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While there are a few exceptions, almost every business can benefit from an internet marketing strategy. Not only is it affordable, but it can also reach out to a much larger audience that will be able to find value in what you’re offering. The cost of maintaining a website is small compared to what you could spend on traditional advertising, and the ability to get the attention of a broader range of people can make internet marketing much more valuable.
While it may only take a couple of days to optimize a website, it may take a few months before you start to see results. It can take some time before you start to reap the rewards of your efforts. And if content marketing is part of your strategy, then you need to be consistent about putting out fresh material.
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization,” and it involves the incorporation of certain keywords in an effort to get organic search traffic. Every major search engine (including Google) has a list of keywords or phrases for which people are searching, and some web content gets ranked based on certain criteria. Search engines have crawlers that scan content for relevance to certain keywords, and they look at other factors as well. Optimizing videos, pictures, and text for search engine ranking could bring in huge amounts of free traffic because your content will have a competitive edge in a search.
Google doesn’t allow programs to check the ranking of any website on their search engine, but there are many companies that claim to offer this type of service. Doing this is a violation of Google’s terms of service, but there are some things you can do to find out if your websites are getting ranked. Some of these include:
Doing a manual search of your targeted keywords – It’s the most tedious way to do it. And while it’s not 100% reliable, Google does allow you to do it under their terms of service.
Using analytics software – Analytics software can give you valuable information about your site. Not only can it tell you which page a visitor was on before going to your site, but it can also tell you the page number that he or she was on before clicking on the link.
Going through the log files on your server – If your server is set up to include information about the referrer, then you should be able to look at the logs to find out where your traffic is coming from. And anything that comes from Google will have the page number that a user was on before going to your site.
Using Google Webmaster Tools – If you visit the “search engine” section of the Google Webmaster Tools, you’ll be able to see all the keywords that people typed in to get to your site. And once you click the link attached to a specific keyword, you’ll be able to see your site’s position in search results.
While getting on that first page of Google is a worthwhile goal, it shouldn’t be the only piece of your internet marketing strategy.
There may be many reasons why your websites aren’t getting ranked, and one of them might be because of their link popularity. Sites become credible when other credible sites link to them, and this type of “backlinking” is what will determine your ranking on a Google search. You may not have a website that’s as relevant to the keywords that you’re targeting, or you may not be using a keyword phrase properly in the content.
There could be other factors that may affect your raking, and some of them include:
Technical issues – Because Google does a good job of scanning the web, it doesn’t appear to be a likely issue. But the results can be devastating when it happens.
Website navigation – It’s a good idea to have a solid navigation system on your website, because it will make it easier for people to move from one page to another. And not keeping your links descriptive can affect your ranking.
Internet linking – Having good links between the pages on your website is a good way to give it a ranking boost, so make sure you use the targeted keyword phrase in the text.
Social activity – Sites with likes, shares, and comments can get you a higher ranking. So if your engagement on social media isn’t that great, then you need to think about how you can improve it.
The important thing to remember is that you need to keep going. Create more relevant content, and work on expanding your influencer base. It takes time, but it’s worth the wait.
PPC stands for pay-per-click, which is a marketing method that involves paying a fee every time a web ad gets clicked. It gives you a way to “buy” more clicks to your website instead of waiting to get organic search traffic. The most popular form of PPC is search engine advertising, and it gives people an opportunity to bid on an ad spot for people who search for a specific keyword. If the campaign is working, the fee isn’t an issue because what you can earn from a visit can be worth a lot more than what you’re paying for the exposure.
A Google ad may not show up every time someone enters a keyword. Whether it appears will depend on a number of factors, and one of them may be your budget. It can also depend on the number of ads that are competing for that particular keyword without clicking on the ad. Google recognizes your IP address, so it will stop displaying ads in which you don’t show any interest.
Social media marketing involves the use of sites like Facebook and Twitter to get traffic to your website or to gain attention in the marketplace. It can be a great way to improve your ranking on Google and other search engines, because connections to social media can boost your relevancy for certain keywords. Many people perform searches on social media to find related content. So, if your posts show up and get shared, then you can get a significant boost in attention and ranking.
There are three platforms that your business should be using. These are:
Facebook – With over 1.44 billion monthly users, Facebook is too big to ignore. But its power isn’t just about the numbers. Facebook has powerful analytics that can give you detailed demographics based on interests and online behavior, so you can target ads based on very specific criteria.
Google+ or Google My Business – Creating a page on Google+ can help you get ranked in a search. And it can include the name of your business, where it’s located, as well as any contact information.
LinkedIn – This one is a little different than other networks, because your business doesn’t need to be there. But you’re the face of your business, so you need to have a LinkedIn profile where you can showcase your skills and establish yourself as an authority. It can also be a great place to connect with potential clients or partners.
Make sure you look at the structure of your business so you can determine what other social media platforms may be suitable.
The obvious difference between these two models is the cost. Internet marketing is much cheaper than traditional advertising, and it can be easier to measure your ROI. Internet marketing can also give you a chance to connect with your customers on a more personal level, which can improve your reputation. It makes your business more accessible than traditional advertising, especially if you’re targeting millennials and Generation Z.
One of the best ways to market your business online is to create a blog or post high-quality content on a regular basis, because it can give you more value in the market place. You can also get involved with groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, which can give you a chance to connect with other people who use these platforms. Running ads on Facebook can be effective as well, because it allows you to target specific groups. You can even post videos on YouTube so you can build your reputation.
Email marketing is an old system that doesn’t seem to be going away, so every business owner needs to be using this strategy. You can also use sites like Yelp and Angie’s List so people can post reviews on your business. While there isn’t one thing that will meet all your internet marketing needs, using them in combination could give you powerful results.
The frequency of your social media posts will depend on the network. Facebook is a low-volume platform, but every bit of engagement can add a great deal of value to your business. You don’t want to post too frequently on Facebook, but you don’t want to post too little. You should post at least three times a week, but you don’t want more than ten.
Twitter is the opposite of Facebook. It’s a high-volume platform that offers little value to your engagement, so you want to post more often. Shoot for at least five posts a day, but you want to get as many out there as you can.
LinkedIn is more like Facebook in that it’s a low-volume network that adds a great deal of value to your business, and you don’t want content to take over the feed. You should share content that’s relevant to your business, as well as your target market. You should post at least three times a week, but you don’t want more than five. You should also focus on content that’s more technical and is relevant to your business or industry.
Google+ is also a low-volume, high-value network. So, posting more frequently can give Google more content and keywords that can get indexed on search pages. You should post at least three times a week but no more than ten, and make sure you use relevant keywords so you can increase your ranking on a Google search. Pinterest has a lot in terms of volume and value, so you want to post more frequently. Aim for 5-10 posts a day. And make sure you include large, high-quality images so you can increase your chances of getting noticed.
There are a few ways that internet marketing can work with traditional advertising, because the two systems take different approaches. Traditional advertising is a passive method of promotion, while digital marketing takes a more active role in interacting with potential customers. Traditional ads are good for spreading information, and they can tell people to go to a specific website. It could be seen as a “call to action,” because it tells people to do a specific thing.
Working both traditional and internet marketing can allow your company to spread its message across many different channels, but some of them work better than others. Younger people will be more technically savvy, but an older generation may not. If you mix both of these marketing strategies in the right way, you can reach more potential customers.