Marketing on the Web
First let’s examine what we’re trying to accomplish.
Everyone is looking for more business, but SEO and Internet Advertising increase the visibility of your website, not the demand for your products and services.
A web search produces a list of organic listings and advertisements. The searcher either clicks an organic listing or an ad that describes your products or services.
Yes, you can make more people aware of product and/or services and you can re-market to people to remind them that they had previously expressed an interest in similar products and services, but most of the time you are answering a request in Google for a product or service someone already knows they want or need.
Let’s say the person searched, read your ad, or listing and clicked. Now what?
The website must do its job to convey the relevance of your products and services to the searchers need. – and this is often ignored!
Converting a visit to a sale:
- How many other sites did the searcher visit before they came to you site?
- How does your website compare to those of your competitors?
- Is your site attractive and easy to navigate?
- Do you explain why someone should buy from you?
- Does your company appear to be a trusted merchant (BBB, Chamber, Years in business, Location)?
- Do you list trust elements such as official certifications, accreditations and/or industry memberships for your company (ISO, …)?
- Does your site do its job of comparing your services, products, technologies or does it skip straight to “Buy Now”?
- Does your website address buyers in different stages of their search (awareness, discovery, evaluation, intent)? Prospects may be trying to learn more, gather information, compare like products and services, or they may be ready to make a final decision!
- Are your product and/or service descriptions clear? Does your website discuss your products and services from the approach of someone who is looking for technical information (the engineer)? financial justification (purchasing department)? And provide support for an end user (how it will help the end user)?
- Does your website have reviews or testimonials in support of your company, its products and services?
- Is pricing for your products upfront and/or services in line with others in your market?
- Does the website convey some compelling reason to act?
- Does it provide a clear path (call, click, email) to purchase today?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then all your missing is qualified traffic! This is where SEO and Internet Advertising can help!