Many website owners invest large sums of money into the development of their site. They ensure they avail themselves of all the latest technology, including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), ecommerce systems and integrating online and offline databases. Then, they sit back and wait for the money to roll in.
But, unfortunately, it’s a little bit more difficult than this. You can have the greatest website in the world, but if no-one knows it exists, it isn’t going to make your business much money.
Like any other facet of business, advertising to relevant target markets is crucial to the success of your website. The more potential customers you expose the website to, the greater the opportunity to increase profits. With this in mind, what are the best methods of increasing exposure for your website?
- Search Engine Positioning
Up to 80% of all websites are originally found through listings in relevant search engines. This means that, 8 times out of 10, when a visitor is looking for a site, they will start by heading to their favourite search engine, rather than any other location. The importance of a comprehensive search engine positioning campaign, targeting relevant engines with relevant keywords, simply cannot be over-emphasised. However, simply achieving high rankings on targeted search engines is not enough. You should then track which keywords within these engines are driving the most traffic, and more importantly, leading to the highest level of conversions, be that sales, referrals, or newsletter sign-ups. With this knowledge, you can then adjust your search engine campaign accordingly.
- Email Marketing
Most businesses will have databases full of their customers’ details. When a website has just been launched, a professionally-designed email template, with sales copy, should be sent out to all customers, informing them of the new address, and benefits, of the site. If email addresses have not been collected and included in the customer details, time should be taken to contact all customers (by phone or direct mail) in order to collect their email address. You should also begin to collect email addresses from new visitors to your website, and add them to the database, to be used for marketing at a later date. This can easily be done by including a sign-up box on the site.
- Viral Marketing
This differs slightly from traditional email marketing, which includes just a template and sales copy about your business. It is basically a new term for the practice of “referring a friend”, and so your email should contain something funny, quirky or entertaining, something which will induce the recipient to forward it onto a friend or colleague. Alternatively, it may be as simple as a great offer, one too good to refuse, that readers feel compelled to forward on to their friends. If your email is sufficiently compelling, it creates the potential for exponential growth in the email’s exposure and influence, and, therefore, for your own website. It is important to make the email message as easy as possible to refer on to others.
- Synergy Listings
I do not mean to insult you, but I doubt very much that your website is a one-of-a-kind, totally original concept. Chances are there will be other sites out on the web that contain information similar to your own. You should search for websites that will complement your content and product offerings, and request that they place a link to your own site (and vice versa, you link to theirs.) This will increase exposure and traffic. Also, the more links that you have pointing to your own site, the better your search engine position will be.
- Shopping Mall Listings
This form of promotion is more relevant for ecommerce (online shopping) websites. Many potential customers often head to virtual shopping malls to look for stores and products to buy, just like they do in the real world. Listing your site with high-traffic online shopping malls will lead to your site being exposed to these mall visitors. These will be high quality visitors, those who have a propensity to shop online, which will lead to increases in conversion ratios. Examples within Australia of successful malls include NineMsn and Fastlook amongst many others.
- Affiliate Marketing
Again, this method of promotion is more relevant for ecommerce websites. To increase exposure for your sites’ products, you can establish affiliations with other online shopping websites, who for a percentage of any sales generated, will display your merchandise. The key is in finding partners who will complement your products, and will send quality visitors (obviously in return for a satisfactory commission). An example of a very successful Australian affiliate program is run by CyberAffiliates.
- Banner Advertising
This form of promotion is much less important to driving traffic to a site than it used to be, and is today primarily used as a branding exercise for a website. However, the prices for banner advertising have decreased significantly, whilst the scope for exploring different sizes and types of banners has increased, which ensures that a well positioned banner campaign can still have very positive effects for a website’s exposure.
- Offline Marketing
The address of your website should be clearly displayed on any form of offline advertising that you pursue for your business. Many potential customers may watch a TV ad, for instance, jot down the address of your business, and then look it up on the web at a later date. If you do not provide your web address, you can bet that your competitor will! You should put your website URL on all business cards, TV and Radio advertising, company letterheads, even the telephone messages that clients receive whilst on hold to your company.
It really is a pretty simple concept: the more exposure for your website that you can generate from target markets, the more visitors, the more revenue, the better the bottom line. Follow the 8 steps above, and you will be on the way to making your website investment pay off.