Tag: disasters

3 in 10 Irish businesses say supply chain disruption has worsened in the last five years

Three in ten (30%) Irish business leaders believe that supply chain disruptions have worsened in the past five years. The rising cost of materials is cited as the biggest supply chain threat being currently faced by Irish businesses, with more than six in ten (63%) of Irish business leaders stating this to be the case. Tariffs and cyber threats were also found to be major supply chain risks currently faced by Irish organisations (60%).

According to results of new research into business supply chains, conducted by the global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firm, Gallagher, one in ten (10%) Irish businesses expect supply chain issues to worsen in the next five years.

The results of the research, which are unveiled in a new global supply chain research report, provide a comprehensive view of the concerns, strategies, and risk management needs of business leaders in today’s uncertain world. The report, Supply Chains, Redrawn: Lessons from Business Leaders Across Industries, is informed by views from company directors in seven countries, across a broad cross-section of business sizes and industries. Ireland and the UK are two of the seven countries included in this report.

Other risks to supply changes as highlighted by the research include natural disasters/climate change (57%); geopolitical risks (50%); and labour disruptions (50%).

Commenting on the findings of the research, Laura Vickers, Managing Director of Commercial Lines for Gallagher said:

“Some of the biggest supply chain disruptions ever experienced have arose in recent years. These include the Covid 19 pandemic, the 2021 Suez Canal blockage, the Russian-Ukraine war, and recent extreme weather events and natural disasters. So, it’s no surprise that supply chain issues have really come to the fore for businesses worldwide in recent years, and Irish businesses are facing these challenges as much as others.”

Table 1: Current and potential supply chain risks faced by Irish businesses

Looking Ahead

Irish business leaders are slightly more optimistic than their UK counterparts – one in ten (10%) Irish business executives expect supply chain issues to worsen in the next five years compared to almost one in five (19%) respondents in the UK.

Further highlights from the Gallagher report include:

  • Labour disruptions (labour movement, workforce mobility, or strikes) and human rights issues top the list of supply risks which Irish business leaders are expecting in the future, with more than four in ten (43%) Irish business leaders anticipating that each of these issues will pose a risk to their firm (see Table 1).
  • Four in ten (40%) Irish business executives expect sanctions and export controls to present a supply chain risk into the future, with a similar number (37%) citing cargo theft.
  • Interestingly, while the rising cost of materials and tariffs top the list of the supply chain risks currently facing Irish businesses, the research found that Irish business leaders expect these risks to subside in the future.
  • Only 27% of Irish executives expect the rising cost of materials to be a supply chain issue into the future, while 30% cited tariffs.

Managing future supply chain risks

Over six in ten (63%) business executives in Ireland are investing in technology – specifically digital tools, AI, or monitoring systems – to help improve oversight and responsiveness and help manage supply chain risks. This is a slightly lower number than in the UK, where almost seven in ten (68%) of business executives said they were doing so. More than seven in ten (73%) Irish business leaders are also looking to alter supplier relationships in some capacity, due to past, current, and predicted future supply chain disruption. This compared to 64% of UK respondents.

More than six in ten (63%) Irish business executives and 61% (UK) also confirmed that they are adopting onshoring[1], nearshoring or friendshoring to help manage the supply chain risks currently impacting their business. This reflects the growing concerns held by Irish business leaders around geopolitical developments.

Just over a quarter (28%) of Irish businesses who experienced supply chain losses in the last 12 months had insurance in place to fully cover losses, leaving many firms facing potentially substantial costs to bear. This figure is significantly lower than the response from businesses in the UK (with 46% of affected businesses having losses fully covered) and the global response (32%).

Ms Vickers added:

“Irish businesses aren’t alone in facing ongoing supply chain disruption, and many of the issues that are affecting trade here are global. Escalating geopolitical conflict, the rising price of materials, and an influx of cyberattacks all presented unique and complex challenges to businesses last year and continue to concern decisionmakers in 2026. The continued disruption underscores the need to consult a risk management advisor to assess individual concerns and source comprehensive risk management and insurance products that may help to boost financial resilience.”

SEO Mistakes: Digital Marketing Disasters Your Business Should Avoid

In 2021, digital marketing is a must for virtually every business. But because this area evolves so rapidly, it can be hard to keep up with the best practices.

That’s especially true when it comes to search engine optimization, or SEO.

In order for your website to be readily found online, it needs to be optimized for search engines. But if you aren’t careful, you could easily make a mistake with your SEO strategy.

To help you avoid that frustration (and potentially a Google penalty!), we’re sharing just a few of  the most common mistakes business owners make with their SEO and also seo business from home

Expecting Immediate Results

If you’re constantly asking yourself why you aren’t seeing progress with your SEO strategy, you may need to examine your expectations first.

There are a number of reasons why your strategy may not be working. But it might also be that the strategy is working the way it’s supposed to.

In the latter scenario, the problem actually lies in your own realistic expectations.

With certain kinds of digital marketing, such as pay-per-click ads, you might start to see results within a few days.

But SEO is meant to be a long-term strategy. It’s not designed to pay off in a day, a week, or even a month.

Although some changes can help right some SEO wrongs rather quickly, you probably won’t start to see real movement with your keywords for at least a few months.

In other words, you need to stay the course. Don’t become discouraged if you don’t see improvements immediately. Keep the faith and remember that this is how SEO is intended to work.

If you let your unrealistic expectations get the best of you, you might be inclined to discontinue your SEO efforts or take steps that could undo all your hard work.

While you wait for your SEO strategy to take effect, focus on other aspects of your marketing. SEO works even better when you combine it with other promotional techniques.

You can also invest some time in educating yourself about the latest SEO trends and developments. Find a good Search Engine Optimisation Course, read blogs from trusted sources, and follow industry experts. This will not only help you stay informed, but it can also give you new ideas for your own SEO strategy.

As long as you put consistent effort into your SEO and are following Google’s best practices, your efforts will pay off. It just won’t happen overnight.

Targeting the Wrong Kinds of Keywords

Optimizing your site with relevant keywords can allow your brand to show up more readily in search results.

But just because a keyword accurately describes your business, products, or services, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be targeting it as part of your strategy.

An overly broad keyword, for example, may simply be too competitive to give you the results you want. You’ll be going up against large, established companies with unlimited budgets. 

What’s more, the people searching for those keywords might not even be your target audience. Despite an impressive search volume, that keyword may not result in more conversions for your business. And that’s really the end goal of SEO – to help make your business more successful!

It may be wiser for you to target long-tail keywords that align with your location or what your ideal customers are actually searching for. Be sure to conduct thorough keyword research and figure out which terms your competitors are (and aren’t!) targeting.

It’s normal to switch up the keywords you target on a semi-regular basis. But if you’re simply guessing with your keyword optimizations, it’s time to gain some real insight into the terms that will result in quality traffic and sales. Otherwise, you’ll risk wasting your time and money with nothing to show for it.

Ignoring Website Issues

Believe it or not, existing issues with your website can hurt your ability to rank in search engine results.

Since Google wants to provide a positive experience for web users, search engines use a number of technical website features as ranking signals.

Issues like slow site speed, confusing navigation, page errors, broken links, poor site security, unexpected layout shifts, lack of mobile-friendliness, interactivity delays, and intrusive interstitials can all make it harder for your site to rank, even if you put a lot of effort into on-site optimization.

You’ll need to fix any website issues that exist if you want to improve your site rankings in SERPs. It’s best to run a website audit and assess whether a redesign is necessary.

Ultimately, it won’t matter if you write awesome content and optimize with the right keywords if your website drives customers away. You’ll need to address any website problems that exist in order to provide a great experience for visitors.

Doing Your SEO Yourself

As a business owner, you probably wear a number of hats. You might even think that if you don’t take care of something yourself, it’ll never get done.

But that attitude can be dangerous when it comes to SEO. Because trends change so quickly and this area of digital marketing is so vast, it’s easy to make a mistake that can hurt your business.

DIY might sound like a good way to save time and money. But this isn’t a simple home improvement project. It’s the future of your brand and your ability to compete.

For something with such high stakes, you really can’t afford to take a do-it-yourself approach. Instead, it’s best to work with a reputable white label SEO company that can devise, execute, and monitor your marketing strategy.

That way, you can concentrate on the business operations that really matter without sacrificing your ability to promote your brand.

While there’s nothing wrong with expanding your knowledge of SEO, it’s best to leave marketing  your business to the professionals. Choosing the DIY route will almost certainly result in disaster.

 

Avoid These SEO Mistakes For Long-Term Success

Unfortunately, it’s not hard to make an SEO mistake that can derail your marketing efforts. But once you know the most common mistakes to avoid, you can take the right preventive steps. Setting realistic expectations, targeting the right keywords, fixing website issues, and working with a professional firm can set you up for long-term success.

Author Bio: Jeff Shipman is the Director of Marketing Innovation at Semify, based in Rochester, New York. At Semify, we focus on scaling, are US-based, and offer a white label SEO solution that helps digital marketing agencies achieve their dreams through on-time delivery and SEO fulfillment. Before moving to Western New York, he earned a BA in History and a MBA at St. Bonaventure University. Go Bonnies!  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-shipman-155b7073/