Somewhere throughout life you’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket“.
This axiom is as true for your Internet marketing strategy as it is for anything else.
A mix of various forms of online advertising combined with website analytics will allow you to test for measuring conversions, tracking ROI and gauging the success of your Internet marketing strategies.
Choosing Internet Marketing Strategies
If the big keywords are important to you; simply think outside of the box. Big keyword phrases are worth a lot of money and bluntly said; you are going to have to pay for them.
- PPC Advertising – typically a higher cost per click (CPC) for each visitor that comes to your site. You will get traffic immediately but will lose traffic as soon as you stop your PPC advertising campaign.
- Organic SEO – typically monthly fees spread over a longer period of time that generate slow but steady growth. Over the long run, a lower CPC.
- Online Ads – typically you will pay a higher cost per thousand impressions (CPM) and are not guaranteed traffic to your website.
Regardless of what combination of the above three strategies you choose here are an additional five Internet strategies you can use to spread your budget effectively and achieve your desired goals.
1. Website Analytics Account
All of your hard work, effort and budget will be spent in vain without having the ability to track where visitors come from and how they interact with your site. Website analytics is crucial to tracking ROI (return on investment).
Simply sign up for a Google Analytics account and ensure the code is added to all pages within your site. Setting up the goal and conversion tracking is crucial; so don’t skip setting up the various ways sales and leads can be generated through your site.
2. Search Engine Friendly Web Design
If your site is poorly designed or limited in its ability to convert sales then you will have to push a higher number of visitors to your site to achieve the same level of Internet marketing success as a higher quality site.
A site that does not have a user friendly or search engine friendly web design will cost more money to attract more qualified visitors.
Your website must have the following:
- Easy, intuitive navigation
- Easy, user friendly ordering process
- Visual appeal and layout
- Compatibility with various browsers
- Handicap accessible
- Secure credit card processing (if applicable)
3. Staying Impartial
Lastly, don’t just take “your” word for it.
As hard as it is to believe; what you find easy or understandable may not be the easiest or most attractive to outside visitors.
Solicit feed back from your friends, family and colleagues, especially those who will remain impartial and give you some constructive feedback. Have them run through your site.
Stress testing and quality assurance can save you literally thousands of dollars down the line.
4. Pricing Your Products
No matter how superior your products are, at the end of the day you will be compared to your competitors.
If you sell high end products; you must position yourself as such. For instance, if you sell $200.00 bottles of perfume, targeting the phrase “perfume online” is not recommended.
Understanding your visitors and their mindset will allow you to align yourself with the correct demographics.
Know your competitors and their pricing, and utilize that knowledge within your campaigns.
Finally, be sure to do testing to see what pricing works best for you. If you insist that your products are worth $200.00 but your visitors don’t and are not buying, you either need to accept that you will be selling less products or you must rework your pricing structure.
Remain flexible and adjust to the market so that your budget and business doesn’t suffer.
5. Developing Content That Sells
If your goal is to sell something online then you must be able to provide more information (unique content) than the manufacturer’s stock description of that product (and certainly more relevant information than your competitors are providing.
Many online retail businesses make the mistake of just posting these stock descriptions provided by the supplier or manufacturer, which are often provided to literally hundreds of websites (like yours) who sell the same products.
This creates duplicate content issues and any credit given by the search engines will be given to the site of origin…the manufacturer.
In order to set your website apart from your competitors your content needs to be unique providing more details and information that is relevant to a searchers request. This is your job…and a crucial one.
If words do not flow easily for you, you may need the services of a professional online copywriter, a content writer that specializes optimized content development.
Remember, building a portfolio of successful online advertising campaigns will give you a better grasp of market share and allow you to utilize each marketing vehicle to its fullest potential. Give our internet marketing experts a call at 888-262-6687 if you need some help in implementing marketing strategies that work for your website.
Tired of wearing three, four or maybe even five different hats at once?
