Do you have the three essential ingredients of Web marketing success?
The 3 ingredients of success you will need are:
- The right tools
- The right skills/ knowledge
- The time to invest in using the first two!
Right now you need to ask yourself, "Does my existing Web supplier provide me with everything I need to succeed?" For most small and medium sized businesses the answer is a resounding "No". Here's why...
1. The essential tools you need are:
- A keyword research tool
- A Web site content management system
- An analytics solution
Here's why you need them...
Keyword research tools
OK, let's be brutal. Keyword (or keyphrase) research forms the very foundation of Web marketing success. If you don't absolutely know what your potential customers type into search engines when they are looking for a product, company or solution like yours, you will NEVER succeed at Web marketing (except by luck!). You absolutely have to discover the words and phrases that prospects type into search engines when they are both researching and buying what you provide. The two types of word can be very different, by the way.
Do you know how to find this out? Every single combination of key words (keyphrases) represents another opportunity to be found. Often the phrases with the highest search volumes are NOT the keyphrases that yield the best results and very often they are battles you cannot hope to win. Intergage can help you understand how to find which keywords and phrases will work for you.
Keyword research is something you should continue to do throughout the life of your Web site. When was the last time you researched new keywords and kephrases that your audience types into search engines?
Simply put, the more keyphrases you discover, the more you need to create content on your Web site that matches these key phrases. The more you repeat the process, the better your chances of beating your competition. Which is why you need to have...
A Web site content management system
If you have to rely on a third party Web designer to create Web pages for you (or even a tame but usually busy internal "Geek") the chances are you will never win the Web marketing battle against your competitors. See "CMS - the ultimate marketing weapon" for further information.
Furthermore, not every Web page you create will work brilliantly first time. Often you need to revisit a Web page several times to tweak the content to get the best results.
The bottom line is that without a Web site content management system you will be at a disadvantage to your competitors that do have one.
An "Analytics" Solution
Every customer that visits your Web site leaves a trail - a record of where they have been and what they have done. An "Analytics" solution gives you access to vital information that you need to understand if you are to improve your Web site conversion rates (a critical factor in Web site marketing).
Which pages are they landing on? How did they get there? Where did they leave? What keyword or phrase did they use to find you on a search engine? Where in the world did they come from? Which pages are working the way I planned? Which ones aren't working?
Armed with this information and a Web site content management solution you can review and revise the performance of your Web pages based on real facts about what is working and what isn't.
2. The essential skills and knowledge you need are:
- How to succeed in getting "Natural" search engine results (see the presentation at the foot of this page)
- How to advertise on search engines -and make money doing it (another presentation is available below)
- An overview of other marketing techniques you need to employ to succeed
How does your current Web provider help you understand what you need? Do they keep this knowledge to themselves or do they offer you comprehensive training and advice to support you in marketing your Web site? If they keep it to themselves it will usually be because they want to charge you for things that a 21st century business should be able to do themselves.
Choose a Web provider with a comprehensive training and support cabability because you probably pay your staff about £8.50 an hour and your Web company about £85 an hour!
3. The importance of investing time in Web marketing
| Web marketing success does not usually happen by accident. It takes hard work and a serious investment of time over a protracted period. In competitive industries you may well find that your competitors have great tools and great skills/ experience too. If they invest more time using their tools and skills, guess who wins?
For many small businesses investing the time required can be a problem. If this is the case in your business you will need a Web marketing partner that is happy to share information with you but one who will also do work for you when you need them to. |
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Like to know more? |
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Google AdWords by Paul Tansey |
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| Google Adwords is probably the most elegant and sophisticated advertising system your business can use today. Find out about the business issues around AdWords by listening to this 30 minute presentation by Intergage MD Paul Tansey, recorded by Business Link Wessex in 2006. |
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Google AdWords Powerpoint Presentation |
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| Watch this presentation while you listen to the audio file to get the authentic "Seminar experience"! |
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Seach Engine Success by Paul Tansey |
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| Find out what you need to do to succeed in the search engines. Intergage MD Paul Tansey explains the critical elements of page make up and what you need to do to make your pages attractive to Google and its kind. Recorded by Business Link Wessex in 2007. |
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Search Engine Success by Paul Tansey |
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| Watch this presentation while you listen to the audio file of the same name to get the authentic seminar experience. Just imagine a guy with a huge chin standing on stage waving his arms about for the complete experience! |
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Web Advertising Success by Paul Tansey |
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| Watch the presentation in conjunction with the audio file of the same name. This way, thankfully, you'll be spared having to look at a middle aged company Director while learning how Pay-per-click can benefit your business! |
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Web Advertising Success by Paul Tansey |
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| Recorded by Business Link in early 2006, this 30 minute presentation provides an overview of Pay-per-click marketing and what it can do for your business. |
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