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It’s true that most people will use search engines to find your Web site, but simply listing your site with all the major search engines is not enough to be found. Don’t waste your time and effort on a great looking Web site full of snazzy features and attractive offers if you don’t have some idea of how you are going to draw people in and keep them coming back. If you want to build a Web site that beats the competition, then you need to have a solid Internet marketing strategy in place.
Establish clear online business goals
It’s important to define the goals of your Web site, before you start to spend your online marketing budget. Do you want millions of visitors? Do you want more qualified sales leads? What do you want people to do when they arrive at your website– capture leads or directly sell products?
Your branding and business message must be consistent on every page, and each page on your website should have a desired outcome – a positive response from your customer.
Evaluate existing Web site
Does your existing site generate the number of visitors and sales that you want? Where do your visitors spend time on your site and from which pages do they exit? Who is attracted to your site and where are they coming from and going to? Every page on your site should direct your prospect into a clear action that you want them to take - whether it is to sign up for a download, submit an email for a special offer, or complete a sale. How easy is it for customers to reach the key pages on your website?
Balanced approach to Internet Marketing
A tactical approach to online marketing will generate results, but to fully realize your online potential you need to build a long-term Internet marketing strategy that includes the instant response tactics such as pay per click marketing with the credibility-building techniques of search engine optimization, link building, building a business blog and other “organic” online marketing tools. (Note: Let’s link all of these to their corresponding product pages)
Get Creative
If you’re managing a tight budget, search engine optimization of every page of your website is just the beginning in raising the profile of your Web site on search engines without draining your bank balance. Take advantage of resources you have available to create a blog, manage an email campaign, host an online forum and participate in link building. Each of these tools is a form of social networking for your online business and encourages interaction with your customers. The further you extend the reach of your Web site, the higher up the search engine rankings you’ll see your domain name.
Boost performance
Pay per click marketing should be another essential component of your Internet marketing strategy if you are operating in a highly competitive arena. To ensure you get the most value from your campaign choose keywords that are specifically targeted to your products and services rather than paying top dollar for a highly sought after generic phrase. Remember, if your goal is to increase sales choose keywords that will deliver an informed consumer who is ready to buy. Conversely, if your objective is to generate millions of visitors use keywords that will appeal to a wider range of customers in your product space.
Track results
Once you have your plan in place, be sure to track your results. Sadly, not all your Internet marketing efforts will produce their desired outcomes. Hard work and diligence will prevail if you keep track of your performance and start to recognize customer preferences so you can capitalize on the specific tactics that are producing the best results.
Stay in touch
The Internet moves fast! You need to be ready to evolve and reinvent your site to outwit your competition, meet the changing needs of your customers, and operate alongside new technologies. Try to make your Web site the place everyone comes to for the latest news or products. Add features that encourage customer feedback and open discussion so you gain first-hand insight to customer demands.
Finally, make sure your domain can be found by your customers wherever they are looking for the products you sell. Reach out to your customers and they’ll thank you by visiting your site. People can be overwhelmed and bombarded with choices so you need to make sure your brand becomes familiar with your customers by being present everywhere they might be “hanging out” online. Think of the old Town Crier and start shouting about your services where your target market will hear you!
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