poland and Wales.

Louis van Gaals side won five and drew one of their six games to march into the finals, most notably giving Belgium a 4-1 beating in Brussels on the opening matchday.

Their recent tournament record (outside the Nations League anyway) is wretched as well as missing out on the 2018 World Cup, they also failed to qualify for Euro 2016. Things were looking up at last summers Euros, but waltzing through the group stage with three wins before immediately getting knocked out by one of the lucky third-place teams to sneak through felt incredibly Dutch of them.

Its coming up on a decade since the Netherlands had any kind of tournament run. And that is far too long really, isnt it?

8) PortugalThe Euro 2016 victory remains one of the all-time great smash-and-grab tournament successes, Portugal somehow contriving to win an event after finishing third in their group and in which a 2-0 semi-final win over Wales was the only time they won any game in 90 minutes.

That ability to shithouse success from the most unlikely of scenarios, alongside the presence of A Certain Mr Cristiano Ronaldo and all manner of Wolves players, means bookmakers are taking no chances with their Portugal prices.

Their recent form is reasonable, coming within minutes of reaching the Nations League finals before having their hearts broken by Spain and Alvaro Morata.

Theyve also got precisely the sort of World Cup group that should suit them, because with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea in there it has precisely the look of the sort of pool where you can banter your way to top spot with one win and a couple of ugly draws. Youre definitely going to want to win that group, though, with Brazil likely in wait for whichever team scrambles to second place in what we (and nobody else) are already calling the Group of Draws.

9) BelgiumIs this the actual final last chance after all the other last chances for the Golden Generation to land a major tournament? The reality is that this is a squad whose best days are already behind it, but what they certainly wont lack in Qatar is experience.

There is every chance that Belgiums squad will contain six players with over 100 caps Vertonghen, Witsel, Alderweireld, Hazard, Mertens, Lukaku as well as a couple of novices with only 90-something international appearances in Courtois and De Bruyne.

A smattering of quarter-finals and one semi-final really isnt a good enough return for the insane quantity and quality of talent Belgium have churned out in the last decade, but theyve got a tough task in Qatar.

Their group isnt the worst, with Morocco and Canada unlikely to be much of a threat. And there are few group stage games were looking forward to more than their clash with Croatia, a game where its entirely possible there will be 10 players on the pitch with over 100 caps (Modric, Perisic, Vida, since you asked) if Courtois plays in three of Belgiums four games before then.

The last 16 looks problematic, though. Its almost certainly going to be Spain or Germany.

10) DenmarkIn many ways the most interesting team of all, one that on an almost crassly simplistic level seems to have been forged into something far greater than the sum of its parts by its shared experience of Christian Eriksens collapse and near-death on the pitch in their opening game of the Euros and his subsequent recovery.

Despite losing their best player, a tightly-knit Danish squad managed to galvanise themselves and emerged from that trauma to march through to the semi-finals where they were, lets be real, deeply unfortunate to go out in extra-time against England, whose winning goal came from a Harry Kane rebound after the softest of soft penalties.

Since then theyve eased through what was left of World Cup qualifying, topping their group with nine wins from 10 games, and beaten France home and away in the Nations League.

Thats doubly significant because they will face France again in Qatar in Group D, a section that also includes a non-vintage Australia side and Tunisia. Argentina or Mexico appear the likeliest last-16 opponents.

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Who are the favourites for the 2022 World Cup? England remain really quite high on the list - Football365

On the face of it, India may have posted a comfortable eight-wicket win over South Africa to begin their last leg of preparations before the ICC Mens T20 World Cup in a grand fashion in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

Having restricted South Africa to 106 for 8, contrasting half-centuries by opener KL Rahul and the attacking Suryakumar Yadav saw India through with 20 deliveries to spare. On a pitch that was later described as tricky and something that South Africa did not expect to play the way it did, and which Rahul said as the toughest pitch he played on, managing to score an unbeaten 51 in 56 deliveries, India had the first half of the Proteas batting line-up for just nine runs in just two-and-a-half overs.

This 9 for 5 in 2.3 overs is the fastest in terms of the number of overs that any side has had half its batters back in the pavilion, courtesy of some incisive spell of swing bowling by comeback men Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh, and aided by South African batsmens lack of application in terms of feet movement and misjudging the lengths of the deliveries.

It did not seem such a dicey pitch that a team could be restricted to such a low score even before the halfway stage of the Power Play.

IND vs SA, Talking Points From 1st T20I: Arshdeep Singh Returns With a Bang, Reliable KL Rahul And Suryakumar

Chahar and Singh went on to pick up a combined five for 56 with the left-armer from Punjab going on to earn his first man of the match award in 12 T20Is. No doubt Singh has been a major find for India in recent times and he has only been getting better with every game that he plays.

Both coming back into the Indian team after missing the three-match T20I series against Australia that Rohit Sharmas side clinched 2-1 after being 0-1 down, they got down to business straight away. For them to have South Africa reeling at nine for five and eventually to a Power Play score of 30 for five and finally containing them to 106 for eight is a brilliant bowling performance by the Indians, no doubt. That too without the first-choice bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, off-colour Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal.

While the opening game against South Africa may be a morale-boosting win for Rohit Sharma and Co. as they go into the World Cup hoping to cover all their bases, smoothening some rough edges, there is one major area for concern that of not being able to wipe out the opposition after having them pushed to the wall with nowhere to go.

Ideally, you would have expected the Indian bowlers to bowl out South Africa for a total of under 50 or even 80 from nine for five or 42 for six and 68 for seven.

It has been Indian bowlers failure to choke the opposition after having them on the mat that could prove detrimental in their efforts to win bigger matches, say a World Cup knockout game or even the final.

India vs South Africa, 1st T20I: Suryakumar, KL Rahul Lead India to Eight-wicket Win Against Proteas

How often, over the years and across formats, have we seen the Indian bowlers not being able to pick the final few wickets and allowing the opposition tail to wag, bailing their teams out from a no-win situation to at least give them a chance for a fightback? That India have gone on to win some of those is a different matter altogether.

Prior to Wednesday, it happened as recently as the Asia Cup in Dubai against Afghanistan. Following a sensational opening spell by Bhuvneshwar, India had Afghanistan down to 21 for five in Power Play and 54 for seven but failed to finish off the opposition. The Afghanistan tail led by Mujeeb ur Rahman wagged to add 57 runs in the last 6.5 overs to finish at 111/8. The end total of Afghanistan did not matter as India were brilliantly guided to 212 for two, courtesy of Virat Kohlis much-awaited international century number 71.

On Wednesday, the South African lower order were led by Wayne Parnell and finished off by Keshav Maharaj, the former posting his second-highest T20I score and the latter, his highest in only five innings. Such has been Indias inability to not go on to finish things off and allow the rival teams to put on a few extra runs the joke has been that any bowler who wants to improve his batting averages has to just come and play against India.

While not taking away credit from the opposition lower order to fight it out and make it tough for the Indian bowlers; while also understanding the fact that the conditions are not the same as initially and get better to bat on as the match progresses; while also taking into account that the bowlers who have done the initial damage may have run out of their quota of overs or are preserved for the death overs by which time crucial runs are already added, India should find a way sooner to address this issue.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has not been getting matches frequently and who doesnt seem to be the first-choice spinner for T20Is, was as miserly as one can get, going for 4-1-8-0 on Wednesday. He may not have taken wickets but did well to tie down the South African lower order. With pressure mounting on the South Africans, they had no choice but to go for runs, damaging the end figures of Singh (3/32) including 17 off his last over (19th of the innings) while taking their total upwards of 100.

In the case of Wednesday or even in Dubai against Afghanistan earlier this month, which, though was all about Kohli and his first international century in nearly 146 weeks, India ought to have bundled the opposition cheaply and clinched the issue much earlier rather than allowing them to run away with some invaluable runs. Not that the runs that the lower order posted made any difference in the end result India winning by 101 runs in Dubai and by eight wickets in Thiruvananthapuram.

But, giving away such runs could come to bite the Indian team hard, say in a World Cup final. The Indian bowlers should look at wiping off the lower order in the same vein as they do the top order. Even the bowlers who gave away almost next to nothing while picking up initial wickets went for runs in their later spells.

For Arshdeep, who was on a hat-trick while taking three wickets in his first over, to finish with three for 32 was something that one would not have fathomed. Having observed Arshdeep bowling through IPL and now in international cricket, he is one who is improving constantly.

A recent analysis in wisden.com showed how crucial Arshdeep is in Indias T20 scheme of things. Rising to prominence with his death bowling in the IPL, Arshdeeps yorkers are among the best in the business. The analysis said that Arshdeep has given away only 6.7 runs per over after sending down a combined 14.1 overs at the death, the best among Test-playing countries with a 50-ball cut off. Fellow T20 World Cup squad member Harshal Patel, whom India is banking on in Australia, has gone for 11.45 runs per over in the final overs in all T20s this year.

It is time the Indian think-tank addressed this issue and the bowlers made the most of the initial breakthroughs and gave little batting time for the opposition tail. Lest a World Cup trophy may just slip away from Indias hands.

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IND vs SA: Indian Bowlers Need to Find the Killer Instinct to Choke Out Oppositions After Terrific Starts - News18

The World Cup is right around the corner and is set to be the last chance for two of the greatest to shine on the biggest stage.

And considering neither Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi has ever lifted FIFAs most prestigious trophy, the 2022 tournament in Qatar could mean more to them than ever before.

Manchester United star Ronaldo will be in his forties by the time the 2026 World Cup comes around, while an appearance by Paris-Saint Germain ace Messi at 38 is unlikely as well.

If things both go to plan for Portugal and Argentina, the two legendary rivals could meet in the Qatar final in December.

Yet Brazil will be among the sides looking to put a stop to that, with Neymar out to make up for lost time in what will be his third World Cup.

The three players have widely been touted as the best of their generations but who has the best record at the World Cup?

Appearances: 17

Wins: 7

Goals: 7

Assists: 2

Man of the Match awards: 6

Best finish: Semi-finals 2006, 4th

Ronaldo has won both Euro 2016 and the Nations League with Portgual, but the World Cup has eluded him in his four attempts.

He made his World Cup debut in 2006 at the age of 21 and scored once against Iran as his country reached the semi-finals, ultimately finishing fourth.

But that tournament was headlined by his involvement in then-teammate Wayne Rooneys sending off in a quarter-final penalty shootout win over England, from which Ronaldo bagged the winning spot-kick.

His follow-up appearance in South Africa four years was even worse, with just one goal in four games an 87th-minute strike in a 7-0 win over minnows North Korea before a round of 16 defeat to eventual winners Spain.

Ronaldo looked to turn the tide at Brazil 2014 as the reigning Ballon dOr holder and a Champions League winner with Real Madrid.

Yet struggling for fitness, the then-29-year-old only managed one goal and was powerless to prevent a group-stage exit for Portugal.

Russia 2018 was much more like it from Ronaldo though, as he more than doubled his overall goal tally at the World Cup.

He scored four times including THAT hat-trick against Spain but again Portugal crashed out at the last-16 stage with a 2-1 loss to Uruguay.

Getty

Getty

Appearances: 19

Wins: 13

Goals: 6

Assists: 5

Man of the Match awards: 6

Best finish: Final 2014, 2nd

Messi has two international trophies to his name like Ronaldo, but again has never seen his Argentina side get over the line in four previous attempts.

The comparisons between the two dont end there, with the 2006 World Cup also Messis first experience on footballs grandest stage.

The then-18-year-old came off the bench in Argentinas second game against Serbia and Montenegro and within 13 minutes had scored and assisted another in a 6-0 win.

That goal means Messi remains Argentinas youngest scorer at the World Cup but he was an unused substitute in their eventual quarter-final penalty shootout defeat to hosts Germany.

Messis explosion on the world scene meant he was his countrys main man four years later in 2010 yet things didnt go to plan.

The PSG star went goalless in five games before Argentina went out to Germany in the quarters, with just one solitary assist.

Messi came back with a vengeance on enemy soil in Brazil 2014, with four goals and one assists in seven matches before his side fell at the final hurdle to Germany for a third time despite him winning the the best player of the tournament.

Messi couldnt replicate that feat in Russia, with just one strike and a missed penalty before Argentinas round of 16 loss to eventual champions France, meaning the seven-time Ballon dOr winner has never scored in a knockout game at the World Cup.

Getty

GETTY

Appearances: 10

Wins: 7

Goals: 6

Assists: 3

Best finish: Semi-finals 2014, 4th

Messis PSG teammate has only appeared at two World Cups, first breaking into the international set-up after the 2010 edition.

All eyes were on Neymar as the marquee player on home soil for the Brazil World Cup but he started on fire, with four goals in his first four games.

Yet in the quarter-finals he was left with a fractured vertebrae after Juan Zuniga kneed him from behind in a win over Colombia.

As a result, Neymar missed Brazils 7-1 loss to Germany in the last four, with Brazil also suffering a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in his absence in the third-place playoff.

Following that disappointing end to the 2014 World Cup, Neymar came into Russia four years later with a point to prove.

But he was rushing back from a long term lay off and only managed one goal in Brazils three group games.

Neymar looked to be finding his form in a win over Mexico in the Round of 16 but his joy was cut short as he failed to prevent Brazils quarter-finals exit to Belgium.

Continued here:
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymars history at the World Cup: Goals, assists and awards as P... - talkSPORT

Financial adviser, Navigation Wealth Management, has made three new appointments as part of the firms continuing growth.

Kate Ingle, James Cunningham and Leanne Urquhart have all joined the Adviser Support team, which provides individual support to Navigations financial advisers as well as acting as an additional point of contact for clients.

Matt Hammond, chief executive at Navigation Wealth, based in Beverley and Wakefield, said: To ensure we continue to deliver an exceptional client experience we must provide our financial advisers and relationship managers with the administrative support they need to focus wholly on the client and their needs.

Increasing the size of our Adviser Support Team enables a further investment into our people which will fundamentally deliver our client experience and service objective.

Ingle comes to the firm having previously been a manager in a FTSE 100 leisure and entertainment company. She is bringing her organisational and people management skills to Navigation Wealth, and also has longer-term career aspirations to become a financial adviser.

Cunningham joins the firm after a change in career direction. A former primary school teacher, he will work in the Adviser Support team before progressing through the companys academy training to become a financial adviser.

Meanwhile, Urquhart has been promoted internally, having already proven her exceptional work ethic after training and developing the firms client experience team members.

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Law firm, Freeths, has expanded its commercial offering with the appointment of consultant Roger Gough, who joins from DLA Piper.

With more than 25 years experience, he advises clients regionally, nationally and internationally on commercial contracts for the supply of goods and services with particular expertise in trading and supply agreements in the manufacturing and retail sectors as well as warehousing and transport contracts in the logistics sector.

Gough, who will be based in Sheffield, will help support and continue to grow the firms national commercial practice.

Iain Bowler, national head of commercial, said: We identified our Northern offices: Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool as important locations for us to grow our national Commercial team, so it is fantastic to be able to announce Rogers arrival from DLA Piper.

Roger is a highly rated commercial lawyer with huge experience of advising on a wide range of complex commercial transactions.

He is well known and very well respected in Sheffield and beyond. Along with Mark Lumley, who also joined the commercial team in Leeds this month, Roger and Marks appointments underpin our intention to become a regional heavyweight in commercial law in Yorkshire over the next two to three years.

Partner and head of Freeths Sheffield Corporate team, Peter Crawford, said: Roger is a highly experienced practitioner, who is very well regarded in the marketplace.

His appointment further increases the range of capabilities we can offer clients and underlines our intention to be the leading commercial law firm in the region.

We are looking forward to introducing Roger to the businesses that we are fortunate to work with across South Yorkshire and beyond.

Gough added: Its exciting to be joining Freeths as it continues to see growth and success year-on-year.

Its a busy and interesting time for commercial lawyers as clients face challenges to their supply chain and unexpected costs. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to support our clients navigating this landscape.

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Leeds-based digital marketing agency, Spike, has hired paid media specialist Matt Wilkinson to become its new head of paid media and promoted Tom Nelson to head of SEO to lead the agencys SEO team.

After working in digital marketing agencies for over 12 years, Wilkinson joins Spike with a wealth of paid media knowledge.

With previous experience as head of campaign performance at Fusion Unlimited and working in-house for the past four years, he has an abundance of digital marketing knowledge to bring to the Spike team.

He said: After speaking with Spikes directors, Rob Powell and Duncan Colman, it was easy to see that coming back agency-side with Spike was a good move.

Their genuine drive to deliver the best results for clients through a collaborative approach is what drew me to the agency, and now I also understand why workplace culture is also so important in a new role the team has been straight forward chatting, cutting out all the empty promises that usually comes with agency culture.

After nearly three years at Spike, former SEO manager, Tom Nelson, now oversees an expanded team of SEO specialists as the new head of SEO.

Spike has recently expanded its SEO offering across Technical SEO Audit, Trend Analysis and Migration. Nelson is looking to grow the agencys SEO offering further by leading the team in top-class client delivery, while also developing thought leadership through short webinars hosted on the agencys digital platforms.

He said: With the SEO team growing due to excellent client wins, Im excited to develop my management skills and look after a bigger team of SEO specialists.

Although my day-to-day role wont change so much, we are actively recruiting so managing a bigger team will be the next challenge for me.

There are more opportunities to work on some amazing clients, deliver top-class work and be a part of an everchanging industry here at Spike and Im thrilled to see where it is going to take us.

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James Homer has joined Apex Mortgage and Protection UK Ltd as it continues to develop and grow its team of skilled advisors.

CeMAP qualified and with nearly 20 years of experience in the property sector, he will be providing expert advice and assistance on new residential mortgages, re-mortgages, further lending and buy-to-lets, in addition to a comprehensive range of insurance and protection products including life, critical illness, income protection and family income benefit.

Homer said: Im delighted to be joining such a forward-thinking and highly professional team.

Its a challenging environment for many people right now, so Im really looking forward to helping individuals and businesses with all of their mortgage and protection needs.

Headquartered in Yorkshire, Apex is a full-service brokerage and is an appointed representative of Primis which is the largest mortgage network in the UK. Apex is currently the fastest growing mortgage broker within the network.

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Leeds-based ecommerce agency, Onstate, has expanded its team with the appointment of three new staff members.

Pivoting to become a Shopify Plus partner back in 2019 has enabled Onstate to shift focus on becoming a full-service ecommerce agency.

The offering of digital marketing services to supplement design and development has seen the agency grow and require a larger team to deliver marketing strategies, alongside enhancing their technical capabilities.

Latest recruit, Mark Skeet, has been appointed head of technology & operations to help assist and manage new and ongoing projects.

With a rich history in IT, software development, DevOps and people management, Skeet brings plenty of relevant expertise to the team, having joined from The 55 Group in Hull.

Co-founder and e-commerce director, Chris Marshall, said: Mark brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience, gained from years of working within the tech sector for businesses such as Orange, First 10 Digital (Now IMA Home) and Bewonder.

Weve crossed paths many times in the agency space and were looking forward to Mark joining the team during this exciting period for the agency.

Alongside technical growth, Onstate has also invested in its digital marketing offering with the appointment of two new hires, as it looks to gain a foldhold in the Shopify space.

Simon Jones joins as digital marketing manager following his spell at Shropshire-based agency The Web Orchard.

Jones knowledge from his roles in digital marketing has already been instrumental in delivering successful PPC and SEO strategies as well as informative data analysis for a raft of Onstate clients.

Onstate has also recruited Joel Peart in the role of content manager to assist clients with their organic strategies.

Peart previously held the role of marketing & events manager at a stately home in East Yorkshire and prior to that, spent five years co-running Hull-based agency The Northern Foundry.

Rich Day, co-founder and creative director, said: Onstate is an e-commerce specialist, first and foremost. While we pride ourselves on the design and performant sites we create, we are now able to support clients from the outset and throughout their journey with ongoing digital marketing solutions.

We want to be the go-to ecommerce agency for brands and retailers that want growth and need support in the areas of design, web development, CRO, data analysis and digital marketing services.

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People: Navigation Wealth Management; Freeths; Spike; and more | TheBusinessDesk.com - The Business Desk

If you want to excel online, youll want to see your website from two perspectives. Does your practice website delight prospective new patients? Does it address their concerns better than a competitors website? Does it supply sufficient trust signals to reassure Google? Or does it succumb to the pitfalls of poor health care website design?

Without turning you into a webmaster, here are five website must-haves for your chiropractic practice. Deploy these strategies if you want to maximize growth and attract more potential patients.

These days, designers are adjusting to the idea of mobile-first design because more than 60% of website visits are on mobile devices.

What does mobile-first design mean? Be mindful of the most important elements:

Responsive Health Care Website Design. Your website needs to sense the screen size of the visitor and automatically adapt. Visitors dont want to scroll left to right on a mobile device.

Fast Loading Time. How quickly your website loads is a ranking factor with Google. Long loading times can negatively impact your visibility in search results.

Simple Navigation. The user experience is increasingly important and difficult when youre working with very little real estate. Helping visitors find what they want must be easy and intuitive.

Legible Font Size. Besides conforming to the visitors screen size, the design must offer up text that is 12-point or larger for readability.

Tap Target Spacing. Do clickable words and buttons have sufficient spacing to avoid unintentional responses?

A Working Call Button. Naturally, whenever your phone number is displayed, clicking on it should initiate a phone call.

A mobile-friendly health care website design requires thoughtful discipline, creative design and lightweight programming so your website produces an optimal user experience.

Formally announced in 2019, Google added two refinements to their search algorithm that directly affect chiropractors.

Y.M.Y.L., which stands for Your Money or Your Life, refers to websites that provide information that could potentially impact the future happiness, health or wealth of users. These include sites that offer financial advice or health care information, like yours. Such websites receive extra scrutiny. Google has a 160-page set of written guidelines to help actual humans rate the veracity of the information using E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust:

Expertise. Make sure your website describes your educational achievements and details any special training youve received, such as advanced studies or certifications that make you an expert in your field. Dont overlook your annual continuing education. Do you have high levels of success with certain types of cases? Or a special protocol? Provide proof youre an expert.

Authoritativeness. A related criterion is presenting yourself as a knowledgeable, reliable and consistent authority. This is where you might include the number of years in practice, the number of adjustments delivered, or perhaps even how many patients youve helped. Believable testimonials and relevant case studies can help make your case. This isnt about boasting but rather substantiating your credentials and being seen as a leader.

Trust. This is the essential quality that patients, as well as Googles quality raters, are looking for. Naturally, offer proof whenever possible for any claims you make. Use outbound trust links to corroborate the information you offer, such as technique websites, your chiropractic college, or other sites that are well-recognized authorities.

This is an obvious must-have, since reviews are a form of social proof often trusted as much as a referral from a friend. Be sure to claim your listing with Yelp and other review sites. The key is to have a consistent flow of reviews. Slow and steady wins the race. That means using a systematic approach so youre always getting fresh reviews.

Naturally, dont solicit reviews from non-patients or offer prizes or compensation. And while you may have to teach patients how to leave a review, never provide a computer in your office for such a purpose.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for a local business is quite different than it is for a national company or recognized brand.

Start by claiming your Google Business Profile. This profile may even be more important than having a website. Complete the listing, confirm your practice location, upload your logo, and supply your practice hours, photos and other details to fully complete your listing.

The other local SEO strategy is to obtain high-quality, relevant links back to your website.

Think of each link from a radiology group, attorney or local allied health care provider as a vote that verifies your trustworthiness. The objective is to reassure Google that it should risk its reputation on yours.

If your website is going to be an effective marketing tool for your practice, its important that it converts visitors into new patients. Simply checking the box have website isnt enough. Here are some of the most important elements of high-converting health care website designs:

Know Your Audience. Simply put, your website isnt for you. It needs to create an emotional connection with your conception of an ideal patient. Trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for obscurity.

Practice Accessibility. Also, be mindful of the large percentage of people who have low vision and other disabilities. Incorporate proper contrast ratios between the text and backgrounds to make your content accessible.

Dont Make Me Think. Use well-accepted conventions, such as placing your logo in the upper left corner with a link to your home page. Place your contact page in the upper right corner. Use contrasting colors for linkable text.

Answer a New Patients Questions. Anticipate what a new patient would want to know. That includes those who have been to chiropractors before. Ask your front desk chiropractic assistant the most common questions new patients ask. Then, make sure those questions are answered on your website.

Make It Browsable. Make the text easy to scan. Large blocks of gray text are an invitation to skip to something more easily accessible. Use short sentences. Be mindful of multi-syllable words that can make reading more difficult. The rule of thumb is to aim for website text written at an eighth-grade reading level. Use short paragraphs, subheadings, pull quotes and other techniques to help visitors find what theyre looking for.

Call to Action. Make sure there is a suggested action on every page. What do you want the visitor to do next? Learn more about what to expect on the first visit? Schedule an appointment? Subscribe to your newsletter? Read patient testimonials? Lead the visitor.

Use Photography. One of the most powerful conversion elements is custom photography. Be sure to show people over things. And avoid the neutron bomb effect. Empty reception rooms and empty adjusting tables may work for a spread in Architectural Digest but not on a practice website.

These five website must-haves have changed over the years as the internet has evolved and matured. They are likely to change again in the future. Keeping up with new trends in website design is a full-time job. It requires a trusted digital marketing partner who can provide leadership, trusted advice and continual updates.

BILL ESTEB is the co-founder of the Perfect Patients website service. Since 2006 this team of digital marketing experts (who love chiropractic) have been helping practices around the world get and keep more new patients. Learn more at PerfectPatients.com.

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Does your website E-A-T the competition? Must-haves in health care website design - Chiropractic Economics