It's easy for a company to set up a website on the World Wide Web. However, the ever-changing Internet demands that simply having a website is not enough to claim a presence. If a business wants to be successful on the Internet, they have to create a strong brand and know how to reach the top of the search engines. Search engines are no longer concentrating on keywords, either; the focus is now on content, quality and user experience.
Search engines are looking for websites that engage their readers. Articles and discussions are welcome and encouraged. However, not just any articles or discussions will do. The content on the website has to be of good quality and relate to the company or the company’s industry. Fresh, informative information will keep the customers returning to the website.
Keywords are still important, especially since those are what people enter into the search engines, but keyword stuffing will actually reduce a website’s ranking. Discussions that engage the reader are also noted, so it is important that the website has a comments section or discussion forum where customers can ask questions or talk to customer service representatives.
This does not mean simply people referring their friends to a company. Word of mouth on the Internet is also how often a company’s name or brand is mentioned on other websites, establishing the company as an authority. Search engines take this into account when ranking is determined. The goal is to have an embedded link on another website that leads directly to the company’s site. Brand reference is good, but an embedded link is better.
Having a Facebook page or Twitter account for the company isn’t enough for the new SEO rankings. The content on those sites needs to engage the reader as much as the website content. The content also needs to be unique. The new search engine algorithms are designed to recognize duplicate content, and duplicate content is scored low. Sharing the link to the website article is acceptable, but better ranking comes from the short advertisement or description of the article on the social media forum. Duplicating the same text from Facebook to Twitter is also discouraged.
Branding is the process of positioning the company as an authority. The only way to do that is to get people talking about and reading about the company. It’s about good customer experiences, both with the product and through communication. Paying attention to the people and their needs before profits creates a positive brand image.
Small businesses that do not have marketing departments would be wise to hire a company that is proficient in SEO and branding. SEO alone will not rocket a company to success on the Internet. Building a strong brand that is attached to certain keywords is the best way to ensure that a company’s business does not get buried at the bottom of the search engine.
If you’re interested in bringing more visitors to your website, it’s essential to have a search engine marketing plan. Search engine results bring websites a significant amount of traffic. Best of all, you can assume that leads coming from search engines are already interested in what you have to offer because they searched for something that brought them to your website. Most people won’t look past the first or second page of results, so websites that are ranked highest will enjoy more traffic. To increase your search engine rankings and receive more visitors, you’ll need an Internet marketing plan that focuses on search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) advertising.
The Benefits of SEO
Search engine optimization refers to several marketing strategies that are aimed at improving your organic search engine rankings. Organic search results are those that occur naturally within Google’s rankings. Many businesses prefer to focus their Internet marketing efforts on SEO tactics because organic search results are free. However, effective SEO requires careful strategy and a focused marketing plan.
Your search engine rankings are based on the quality of your website. Google and other major search engines evaluate your site’s relevancy by looking at factors like content, keyword usage and recommendations from social media networks. While websites aren’t ranked according to an exact science, Google’s algorithms take a number of factors into account in order to determine whether or not your website is valuable to potential visitors. Customers understand that the top results are likely to be most relevant and they will visit highly-ranked pages more often. By focusing your marketing efforts on SEO, you’ll enjoy higher traffic at a manageable, affordable price.
The Benefits of PPC
PPC ads are paid search results that appear every time someone searches for a related term. One of the greatest benefits of PPC ads is that you’ll only pay when someone actually clicks on one of your ads. Clicks typically cost between 50 cents and a few dollars each. However, the people who click on your ads are probably already interested in what you have to offer. You may see higher conversion rates from PPC ads.
Many businesses also invest in PPC ads because the strategy provides a quick way to build traffic. An effective SEO strategy can take months to build, and many businesses find it difficult to maintain a high ranking on the first or second page of Google results. PPC ads allow you to get your company’s name in front of potential customers right away.
Creating a Successful Online Marketing Plan
You’ll see benefits when you implement PPC ads or SEO tactics, but the most successful online marketing plans use a combination of the two strategies. PPC brings immediate results with instant clicks, and SEO helps you improve your search engine rankings over time. Both strategies work to bring more visitors to your website, and higher traffic typically translates to increases in your conversion rates. Businesses enjoy the best results when they allow SEO and PPC marketing strategies to complement one another.
Net Success USA Helps with Both
We have been helping online businesses succeed in all areas of the internet, but particularly with search engine marketing and optimization. If you are struggling with your PPC campaign, let us audit your campaigns and give you suggestions on how you can manage it more efficiently, or we can handle it for you. Are your competitors kicking your you-know-what on organic rankings? We are the world’s largest provider of search engine optimization and we can help you by starting with a free website analysis and consultation to explore your strengths and weaknesses to create a successful and profitable online marketing campaign that fits your needs and your budget.
