Your website is one of your most powerful marketing tools, but you need let people know that you have a website. Here are some ways to make your website more visible.
Google Adwords
Google is one of the most used search engines and you can get yourself on the first page of a Google Search in 15 minutes or less with Adwords!
A lot of people tell me that they want their website to be on the first page of a Google search. Well, of course we all do, but to get your website ranked that high on Google takes a lot of time. Your site has to have a lot of relevant content and a lot of other people with popular websites have to link to you and I won't bore you with the rest of the details.
Suffice to say, it could take at least a year and that's if you work really hard at it. And who knows, they could change the rules tomorrow and your once popular site might not be so popular by their standards.
But if you use Google Adwords, you can start driving targeted traffic to your site in as little as 15 minutes. It is free to sign up and you only pay when someone clicks your ad that appears on the right hand side of a Google search.
A click can cost you anywhere from $0.05 to several dollars depending on several factors, but all the information you need is on the Google website. It is a very inexpensive way to advertise your business. Everyone uses the internet now days, capitalize on it!
Business Cards and Printed Material
Another great way to get your name out is to put your website all over any piece of printed material that leaves your office. Not just business cards and flyers, but invoices, checks, your letterhead, anything. Even consider getting a license plate frame or magnetic signs for your car to advertise your website.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an easy way to see what is really going on with your website. You can see how much traffic you are getting, where they are coming from, how long they stay on your site, how they are finding your site and even what part of the world they live in. Amazing huh?
Knowing all this information is very important because you need to know which marketing campaigns are working an which ones aren't. For example, if you do a postcard mailing and you don't get any calls or any hits on your website, then you know that you have to change something.
However, if you do a postcard mailing and you don't get any calls, but you get a ton of hits on your website and people are staying on the site for an average of 30 minutes, then you know your website content is good and your marketing to get them to your website is working.
Analytics also shows you what key search phrases you should target your website for and what key words to bid on in an Adwords or pay per click campaign. This is much more powerful than any log analyzer.
Find out more: Google Analytics
Excellent Content
Even with all these fancy tools, there is no substitute for a great website with a lot of good content. If you deliver a clear and concise message about who you are and what you do, the search engines have no choice but to pick you up sooner or later.
Just remember, if you can provide a lot of content on your site relevant to your business, most search engines will give you a more favorable rating. Consider doing a blog where you periodically write up-to-date articles that pertain to your business. This is a great way to build up content and give your readers important information.
Another easy thing to do is to give your webpages relevant names. For example if you have a page on riding horses, name the page something like riding-horses.html. Don't go overboard with it, but the more key words and phrases you can put on your page the better. Use the "Alt" or alternative text field when putting pictures on your pages. |
