This is relevant to just about all web marketing. So we have to look at updating our modus operandi. We all know it’s vital that all commercial organisations are on the web. But that’s not the answer to the problem. Your clients need to know where you are.
Picture a new retail premises opening up shop: It’s taken time, money and expertise to get to this stage. It’s opening time, and they’re looking for clients… Then they look outside and find they’re in a rural outpost! Nobody will know how to reach them. What kind of sales do you think they’ll manage? The vast majority of business websites have just this problem.
The shape of modern marketing has radically altered. Ten years ago, as everyone was getting on the bandwagon, there was an idea that everyone needed a website. It wasn’t uncommon for businesses to spend huge amounts getting all the fancy bells and whistles on their site. (To the great delight of web designers, of course). It started to become obvious though that these sites weren’t receiving any traffic. People had thought that if they had a big website, it would be easily spotted. Alas it wasn’t so.
A traditional approach to marketing breaks down on the web. Off-line marketing people would suggest your website is like a sales brochure. Consequently they’ll recommend the time-honoured promotional methods of newspaper advertising and the media. Really just assuming websites need the same treatment as everything else! First they make a nice looking catalogue. Then they utilise various marketing methods to get people to look at the catalogue. Yet in the web economy, this approach is way off the mark!
The internet itself is not just a viewing portal. It is a completely interactive place where billions of people can research, examine, discuss and choose services and products in the comfort of their own home. And because of Search Engines like Google & Bing/MSN, there are huge indexes of sites that can be easily found (from the customers perspective at least) to perform these tasks. Off-line Business Pages would be useless if they weren’t properly structured: It could take hours of our time!
The Search Engines solve this dilemma. And so marketing is forced to move on. If you want customers to find you on the internet, indexation by Google etc. is paramount. Yet if you only show up a few pages in, you might as well forget it. By the time you get to page 5, you can forget it, unless you’ve got a very detail-oriented and persistent customer!
So to bring in more profit and give all sites a chance to be top dog, the SE’s gave businesses an ingenious paid facility to promote themselves. It’s known as PPC, or Pay per Click, because you’re only charged when a user opts for your link. It was revolutionary. Fundamentally, you were now only charged when an interested party looked at what you had to offer. Pay per Click is a very well targeted method of marketing. With the right knowledge it can produce a good return.
Alas, the market is bombarded with this form of advertising these days. Prices have risen hugely. This is mostly due to high bids being put in by marketers with no experience. Some words and phrases command such high click prices that profits aren’t possible for many companies. This happens mostly where lots of clicks are essential to get one buyer. So Search Engine Optimisation is now becoming a preferred method for many to get to page 1.
Have a go at this - Go to Google or Bing RIGHT NOW and type in a few product or service keywords. Can you see your website on the 1st three pages? It’s very doubtful. So you might as well not be there at all! If it is there, would clients really use those keywords?
You may have some successful experience of PPC advertising. Can you be sure you’re working it as efficiently as possible? Is your ROI satisfactory? Have you got an eye on the stats that measure your results? It’s important to split test your campaigns - are you doing this? If you don’t know what your stats are, then guaranteed you’re not getting the best results for your money.
Sales statistics are now clearly showing that both UK and worldwide commerce is undergoing a paradigm shift towards online sales and marketing. Companies must acknowledge this, to survive and flourish in today’s economy.
(C) Jason Kendall. Navigate to EvolveSEM.co.uk for smart advice on SEM Consultants.
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