Basic ways to market your website
January 17, 2012 No CommentsSEO, or search engine optimization, is one of the keys to successful online marketing. It has no counterpart in the brick and mortar world.
SEO makes your website visible when consumers search for products or services in the various search engines, of which Google is the best known. The higher you rank, the more traffic you’ll get to your online store. This is important because whatever industry you are in, you are bound to have thousands, even tens of thousands, of competitors.
If you head for Google and type in, say, leather shoes store, you will find an unbelievable number of stores that sell leather shoes. If you happen to be one of those online stores, where would you rather be? On top of the list, somewhere in the middle, or practically invisible at the last pages? SEO can place you at the first or second page, which is where most shoppers will go.
There are not that many SEO experts so availing of the services of one will most likely be an expensive proposition. The small start up enterprises may not be able to afford their services. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the secrets of the SEO gurus are available online via articles on SEO marketing. Here is where good old Google can be your friend.
Look at the stories on SEO marketing. Read as many as you can. You may find that a handful of the secrets shared will seem to be addressed to you. Seminars and fora focusing on SEO are frequently held, and some are open to the public for a nominal fee. Look at it this way, for the price of a cup of coffee and a croissant, you may be able to hear firsthand stories of companies that booster their sales through the aid of SEO tactics.
One of the lessons that you will pick up in these seminars is the use of social media, which has become one of the most popular marketing channels today. Social media – Facebook, Twitter and your personal YouTube channel – helps you keep in touch with the customers you have gotten through SEO marketing.
But don’t ignore web design, or take web design for granted. This, too, is an important marketing tool. Your website should be aesthetically appealing, aimed at your target market. A good looking site will invite visits, while an ugly site will turn customers away. You may have the best products in the market at the best possible prices, but if your site is too cluttered, too bland or too jarring to look at, you can be sure that most first time visitors will not come back for a second or third time.
Having a site that catches the attention of your target market will force them to stay and browse. Even if they are not looking to buy, they may yet make spot buying decisions because they enjoy your site so much.
And even if they don’t make a purchase, your site will become top of mind when the time comes that they are actively looking to buy the kind of products or services that you offer.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.