How Well Does Your Website Work?
I guess the first question I need to ask is do you even have your own website? In order to take advantage of the many website promotion strategies, Internet marketing techniques and tools, you really need to have your own website. If you do a search in Google for such terms as online marketing tips, online promotional strategies, Internet marketing, Internet promotional techniques, online advertising strategies or any other related terms, you will quickly realize the importance of having your own website.
In today’s modern digital world, having your own website is not only important, it is absolutely essential. This is a critical component of any Internet marketing strategy. Nearly everyone looking to purchase a product or service will go to the Internet first. If your website cannot be easily found, your prospects will surely find your competitors. Most people frown upon businesses that do not have a website because it is often viewed as some fly-by-night company, which is certainly not the image you want to portray.
If you do not want to invest in hiring a professional to design your website, there are a number of low-cost alternatives which can be found online. It is also important that you have your own domain name, not some free space on somebody else’s website. Again this makes your business look less than professional and you may never get a second chance to develop a relationship with that prospect. Check out another one of my articles revealing tips for choosing a good domain name.
Does Your Website Generate Leads?
For most small business owners, the main purpose of their website is to generate leads. There are a number of Internet marketing and website promotional strategies that can be used to help you generate more leads from your website. Here are some simple tips that can be implemented to make sure that you have the best chance of developing leads from the visitors that come to your website.
Is Your Phone Number Prominently Displayed On All Pages?
You want to make it easy for people to contact you if they have questions or concerns about your business. Even if you are not able to answer the phone at that time, it is important to provide people the option to call you to ask a question or request information. Even if you are a one-man operation, you can have your phone set up to go to your voicemail and make it a point to return the call as soon as possible. It is preferable to do that same day but no later than the next business day.
Do You Have Some Type Of Lead Capture Mechanism In Place?
Since you may never get a second chance to contact your visitors after they leave your website, it is important to build a mailing list so that you can stay in touch with your prospects, earn their trust, develop an ongoing relationship and eventually convert them into a paying customer. The only way to effectively do this is to have some type of opt in form on your website that is linked to a mailing service that will allow you to follow-up and stay in touch with these prospects on a regular basis at least once per month.
Does Your Website Have Relevant, Quality Content That Is Updated On A Regular Basis?
This factor is important for your potential customers that are viewing your webpage and especially important for the search engines when considering how well your page ranks. This content does not have to sound like a professional author wrote it. Many people feel they do not have writing skills, but that should not hold you back. You know your business and you can certainly provide tips to your prospects on topics such as how your product or service can save them time and/or money, make them healthier, make them more organized, improve the value of their home, provide safety to themselves or their families or whatever other relevant tips that might pertain to your business. This gives people an incentive to come back to your site as well as refer your business to other friends and colleagues. Every time someone returns to your site, it provides another opportunity to gain their trust and hopefully convert them to a customer.
Are You Using Social Media?
The search engines are certainly putting much more emphasis on the amount of social activity or social interaction your website has in some of the leading social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. You may not understand or fully appreciate the significance of social media, however it is a vital component of Internet marketing and website promotion that simply can no longer be ignored. Take the time to do a little research, establish your Facebook business page and Twitter account and make sure you have those icons on your website to allow people to share the content on your web pages. If you do not have the time or desire to do this on your own, it is highly recommended that you hire a professional social media manager or Internet marketing professional to do it for you.
Is Your Site Interactive?
One of the easiest ways to develop a community based around your business is to have a comment section at the bottom of your web pages where your visitors can leave their feedback and encourage others to engage in the discussion. As a small business owner, this allows you to learn more about what is really on the minds of your customers and prospects. There may be things about your business that people especially like and you will want to focus on providing more of what they like.
If there are questions or concerns that your prospects or customers have, you can find that out as well and address those issues as well. If your site is built on a WordPress or similar type of blogging platform, this is a built-in functionality which is very easy to manage. If you have an older website or one that is built purely on HTML, that functionality is not as easy but still quite possible. At a bare minimum you should at least have a contact form that is easy to find and encourage people to send you their feedback and questions so that you can address them properly.
Where Do Your Leads Come From?
Although this is not specifically a function of your website, is very important to ask people how they found you. You need the ability to effectively track the source of your leads regardless of whether they came. This information needs to be written down so that it can be analyzed properly. Even if you are a sole proprietor and you are on the road most of time, carry a notepad with you so that when you follow-up with prospects during the day, you can still ask how did they hear about you. Without having this type of information that you can review on a regular basis, it will be very difficult to track the effectiveness of any of your Internet marketing techniques or strategies. Being aware of exactly what is working and what is not will give you the information you need to make the kinds of decisions that will increase your marketing ROI and online profits.
