Our job as web site designers is to build a site that is functional and navigational once a visitor arrives to your website. We try and make the page aesthetically pleasing and attractive to the customer. But despite the website itself, there needs to be promotion, advertising and marketing of your website. Would you ever building a hotel, and just expect customers driving down the highway to show up at your door step? By simply hoping that visitors will find you on Google, Yahoo or and of the search engines, you are doing just that, hoping. Although search engines are not a bad way of getting your website exposed, you have little control over them and there are much better ways of promoting your site in addition to appearing on search engines. This article will better explain a few ideas on how you can get the results you want, and maximize the investment of your website.
A couple days ago, I met a businessman at a networking event. Since I am in the web design business, I asked her if she had a web site for his business. He replied that he had a web site a couple years ago, but never got any business from it so he shut it off. My next question was “Well, how did you market it?” He stared at me blankly and asked “Market it?”
I hear that response or variation of it almost daily. Many people believe the old adage, “If you build it, they will come.” But web sites don’t work that way. A web site can be a great marketing tool, if used correctly. Simply, sticking a web site out there and waiting for the customers to start pouring in is not the correct way to use a web site.
First of all I would like to straighten out a myth that
most service-oriented businesses have been falsely
believing in regards to their website. Unless you are
selling a product nationally, it is very unlikely that
you will obtain new customer from a website. Yes, very
unlikely. However, your website is a conversion tool,
you convert information seekers into your customers. I
was talking with a local contractor recently and we
begin to discuss the way a website could increase his
business. I began to explain that when people see your
name around town, they will look online, and do a little
research. If you have a decent website they can read
about you, see the recent jobs you have done, and get a
good idea about your business. After reading about you
online the chances are much greater that they will
actually contact you. It rarely works the other way
around. Nevertheless, you should be a part of the search
engines, but as many do, don’t stop there.
Over 80% of the people that start looking for something
on the Internet use a search engine. The search engine
Google performs over 200 million searches everyday! With
that kind of traffic you can see what a gold mine search
engines can be for your business. The best option to
get listed on search engines is to advertise with them.
Our WebTraffic Program extremely customized and
specifically targeted to your customers. We choose the
keywords that relate to your product or service and your
advertisements are only shown when someone searches for
those words. It is a great idea and I have personally
seen businesses increase by a lot by using it. (See our
WebTraffic Programs below)
Speaking of promotion, here are some other ways that your web site can save you money are:
-Placing shorter advertisements in printed materials for less cost. Direct the client to your web site where they can obtain all the necessary information about your products or services.
- Not needing to hire additional staff to answer telephone calls with common questions. If you have questions that more than one client is asking, put it on your web site. Most people will check a web site for answers to their questions before calling. It also gives you more specialized content and remember, for the search engines, content is king!
- Providing common forms and/or applications on your web site that you request your client fill out. This works especially well for contractors and those in the health professions. Save your client time and money by allowing them to fill out your questionnaires before meeting with them and email it to you. Or, even better, let them submit it online and store the information in a database. Not only have you increased your customer service, but once again, you have saved yourself time and money.
Okay, so you’ve have a web site now. How do you tell people about it? How do you get people to look at it? If you have 1000 brochures printed, but leave them on the shelf in your office, they are not helping you to bring in new clients. Just so with a web site, tell people about it. Put it on your business card, on your brochures, on your car, or wherever you can. Get it out there where people can see it.
Here is a quick checklist of things that you can do to drive traffic to your web site on and off line.
1. Put your URL on all printed materials.
2. Use your email address @yourdomain.com not your AOL email address.
3. Create a signature for your email and then make sure that your signature is in every single email that you send (even to your mother!) Just a quick note here, I sent an email to my sister explaining how to fix a certain computer glitch. Well, she printed it out (with my signature line) and gave it to a friend of hers who had the same problem. Her friend ended up needing a web site and guess who she called? Your signature needs to include: Your Full Name, Your URL, Your Email Address, Your Phone Number, Your Tag Line or Slogan and Your Company Name.
4. Try to find publications your industry and suggest or submit an article. Your URL should be listed with any article you write and if it appears on a web site, then it should be a hyperlink.
5. Network. Just because you have a web site, don’t sit at home and expect the customers to call you. Go find them. Attend networking events in your home town and hand out your business cards with your URL on them!