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Online Marketing Tips For Small Businesses
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Online Marketing Tips For Small Businesses
Online Marketing Tips For Small Businesses
By Jacob Davidson
As a small business owner, I have always been conscious of the importance of marketing and advertising. What I didn't realize was how different marketing and advertising strategy can be in the online world. Over the past year, I have put more effort into building a true online presence. It's been challenging to find the time to apply the things I have learned, but my efforts have certainly paid off. I have increased sales by 250% over the past twelve months, with most of my leads coming through my website. To make things a little bit simpler for other small business owners, I would like to share some of the things I have learned along the way. By following these steps, you can gain the search engine visibility that your business deserves. Most small businesses service a relatively small geographical area. In order to capture search engine rankings for your business, you have to make an effort to associate your business with your location. While this can be a time-consuming process, it is well worth the effort. Remember, when it comes to local search, your location is your brand.
1. Build a decent website.
In order to convey trust and authority in your industry, your website must have a clean design with meaningful content. Be sure your site is not built in Flash, as search engine crawlers cannot understand and interpret Flash. A simple html site will do the trick. Use a normalized address format, and be sure to include it on your site in plain text. The format should be the same as a typical mailing address. Include your address on every page of your website, preferably in a position that is prominent on each page. Be sure to use unique content, as opposed to marketing materials provided to you by your suppliers. The search engines do not like duplicate content. Try to create a website that will provide a valuable, informative experience for your users. Have a clear and concise contact page with directions to your office. You can even embed Google Maps in your page.
2. Optimize your content.
With billions of websites on the internet today, you have to find a way to make your website stand apart from the others. This is especially important for small business owners with a focus on a particular geographic location. There are literally thousands of websites about mortgage insurance, but very few that focus on mortgage insurance in your-city-name. Be sure to include your location in your page titles, along with your other business-related keywords. For example, your homepage should be titled "City Name Mortgage Insurance" as opposed to "Company Name Insurance". Be sure to give each page of your site a unique title and meta description.
3. Get local links.
This is the cornerstone of search engine rankings. It's all about the links! To start, go out and purchase some quality directory links. Yahoo Directory, Best of the Web, and Business.com are good starting points. Then go out and ask all of your suppliers and partners to link to your site. Try to have them link to you with the terms you would like to rank for. The clickable part of a link is called anchor text, and anchor text is one way that the search engines associate a website with a particular search term. If you are a plumbing contractor in Dearborn, Michigan, ask your partners link to you with those words as opposed to your business name. Register your site with Google Local. This will ensure that a Google Maps listing shows up when somebody searches for your business. You can also create coupons with Google Local, so why not offer your customers a discount for discovering your business online? Don't forget about traditional Yellow Pages directory advertising!
4. Try Pay-Per-Click Advertising.
Organic search engine optimization requires real dedication. In order to achieve meaningful results, you have to invest time and effort into your website. If you are looking for immediate and quantifiable results, Pay Per Click advertising may be right for you. Google Adwords, Yahoo Sponsored Search, and MSN Adcenter are excellent places to advertise your products and services online. In order to avoid spending more than you have to, be sure to target your ad campaigns to your specific geographic area. Start with a small list of keywords, and set a small daily budget until you get the hang of PPC. Google also offers a Click-to-Call advertising solution that will connect users with your business via the telephone.
Jacob Davidson is happy to share his new found knowledge of search engine marketing with other small business owners. When he is not trying to stay abreast of the latest marketing and advertising techniques, he spends his time exploring the business yellow pages looking for new online advertising solutions. Nobody said being an entrepreneur is easy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Davidson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Online-Marketing-Tips-For-Small-Businesses&id=949006
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How to Become the Best Blog Site in Your Niche
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How to Become the Best Blog Site in Your Niche
by: TJ Philpott
Being the best blog site in your niche carries many advantages especially if you blog to make money. Operating a blog that has a strong following is a reflection of the dedication and commitment invested into the ongoing process of the blog development itself. Any blog owner/operator knows what it takes to attract and retain the average blog reader and this is not something that happens overnight.
Now if you blog to make money you can see how a strong reader base could benefit you financially. In addition your authority within the niche will make it all the easier for you to attract additional readers since other blogs will have the tendency to link to your site.
What we're going to focus on here today is the importance of paying attention to the comments left by subscribers at your site. Within these comments you can find valuable nuggets of information that can be used to improve not only the blog but even your marketing strategy.
Here are 3 ways to use these blog reader comments that can help you become a more effective blogger and marketer.
Market Research Information
Putting out questions to your subscribers asking their opinions on certain products or trends could yield useful market research information as to current consumer preferences. Another approach could be polling your readers on what are some of their more pressing problems to which they wish they had a solution: what bugs them!
In both these scenarios the response of your subscribers could uncover a previously hidden niche or trend you could capitalize on. Market research information like this can easily cost a significant sum for a large corporation but you can collect this information right from your blog and use it to your advantage.
Blog Performance Feedback
Asking for opinions on the subjects of your post or perhaps the content itself can give you feedback as to whether you may need to make a change. Even simple inquiries about the layout of your blog, the graphics that are used, or the format of your posts could lead to dramatic improvements for the site.
Remember your blog is really for your readers so you should strive to give them what they want.
Encourages Interaction
Involving subscribers in these polling processes or even merely responding to their comments helps complete the 'cycle' of interactivity. This creates a sense of community for subscribers and increases their satisfaction. People like to know that their words or opinions are being heard and better yet acted upon.
Being the best blog site within your niche comes with many advantages and benefits but it also translates into a certain amount of commitment. When you blog to make money the stakes go even higher. Learning to tap into any available resource that can enhance your blog development and marketing effectiveness is a valuable skill. Using comments left by blog readers as we discussed above will allow you to put more distance between yourself and your competition. It is simply up to you to recognize and act upon any useful information a blog reader may have already left on the site for you even if it hasn't been solicited.
About The Author
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
For additional money making tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: http://blogbrawn.com
The author invites you to visit:
http://blogbrawn.com/
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/online_business/article_6336.shtml
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How To Start An Ecommerce Site
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How To Start An Ecommerce Site
How To Start An Ecommerce Site
By Duncan Shand
People often think it's easy to start up a new eCommerce venture. While it may seem a simple idea, there are many issues and areas that need to be considered. If I was starting a new venture this is what I'd be thinking about.
Before starting any new eCommerce venture I would be very clear on it's proposition. That is, what is the core offer or promise the venture is offering? The tools and the skills are available now to really develop any new venture you can dream up. What's important though is making sure you have a very clear and compelling offer. Is your offer really unique or is it just another Trademe or Social Networking site? If your venture isn't sufficiently different from the other offerings it will be very difficult to build a business.
Once you are clear about your proposition, think about how you can communicate that online. That is, how can you get the essence of your proposition through in three seconds? Online everyone seems to have an attention deficit disorder, so make sure you get your message through, loud and clear, before your prospect clicks off to another site. Also remember content is king. The worth of your site will be judged by your content; how it is presented and how easy it is to interact with.
You'll also need to think about how you are going to build your community. Where are your customers going to come from; who are they, what do they do, where do they hang out now? People have a perception that online everything happens instantly, but like all marketing, it takes a little time and hard work to build loyal customer base. There are lots of online marketing opportunities so it's important to be very clear about who your target customer is, so you can judge which opportunities are right for you.
It's important to think about how you can collaborate with your community. You should consider how you can incorporate customer reviews, blogs, podcasts, wikis or a forum. Web 2.0 features are hot right now. This is partly because the technology is maturing but also because people have an inherent desire to connect and share. By making it easy for your customers to interact with you and share information with each other, your level of transparency and trustworthiness will increase.
Lastly this is a list of specific advice I would give anyone who is about to go out and build a new eCommerce site.
Think about what you want to do, be specific and write it down.
List all the functionality you think you're going to need over the next two to three years and put that in your requirements. You might not launch with all the features, but it's good to know you can simply add these later.
Draw rough line drawings of how you want your site to work. Don't worry about the design, make sure the flow makes sense. Include these as part of your brief so that the developers know exactly what they are building.
Ensure your site will be google (seo) friendly and don't assume that the website development company will know how to do this.
Get proposals from a number of people (three to five). You will learn about how they work and you might be surprised by the variety in prices.
Before you launch test, test, test. Get people that have not been part of the project to complete two or three common tasks, watch them try to complete these tasks without helping! Note where they have trouble and then look to improve these areas.
So if you're going to launch a new eCommerce venture, make sure you have a solid proposition, do your homework and stick at it.
Duncan Shand is the founder of InsideOut: Marketing Consultants, who are focused on growing businesses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duncan_Shand
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Start-An-Ecommerce-Site&id=1100641
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How to Design a Winning Web Site That Converts Visitors Into Buyers
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How to Design a Winning Web Site That Converts Visitors Into Buyers.
How to Design a Winning Web Site That Converts Visitors Into Buyers.
By Serge Daudelin
When you are thinking about starting your own online business you have to be able to convert your visitors into buyers. Let's face it, you can have all the visitors in the world, but if they are not going to buy anything then you are not going to end up with any money. Your website visitors are the blood of your online business. You must do everything in your power to make sure your website visitors convert into sales.
The whole point of having a web site is to make money. However, there is no reason to worry. There are a few different tips that you can use that can help you convert your visitors into buyers, and keep them coming back for more time and time again.
The first thing that you have to have is a good marketing ad. You have to get the people to the web site, but you want to get them there because they are thinking about buying. If they are just going to go then that does not do you any good. You want them to come with the mind set that they need whatever you are selling, and that can be done with a great ad. Also, you have to make sure that you place your ad on a web site where people are going to see it on. Be sure to target the right audience for your market. If using pay per click, use long tail keywords. I am a big fan of long tail keywords as they produce much lower cpc's and above all, greater ROI (return on investment).
After you get your ad where people can see it, you are going to notice a lot more people coming to your site. This, of course, is a good thing. Now you have to make sure that your web site is pleasing to the eye. You have to make sure that when people get there they know what you are trying to sell them, but at the same time, they are not too overwhelmed. If someone gets too overwhelmed on a web site, a lot of times they leave without looking around. So make sure that everything on your web site has a place that it can be displayed away from everything else.
Last but not least, you have to make sure that your web site is running fast. If you get someone on your web site that may want to buy something, and your web site starts moving slow, they are going to want to go somewhere else. People in this day and age want things to start running faster. People have to be able to get to your web site, get what they need, and leave. If they can not do that then it is very unlikely that they are going to come back and buy from you again. You want the people that buy from you to come back time and time again.
To Your Success!
Do you want to learn more about Internet Marketing? I have just completed my brand new guide to Search Engine Marketing Success: ''How To Consistently Drive Thousands Of Targeted Visitors Every Day With Search Engine Optimization''.
Download it free here: Search Engine Optimization Success.
Serge Daudelin
Affordable Search Engine Optimization Services.com
Serge Daudelin is a Search Engine Optimization specialist and consultant who has written over 300 articles in print and 5 published ebooks. Serge is dedicated to helping others and offering the best information on how to make more money online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Serge_Daudelin
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Design-a-Winning-Web-Site-That-Converts-Visitors-Into-Buyers.&id=1104612
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