marketing mayhem:

Creating an Effective Online Marketing Strategy

There are two key elements to having an effective online marketing strategy. Firstly, a website that is suitable for its intended purpose and secondly driving the right quantity and quality of traffic to that website. In this article we will focus primarily on achieving the first of these two elements and therefore developing a website that is an effective online marketing tool.

When planning a new website the main factors to consider are:

Get the Domain Name Correct - Select the best domain name, this may be the company or brand name or something that describes what the website offers e.g. holidaystockings.com. Decide if your customer base is likely to be country specific or international – this will affect your selection of url i.e. .co.uk or .com, etc.

Determine the Functionality of the Website - Decide what you hope to achieve with your new website, what is its core purpose? Are you trying to sell direct from your website, use it to generate enquiries or will it be a place to refer your prospects to obtain more information about your products and services.

Establish a User-Friendly Navigation - Determine what information or features your website is required to offer then draw up a user-journey map to include all that is necessary. It's important that website navigation is clear and easy so that visitors to the website can get where they wish simply and easily. Most visitors are likely to arrive on your Home Page so make that a centre of navigation with direct click through to key pages and features in addition to the main menu and include calls to action. The website should also be quick to download as few people have time to wait while a website ‘forms’ - to this end avoid over complex flash intros.

Ensure a Quality Website Design - Professional website design is vital, so many online businesses will fail because of poor quality of design for the website itself. With so many websites, and so much competition, it's vital to make your website a place that engages visitors as soon as they arrive on the website. To boost this user engagement, we recommend including a presentation or video feature to enhance the website experience and help better sell your services. This type of organic content also boosts search engine position.

Good Copy, But Not Too Much – Visitors are unlikely to spend long on your website so it is important that you get your key message across quickly and effectively. Keep your copy short and to the point, before you start writing think carefully about what the key points are to make on each page. A strong visual website with brief but informative copy is likely to be most effective.

Search Engine Optimization – Of course the best website in the world is no use without any traffic! There are two key factors in driving traffic to your website. Firstly, keyword selection - the right keywords will be something that sufficient people will use so that there is traffic to be won, yet something that not too many sites are using. To get your keyword density correct check out websites at the top of page 1 for your keyword and see what keyword density they are using. Secondly, build links to your website. Ideally these should be one way links from directories, article directories, blogs, and other suitable websites.

Building an effective online marketing presence can be vital in the success of your business but it is a complex operation. Learn more about how and can help your business build a community.

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AUTHOR

Brock Monahan

President & Creative Director

April 19, 2018