Top tips for business owners and site managers
Search Engine Top Tips
Why should you worry about not appearing in search engines?
Text: Many companies rely on paid advertising (PPC / AdWords) to get ranked in search engines. This is rarely the cheapest or most economic way to get a high ranking in Google, Yahoo, MSN or the range of smaller search engines and directories used on the web.
Why should I be listed?
As many as 80% of internet users turn to search engines to find products and services on the web. More than 70% of all e-commerce transactions originate from a search, making it essential for websites to attain high visibility in major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. The opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are huge, but without professional online marketing the chances of a website being found are virtually non-existent.
Why is my site not listed?
A whole range of issues can conspire to make a site invisible on the web. If a site has no links from other sites - then neither search engines nor users will find it. Using the wrong keywords in the wrong places can prevent visitors finding your site. Even if these two things are prefect on your website, then the technology used to create and deliver it may make it impossible for search engines to find all your pages, your product descriptions, your marketing resources and so on.
How can I get high rankings?
Making websites out-perform expectations, or even meet the aspirations of your business takes time and money. The most effective search engine marketing techniques and technologies were only previously available to large companies. However, Momentum has developed products and services that enable small and medium-sized businesses compete effectively against much larger online competitors, at a price appropriate to their budgets and aspirations.
Lead Generation Top Tips
What opportunities are you missing because of your website?
The power of the web is potentially incredible. It can help small business websites reach a global audience, or simply put them in touch with their customers in the local area. Few websites and businesses experience the full power of theses benefits however, as they fail to connect with their natural customers online.
Do customers searching for products, services or information find your site?
Being found on the web has nothing to do with website design, flashy animations, the superiority of your products and services, brand recognition or excellent customer service. It has everything to do with how your website has been planned, written, laid out, coded and promoted. In order to become highly visible online a site must fulfil several basic criteria. Most fail to meet these and as a result, thousands of websites fail to reach millions of potential customers, every day!
Are your content and commercial offering compelling?
Even businesses that are performing well in terms of attracting potential customers to their site may be failing when it comes to closing sales. If a site is not able to provide a compelling case to buy their products or services, then all the traffic they are receiving is wasted. Sites must design their whole architecture, content and layout to provide opportunities for customers to make contact. Calls-to-action, compelling content and incentives can all help to increase a site's sales potential.
Is your site geared to converting visitors to customers?
The strategies and approaches required for a site to convert visitors to inquiries and inquiries to customers are among the least understood aspects of the web. Companies may agonise over minor design details, or spend hours drafting product and service descriptions but will pay little attention to sales processes. Effective calls-to-action, site usability and navigation can make or break a site, and can dramatically alter the returns generated by marketing spend on online promotion.
Online Competitor Top Tips
The online competitive landscape is often very different to your assumptions...
Companies often have a good idea who their natural competitors are in a market. They may also make assumptions about how these companies are performing online. The reality can be very different and an online competitor analysis can produce some truly startling and enlightening results...
Who are your online competitors?
In terms of products and services, there may only be a handful of companies that could be classed as your direct competitors. But in the online marketplace, a wide variety of websites will be competing against the same set of keyword phrases that drive your business. Some of these sites may be industry directories, and others may have a different offering to you - but any online promotion strategy must take account of the fact that you are struggling to get top 10 rankings on a similar set of key words and phrases.
How do companies you know perform?
Understanding which of your direct competitors is performing best online is crucial to help you devise an online marketing strategy. Appearing in the top ten of Google, could have a dramatic impact on your inquiry and sales volumes, and help to make your business an attractive partner opportunity for other companies in the industry. Understanding what you need to do to get ahead of competitors and stay ahead of them in the long term is therefore crucial to the growth of any online business.
How to over-take your competitors online
In any market sector there are rarely more than a few companies that have a really sophisticated online strategy. Online competitor research can identify these companies and pinpoint the strategies and campaigns they have adopted. To overtake them, it is often necessary to adopt similar strategies, but scale the techniques up to ensure victory in the rankings war. Certain long-term content development and promotion strategies can help ensure you stay ahead of the game.