Web Marketing Strategy, Web Design UK
Almost every successful business has to some degree an online presence but due to the popularity of using the internet it is important that your website marketing strategy is planned in sufficient detail and costs are taken into consideration otherwise it may not offer any added value to your website. Here are some tips for making a successful website.
Web Design
There are a huge number of website designers out there and the quality and price varies considerably, before approaching a designer you should have a clear plan of what you want and if possible some pictures or web addresses or competitors to give the designer an idea of the market you are aiming for. It is important to get at least 3 quotes as prices vary considerably and it is not unusual for some unscrupulous designers to overcharge if they believe your knowledge is limited in this area.
It is important to listen to your chosen web designer and take on board the advice they might offer, an example of this is the over use of flash, this might look pretty but to those who have a slower internet connection can be frustrating as it can take longer to download the full webpage and you risk the user leaving your site even before your home page has loaded.
If your website simply offers information about your company and services rather than any aspect of e-commerce then it is important to identify that a large percentage of prospective clients will visit your website before contacting you and therefore it can be a good idea to obtain some testimonials from current clients, this practice alone can increase conversion rates and is always recommended.
It is always worthwhile considering spending a little extra for a content management system (CMS) to be put in place so that you can control the content that it on your website and that importantly is accurate. This can also save you from entering an expensive maintenance contract with the web designers for work that you can do yourself.
If you are looking at setting up an ecommerce website then it might be a good idea to test some of your products on selling platforms such as eBay or even Amazon. This can be done for a relatively low cost and could provide you some useful information before setting up on your own.
Check out our ten tips for setting up an eBay shop
Web Marketing Strategy
Having a website is no different to having a business, you need to make customers aware of it in order to attract traffic, if simply left you will find that your website is just a cost and adds very little value to your business. There are a number of ways to increase the traffic to your website:
- Pay per click (PPC) This can be an excellent method to use to launch your website be depending on the area that you business is in can also become costly and if you are planning to use this method you should be realistic about what your budget is at the beginning. Google still dominates the internet search market and currently holds around 80% of the market share in the UK. When using PPC you bid for keywords setting your maximum per word and your daily budget, the amount you bid will affect your position in the search results and the frequency it is displayed. It has been suggested that using MSN and Yahoo can be cheaper as it is less competitive for bids, MSN especially and at the end of the day it matters not where the traffic came from but more about the conversion rate that the source provides.
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) this is the science of increasing your web traffic by optimising your website so that it benefits from organic traffic (non paid). This can take more time to do and there are a number of factors to take into consideration, you can outsource this however it is wise to carry out research, as there are companies out there that will charge the earth with very few results however there are companies who will assist you marketing needs for a reasonable fee. SEO is continually changing so if you want to find out more on the subject try http://www.mr-seo.com/ or http://www.seobook.com/. Be wary of any SEO company who uses PPC but guarantees you page 1 position with Google, you have to wonder why they do not follow the same methods with their own website.
- Advertising, as soon as you have launched your website you should incorporate the web address in all of your company materials such as business cards, leaflets etc so that customers existing and new are aware of your website, it is sometimes more beneficial not rely on marketing completely online.
There are a number of tools you can use and normally for free in order to support you in understanding the information your website produces. One of the main ones is Google Analytics, by placing a small piece of the code in your website you will be able to identify visiting patterns and loyalty trends, conversion rates and conversion rates form particular traffic sources, this is particularly useful when allocating your advertising budget. Wordtracker offers a trial for seven days and allows you to identify the keywords your customers are using, this is worth looking at as you may be surprised in the difference of keywords of you and your customer and if using PPC could save you a fortune.
An example of the this; a former colleague of mine launched what is now a very successful online retail shop, he told me in the first 6 months he spent a large amount of his marketing budget on the term ‘buy jeans’, after seeking out external advice he changed it to ‘buy levi’s’ (his key product) and his conversion rate increased dramatically. He had wanted to capture all traffic for people looking to purchase jeans but what he really needed was to capture the people looking for the brand Levi’s. Sounds simple I know but a large amount of money is wasted by targeting inappropriate keywords and phrases. For more information on how you can optimise your site try MK Link, this company provides bespoke training programmes for your website and business.
Check out our tips for optimising your website here
Domain Names
If you haven’t already registered your chosen domain name you might find that it is already taken, there are a number of sites where you can purchase domain names although this can prove expensive and if possible look at a possible abbreviation you could use or specific term about your business activities. You can register a domain name for as little as £2.99 a year and there a large variety businesses out there offering this service. As a rule your domain name should be as specific and simple as possible so that it can be easily remembered and linked to your business. The advantage of purchasing a domain name is that it is likely to have more credibility with Google who place importance on the age of the website when prioritising search results.