It is not really possible to exaggerate just how quickly the world of online marketing evolves. It was not too long ago that having a website was an optional extra for most businesses. However,Β  not only must your business now have a website, if it is not optimised for viewing via a mobile device, you could now find yourself being penalised by Google! Things really are changing quickly!

99.9% of business owners are in their chosen market sector to make an impact. Forward progress & making money, rather than treading water and staying still is the order of the day and maximising your online exposure offers a great way of doing this.

No-one expects you to understand the ins and outs of this complex marketing method but to help you along the way, we have highlighted 5 of the most important things to understand about promoting your business via the internet

No. 1 – Putting All of Your Eggs in the PPC Basket Is a Bad Idea

A conversation with Google would quickly have you signing up for an Adwords PPC account and although a few years ago, Pay Per Click marketing offered a highly effective solution, today, however, PPC has less of an impact.

Running a short term PPC campaign can still prove to be very effective, however, it is absolutely crucial that you understand that the moment you stop adding money to your account is the moment your PPC advert disappears.

Pay Per Clicks are just as they sound, you are not paying for each enquiry or order you receive, you are literally paying each time someone clicks on your link.

Searching for a long term marketing strategy, such as organic SEO, is a far more cost effective method of approaching online marketing.

No. 2 – Effective Online Marketing Is Not Free!SEO Horley

Whoever said that β€˜the best things in life are free’ was obviously not a business owner! The truth is that an effective online marketing campaign is likely to cost you a certain amount of money. You should though always view any online marketing costs as an investment rather than an expense.

Effective online marketing costs money. If you want to do things correctly, you will have to hire the services of a professional to write quality content, publish quality content, handle your social media accounts and cover all other aspects of online marketing, all of which will not come for free.

The thing to focus on though is that if you are prepared to spend the time and money required to market your business in the right way, your online marketing efforts can have a powerful ROI.

No. 3 – Never Underestimate The Power of Good Content

There is absolutely no getting away from the fact that they internet is content. The World Wide Web is made up of literally millions of articles, blogs, Blogging For Businessesinfographics, websites, tweets, status updates, videos and photographs to name just a few.

To stand out from the crowd, your website or online marketing venture needs to be founded on high quality, unique and informative content.

This can be broken down into one simple sentence ’Online marketingΒ ISΒ content marketing’.

No. 4 – Mobile Optimisation isΒ a Must!

The most recent shake-up of the online word relates to Google’s β€˜mobilegeddon’ update. Google’s latest algorithmΒ change ensured a polite request to make websites β€˜mobile friendly’ was replaced with an β€˜or else’ ultimatum.

Essentially, if your website is not mobile friendly, it is highly likely to be penalised by Google during mobile searches.

There is no need to be concerned about this change though, mobile friendly websites are no longer just for huge companies with limitless funds, our expert team can quickly and easily convert your website to ensure that you fall in line.

For more on this, please check out our recent blog β€˜Is Your Website Mobile Friendly? Find Out Why It Needs To Be’Is Mobile Optimisation The Future of SEO

No. 5 –Β Visitor Numbers Rather Than Rankings Can Make All The Difference

We certainly don’t believe that web rankings are irrelevant but it is far too easy for people to become consumed by achieving high rankings for certain terms.

Achieving excellent rankings is an output that many SEO firms can easily sell because they look good! However, it is an increase in relevant visitors which is often the most important SEO factor.

With so many different methods of driving visitors to your website, social media, articles and online directories to name just a few, there are a variety of methods of not just driving visitors to your website but driving the β€˜right’ visitors to your website.

Without an increasing number of the right visitors, you are highly unlikely to generate leads or sales–the outcome you need and this is why you should place your trust in SEO firms with a focus on delivering outcomes, rather than outputs.

If you would like any more information, please contact the Footprint team on Tel. No. 01883 372488 and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.