Online marketing may be the best form of marketing ever invented. Where else can you connect with your customers at the exact moment they are getting ready to buy your product or service… and they think finding you was their idea.
And, as you know, more and more people are using Google and other search engines, to find what they need, and using things like phone books, and newspapers less and less.
Why? Because they get to be in control of the process. They can choose what they like, and leave what they don’t like very quickly.
If you have a business that does not have a strong presence on the Internet then you are missing out on new customers… and those customers are going to your competition.
Even if you have a website, it may be lost in the Internet desert, where no one can find it.
And just having a website is not enough. You must have a strategy to drive traffic to it and the content to get visitors to take action.
So Where Does Your Business Stand?
If you’ve invested in a website and still are getting no traffic and no new customers then you are probably frustrated. You may be thinking “This internet marketing thing doesn’t work” and you wasted your money.
It could be that you are “3 feet from gold” and just didn’t do enough of the right things to make your website work.
There ARE answers to these questions!
- Where is your current website on Google’s Search Results? If you aren’t on the first page then you might as well be on Page 200.
- How well is your current website search engine optimized? Are your keywords in the right place. Are you even using the correct keywords? How does the competition stack up compared to me.
- Do you have the right content on your site to move your visitors through your Sales Cycle (more below)?
- Do you have Website Analytics Tracking in place (Google Analytics) so that you know what is happening on your site and whether your on-site and off-site marketing is working.
- How many searches are actually being done for your product or service? In other words… how much business are you missing out on?
- Do you have a Lead Capture System and Sales Funnel in place so you can build a relationship and maintain contact with your prospects and customers?
- Do you create credibility for your business on your website. Without creating credibility and trust people will quickly go find someone else to do business with.
- Are you taking advantage of the many places where your prospects go online these days? Places like business directories, social media sites like Facebook, and devices like GPS and smart phones, all have a major role in today’s online marketplace.
What About Once They Get To Your Site?
An often forgotten aspect of your website’s success is ‘what happens to your visitors once they get to your site? It’s fine to do a lot of work to get people to come to your site. But what happens if they leave quickly and don’t stick around. All your traffic generating efforts will be a waste. We’ve found that in most cases over 60% of a site’s visitors leave within the first 10 seconds of their visit.
Now that’s a sobering thought. That’s why you must be able to track your online marketing using something like Google Analytics so you know what’s happening on your site.
Once someone gets to your site you have to have the content that will get them to stay and then move themselves through your Sales Cycle and then take the action you want… your Most Wanted Response. That may be to call you on the phone, fill out a form, or maybe buy your product or service. The Sales Cycle is the decision making process that someone goes through before they are ready to buy your product or service. Unless you have the content on your website to help them answer their questions and make that decision, then they will be gone faster than you can say “back button..”
Sales Funnel Evaluation
And the tool you use to move people through that Sales Cycle is your Sales Funnel. If your Sales Funnel is not setup, again you are wasting the time and money you spent getting people to your website. Making sure you have the right Sales Funnel tactics in place is also critical to making sure your site is doing its job. As part of our Website Checkup we will evaluate your Sales Funnel and let you know if there are improvements required.
To learn more about this critical area of Online Marketing, take a look at my book Turning Visitors Into Customers:The Online Marketing Sales Cycle and see the kinds of tactics you must have in place to have an effective website.
About Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important for any website. A website without SEO is like a car without wheels. It just won’t get very far. But SEO takes time and an ongoing commitment to increasing your web presence and getting to the top of the mountain.
And some mountains are higher than others…
If you are in a competitive business, like a doctor, lawyer or a restaurant owner, there may be so much competition in your area that you can never win the first page of Google with just SEO. That real estate has already been taken.
So you may need to consider other tactics to have a complete web presence. Certainly Social Networking on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are ways to meet new customers. But all of these tactics take time and effort.
But all of these efforts take time and ongoing effort before you’ll see results.
What If I Don’t Want to Wait?
In that case, consider going directly to an Pay Per Click Campaign. You’ll immediately have a strong web presence and everything you need to get new customers online. Doing Pay Per Click is a great way to “prime the pump” while you are waiting for your SEO to kick in.
Online Marketing Checkup of Your Business – Special Pricing – $97
I’d be happy to provide an analysis of your current Internet visibility AND your Sales Funnel. Here’s what you will find out.
- On what page is your business currently on Google’s Search Results?
- How many searches are done in a month for your main keywords and phrases, the ones that bring real customers to your website?
- How well are you Search Engine Optimized now?
- Are there any good keywords and phrases that you are not targeting?
- Is it really possible to get on the First Page of Google with SEO for your main keywords or is there already too much competition?
- What is your PageRank? In other words, ‘how many backlinks do you have to your site’ (this is a major SEO factor to Google).
- Once a visitor arrives on your site do you provide what a visitor would need to move through your sales cycle and respond to your “Call To Action.”
- Do you have an effective lead capture mechanism on your website?
A complete Website Effectiveness Report is provided as part of the checkup.
I can do this for any business anywhere. You don’t need to be in the Tampa Bay area where I’m located to do this. But if you are, I would be happy to come by and discuss how to improve your Online Marketing Visibility. Just email me here.
» If you’d like to tell me more about your business on my Contact Form click here.
