Internet Marketing Basics: 5 Methods For Online Success
In this day and age, most business owners are aware that having a website is crucial for the success of their business. This recognition is evident in the droves of new business websites being published on the internet on a daily basis. These new websites compete for search engine rankings in Google and Bing like all others. As such, the benefit of simply having a business website is being diluted amidst the myriad newcomers.
Internet Marketing, as well as Digital Marketing, offer opportunities for businesses to outperform their rival’s efforts to outrank them in the search engines or to gain a larger market share through online advertising and strategic business asset utilization.
Now, perhaps more than ever, understanding your business’ audience and the internet marketing opportunities surrounding it is equally important. In 2016, marketing your business online is an effective, affordable option.
Here are the top 5 essential methods your internet marketing plan needs to grow your business.
#1 – Internet Marketing with Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the method that helps websites land that desirable top spot on Google’s first page. SEO changes significantly every year, as Google keeps getting better at disqualifying websites that exploit loopholes.
Being as the goal of any SEO campaign is to achieve the highest search engine rankings possible for targeted keywords, it is important to recognize what metrics the search engines use to determine their rankings. These metrics are not published by Google as that would lead to direct and deliberate manipulation of their rankings. With this being the case, professional SEO experts are left ‘playing detective,’ seeking any and all opportunities available in order to suss out what works and what doesn’t. This leads to whitepapers which report case study findings, educated and reasoned trial and error, and investigation of the search engine’s goals themselves. With this information at their disposal, along with the necessary technical knowledge, an SEO expert is able to modify a website, and it’s various off-site influencing factors, in order to improve its rankings.
Technically speaking, SEO is a combination of having meta-descriptions on each page of your website, having enough text that includes keywords, having titles and alt-text for images, and much, much more. Elements like website speed and security, and mobile-responsiveness are also important for ranking well.
SEO is usually fairly technical, but it takes research and strategy to know what your audience is searching for online.
Read more about Bellingham WP’s SEO services.
#2 – Internet Marketing with Social Media
For many industries, social media is a simple way to reach a business’ audience. It’s affordable, it’s widely available, and the results are usually worthwhile. That being said, most businesses fail to use social media correctly.
First, you need to determine which channels are most appropriate for your business. Then, you need a content plan. Lastly, you need to interact online with others. It sounds simple enough, but a proper social media marketing plan is just as complex as any marketing strategy.
Social media is the place where you find out which businesses care about their public reputation. The two-way communication system can be too much for inexperienced businesses, but offers high rewards with the right strategy.
#3 – Internet Marketing with Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are a true digital marketing gem. They’re easy to set up, they offer multiple goals or outcomes for your business (impressions, clicks, interactions….), and they’re affordable.
The real trick to Facebook ads is to know who you’re targeting, and why. The medium is the message, but the message needs to matter, too—just like all advertising.
Ideally, Facebook should be used for awareness-style advertising and branding, but with the right plan, your business can achieve any online marketing goals on Facebook.
#4 – Internet Marketing with Google AdWords
Google AdWords offers a variety of Search Network and Display Network ads for businesses. An effective tool, Google AdWords can help your business generate leads and connections to help grow your business.
Google’s Analytics and AdWords certifications are endlessly helpful for budding internet marketers, and knowing how to use these tools will help make any business owner better in his or her role.
#5 – Internet Marketing: Quality Content
It’s as simple as this: Posting and sharing creative, interesting, helpful, funny, or otherwise quality content will help you market your business online. If your blog post, tweet, or video is appealing, then it’ll become successful without a huge effort.
Think of it this way: How many ads that you’ve seen yesterday can you think of right now? Probably one or two, despite seeing hundreds of messages each day. Those ads were memorable because there was something different about them. Usually, it’s a positive element, like humor or helpful information. The overarching premise is that your content must speak to your intended audience in a manner that encourages them to interact with your business, provides them some form of benefit, and works to establish a rapport and trust.
The heart of all marketing is to create value for users, and this is no exception online.
Read more about Bellingham WP’s Content Writing services.
When you’re ready to take your web presence to the next level with digital marketing and internet marketing, Bellingham WP is here to help!
