The companies that promote online advertising generally have more hype than substance. A business owner came to us and she was convinced that spending $1000 per month on website promotion was justified, "I'm getting thousands of hits to my website". Out of natural curiousity we had to check it out and found that she was getting 17 visitors a month and for search terms that she should have got free in natural search results. Unfortunately, many people make a good living out of the hype rather than offering real marketing solutions.
Tip 1: If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true. Does what you're being told make sense?
The concepts behind search engine ranking and methodology are not complex, and can be explained using mathematical set theory and permutations and combinations, but it is the execution of those concepts to building a website that ranks well on search engines that is time consuming and expensive.
Tip 2: If your website copy does not sell your product or service, why spend money on internet advertising How often do visit a website and wonder what they are selling or who the business or organization is. As people, we are generally distrusting of strangers and therefore it is important to build credibility in your website by
- frequently updated content
- professional design
- logical layout
- see also http://www.webcredibility.org/guidelines/ for Stanford University's research into website credibility
Tip 3: Niche products sell better on the internet - use niche products to draw people to your website. Niche products that are difficult to find in the "real world" sell better on the internet. Why buy socks online when you can just as easily buy them at your local supermarket or discount store? But if you are looking for organic cotton socks, or wool tights, or if you are looking for a accountant that specializes in minimizing income and assets for pensioners to claim the maximum amount of govenment benefits, what better place to start looking than on the internet. Niche products, services and knowledge is more sought after on the internet and have higher sales rates than general products and services.
Tip 4: Research your competitors price and service or product offerings The internet is hyper competitive. If your product is not a niche product, it needs to be cheaper than your competitors. Use this information on any online advertising campaigns.
Tip 5 Use multiple means of marketing. See Website Promotion for more informaiton
Tip 6: Use common sense in determining search phrases as well as keyword research Internet advertising using search engines differs considerably from other media. The barrier to whether your ad is seen or not seen will depend on the keywords that you choose. Keywords are the key that opens up your ad to a potential customer. Therefore if you don't choose the right words and phrases, your internet advertising efforts are doomed to fail.
What words of phrases might a person type in to find your product and service? Can you envisage that person actually sitting in front of a computer looking for that product or service? Write a lisf of phrases.
Tip 7: Does your website give anything away for free or pay affiliates to sell your product or service The internet was built on free. In fact, websites like MySpace and YouTube, that on paper are worth millions or billions of dollars have yet to work out how to charge for their products and services to recoup the money spent on them. Their websites are built on the notion of free webspace and free tools. PayPal ran a successful affiliate program where it paid people to tell their friends about PayPal. Many websites give away free tools, free information, and give away free postage or run free entry competitions to encourage sales.
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