An article by Nipa Shah

If you want to increase online revenue, optimizing your website and setting aside a budget for online marketing campaigns, is a must. Like any other marketing initiatives, online marketing should be a component of your marketing plan. If it isn't, you are losing out on a huge opportunity to make money. Online marketing campaigns range in cost from $10,000 to around $30,000 annually. They generally require eight weeks to implement and result in long-term benefits for you. Search Engine Marketing includes components such as Search Engine Optimization, Link Building, Paid Marketing or Pay Per Click, and content writing. It is also known as web marketing, Internet marketing, and search marketing.

Search Engine Marketing allows you to:

1. Gain brand visibility

2. Reach a specific audience

3. Obtain higher placements in search engines

4. Increase online sales

5. Generate leads 24X7

So, how will you benefit from the internet? Learn about the four interlocking components that will make you successful online.

Make sure you have a robust website

So many people start their businesses without an adequate website. I’m not sure why but people still seem to believe that they can spend no more than $500-$1500 on a website and get a robust online presence. People will invest upwards of $50,000 on beginning a business but they don’t think to put aside even $10,000 for a robust website. On a daily basis, I meet people who tell me that they don’t have a ‘lot of money’ to spend on a website. But they all want to make millions online. How is that possible with a website that is mediocre at best, and in most cases worst than what my 17 year would develop?

To be successful online, make sure that your website looks professional and portrays the impression of a company that is large and experienced. People don’t want to do business with a company whose website looks like it was developed by an amateur playing web designer. But besides the look and feel, ask yourself if the website is creating efficiency for you on a day to day basis. Is it automating tasks? Is it easy to maintain and update or do you have to rely on a developer to make simple content changes? Take an inventory of your website and judge it impartially – check it for aesthetic appeal, functionality, ease of maintenance, overall navigation, and richness of content that will convert prospects into customers.

Are customers finding you online?

Customers are impatient when they search online. It is important for them to find what they are looking for easily at anytime of the day or night. If your company’s website doesn’t appear in the first or second page of search engine results, they won’t bother to look at the third page. Most searchers will generally do a new search when they don’t find something within the first 20 results, sometimes within the first 10 results. Therefore identify terms that people are searching for but that are not too competitive and optimize your website with them. This will allow you to get in front of those customers that are seeking what you offer.

Lastly, don’t optimize one time and think it will generate quality traffic forever. Online marketing, like traditional marketing, requires ongoing effort. Make sure your budget includes monthly fees for ongoing marketing activities.

Do you know how your website is performing in search engines?

Once you have a robust website and have it optimized, be sure to track and measure its performance in search engines. Are you seeing an improvement in the “quality” of traffic? Note, I didn’t say “improvement in traffic”. I said, “improvement in the quality of traffic” Because its not the quantity of traffic that’s important, but the ‘quality’ of traffic. When your site is optimized for keywords that are popular, your website should begin to get targeted traffic that has a better chance of converting prospects into customers.

With performance tracking you can determine the return on investment (ROI) for your online marketing campaigns. You should be able to see the terms that are bringing traffic, the search engines that are sending more traffic to your website, and lots of other data that will help you determine the success of your online campaigns.

Use the data to make your website more robust

So now you are getting quality traffic but you still are not seeing that traffic convert into customers. Why? Perhaps your website’s content does not contain clear and concise information about products and services that you offer. Or maybe the content is focused on ‘marketing spiel’ and doesn’t tell the customer what you can do for them. People come to the website seeking information. They don’t want to waste time. Does your site offer search capability to those that are impatient? Does your site offer pricing and all relevant product or service information or does it take a long time for them to find it? Is the navigation clear and easy to follow?

The performance reports will give you data that will allow you to make the visitors’ experience better. Use that data to improve your website presence and thus continue the cycle. You need a long term strategy to benefit from the internet. Whether you have a brick and mortar store or whether you have an exclusive online business, determine your strategy, create an annual plan, and execute it with ongoing focus.

We hope that this article will help you establish a robust presence online. Make sure that the website is search engine friendly. Then make sure that the website is optimized. If it is not, you have little chance of the website getting ranked and placed in search engines results. And if that happens, no one will be able to find your website in search results.

What good is a website to your business, if prospects cannot find it while searching for products and services that you offer?

Nipa Shah has fifteen years of experience in the automotive industry, twelve of those in providing leadership and implementation of information technology related services at a fortune 500 company. She also has experience negotiating multimillion dollar software contracts and with various Information Technology (IT) suppliers, globally.

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