You might think that your product, business or service is a dead cert for generating profit, but if you fail to target your online marketing campaign appropriately, you could find that your business fails to prosper. In this brave new digital world that we live in, a clear and targeted online marketing strategy can make all the difference between a business that limps along, and one that soars above the competition.
Creating a web presence
Simply building a website is not enough. There are numerous online resources that enable anyone with the vaguest understanding of digital technology to create a ‘drag and drop’ site using one of the many templates available. Most of these sites then provide web hosting, enabling you to create your site and upload it to the internet within a matter of hours. A few tweaks here, some photographs there and a bit of text announcing your business to the world is all that you need to bring customers flocking to avail themselves of your services. Isn’t it?
Unfortunately for the many business owners who choose to go down this route, the answer is a resounding ‘No’. The World Wide Web is vast beyond imagination, meaning that the chances of your website having a Unique Selling Point that sets you apart from your competitors is practically zero. Your fantastic new site could well be destined to languish in the doldrums, rarely viewed by the people you are hoping to attract.
SEO for beginners
This is where Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) comes in. Key elements in your web pages, some visible to the end user, some hidden in meta data that remains unseen, attracts the attention of the robot ‘web crawlers’ that trawl through the World Wide Web in search of this data. Keywords that relate to your product of service are picked up by these ‘web bots’ along with other pieces of information, such as the number of links to and from your site, and whether your content is updated regularly.
Search engines are looking for credible sites, so will reject those who use keywords too often or which contain too many useless links to sites that are no longer available. All search engines have their own unique criteria for sourcing the most relevant sites using algorithms that are subject to constant change. This means that keeping up to speed with them can be a difficult and time-consuming process.
The Next Web suggests that focussing on providing a great user experience is the single most important thing you can do to encourage visitors.
The Guardian’s Small Business Network offers a clear explanatory guide for anyone keen to learn more about SEO, but for anyone wanting to see a significant rise in site visitors, calling in professional assistance is the key. Hiring the services of an adwords consultant in London doesn’t have to break the bank – companies such as elevate digital marketing will tailor an SEO campaign that won’t blow the budget, but that will significantly increase profits.
In today’s digital era it can be all too easy to slip through the net, so ensuring that potential customers get to hear about you is the obvious way to drive your business forwards.
