Did you know that over four million business listings on Google have been claimed by their business owners? At least several hundred, or even several thousand, of these businesses represent your online competitors. As a business, it is important to stay competitive online, especially when a large percent of all retail is expected to migrate from in store sales to internet sales over the next four years. Here are three online search engine marketing tips for improving your online presence and making the most out of your marketing dollars.
1. Content driven SEO improves search rank
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is key for improving site rank in search engine results. Why is this important? SEO online search engine marketing allows you to reach the widest audience possible. Most small businesses end up outsourcing this service to SEO companies, who often will write interesting and informative content for company blogs. Why? Because they know that not only have 58 percent of businesses reported gaining customers through their blog, but blogs also increase pages for search indexing by over 400 percent.
2. PPC services offer instant return
PPC, or pay per click internet marketing, is a model of online advertising where the company only pays for the amount of clicks they wish to receive. This helps keep overhead at a predictable cost, and is more likely to generate profit than paying for exposure. Unlike SEO, which takes several months to generate a return, PPC offers instant website exposure, and therefore profit. In order to maximize on PPC, make sure your ads are specific, and only target the people who would actually buy your product. Do you deliver flowers for 20 dollars and up? Put that in your advertising. People who would not pay 20 dollars will not end up as wasted clicks.
3. Invest in great web design
Even if you knew they had the best fruit, would you walk into a grocery store that had cobwebs in the door and broken windows? Probably not. So think of your website as your virtual store front. You can have the best marketing strategies, but they will lead nowhere if you do not invest in your website. Did you know that 60 percent of smartphone users look up information on local business from their devices? The best web design is mobile compatible, easy to navigate, unified in appearance, and adheres to modern design standards. Using five different fonts on your front page? Bad. You need to hire a web design company that will tell you the truth about what needs to change.
