Think Big Blog

Online marketing, most of us believe, has one singular purpose - to get our website noticed in order to increase web traffic. That’s part of it; but certainly not all of it. Any online marketing company that sells you on a campaign to simply boost web traffic is missing a significant piece of the puzzle. Sure, we all want to better our search engine rankings and subsequently increase web traffic; but if we don’t draw the attention of the right kind of web traffic it does nothing to increase our sales. The bottom line is always to better business, increase sales and earn more money. Targeted web traffic results in a higher likelihood of conversions and the bridge between the two is the choice of keywords.

So think of online marketing as the building of a bridge between your customers and your website. Helping you build it - one rung at a time - is your website optimization firm; a company that knows a thing or two about positioning you appropriately in the online market.

Step 1. Put it all on the table. What is it that you do? What do you offer? What makes you different from other companies? Who are your customers and how do they traditionally find you? This is very much a case of knowing where you were before you can know where you’re going. If your customers are finding your competitors online and not you then chances are that they are positioned in a better location because of their choice of keywords. Know your audience and how they are searching for your type of products and service online.

Step 2. Define what you do and what you offer. This is all about the keywords and keyword phrases; finding the words and word combinations that are being used regularly by your customers. What are they plugging into an online search to find what you have to offer?

Continued in the next post…

Generating website traffic is - for websites - the obvious goal in their online marketing but it is much more than that; it is finding more website traffic among their own unique audience - those that will ultimately have an interest in what the website has to offer. Conversion as well as traffic is the goal of any website so any online marketing programs that are considered should work towards those objectives. In other words, it is one thing to get people to stop and check out your site, and quite another to attract those people who are more than tire kickers; who are there because they have a real interest in your services and can be swayed to eventually become a customer.

Those who are just embarking on their campaign of online marketing may feel encouraged to do anything and everything to simply spike traffic but in the long run it’s the tailored marketing efforts that will increase your bottom line as well as the traffic to your site. To this end, working with a reputable website optimization firm that can offer guidance through pay per click and search engine optimization will enhance your site and ready it for the appropriate audience. But first you need to find your audience.

A website optimization firm will work with you to identify your online audience - those who are interested in your products and services. What keywords and keyword phrases are they using to find you or companies like yours? These are the keywords that form the backbone of your online marketing campaign; that will form a bridge directly between your website and your online audience.

Working with SEO services allows companies to really fully explore the ways in which an audience may find them online and to tailor their message to find that audience.

Those in a seasonal business that peaks in the summer - or those who are already preparing for the fall season which is their busiest - are undoubtedly always one step ahead of the game when it comes to their business. They realize that certain things need to be put in place many months prior to the season so that the business is poised for success; and this includes making sure that all is right with their website. Seasonal online business is no different than traditional business; allowances must be made and plans must be put in place so that the business can thrive when the time comes to do so. It is so important, therefore, that businesses of all kinds make online plans so that they are ready and able to handle growth and increased website traffic.

Working with a professional website optimization firm means that you will have the benefit of ongoing management by professionals who understand what it takes to succeed online. Your SEO team, in order to build targeted web traffic in time for your season, will:

Identify those keywords that are most often used in a search for your products and services. Perhaps keywords need to be tweaked for your particular season; those phrases that may not have been appropriate - or well-used - during the winter, are now perfect for the summer.

Make changes to content if necessary. Those businesses that run on seasons have different things to offer during different times of the year. Make sure your online content is in line with what you have to offer. Your SEO team will make changes to your website content and ensure that such content includes the appropriate keyword phrases.

Send out a release or two. Optimized press releases - especially when you have something exciting to announce for the season - are a great way to spread the word about your site and increase website traffic.

Those who have built a business from the ground up share the entrepreneurial spirit with others in the same position; the motivation and passion that allowed them to initially head down such a road. They will have found - as so many do - that while there is a team of people at their disposal and perhaps those who are just as invested as they are in the success of the business, that in many ways they feel on their own. After all, starting your own business is something that is fiercely personal and it costs blood, sweat and tears as the saying goes. Unfortunately this means for many business owners that they wind up taking on way too much; they don’t know how to delegate or they feel uncomfortable and out of control in doing so. What this translates to, ironically, is many things can fall through the cracks because - like it or not - one person can’t do it all and this includes online marketing.

Of course, a company’s online presence is absolutely crucial to its success in this day and age. Those businesses without a website - and a successful one at that - are not capable of reaching the entirety of their audience and the potential for failure is high. It is therefore absolutely necessary that any company interested in success pay careful attention to their web presence and their ability to garner qualified web traffic; and doing so successfully often means turning to others for their professional guidance. This team mentality is so very important to the success of a website and a company as a whole.

Those looking to increase website traffic and build their online business must be brave enough to delegate such work to a qualified and professional website optimization firm that can lead the way in optimizing a site for success.

One of the rules of public relations that we hear time and time again is that even bad news is good news. In other words, no matter what context you get your name out there, it’s still getting your name out there. That may be true to a certain extent; larger corporations can afford to have people talking about them even if it’s not in the most positive light, but for the rest of us we would much rather have our company connected with good things. If we’re going to get people’s attention we sure hope it’s in a positive manner. This is why companies of all kinds - and especially as they promote their online presence - strive to generate a buzz around their products and services; something that can be done through online marketing as well as it can be done through traditional public relations practices.

Online marketing, just like traditional marketing, is all about generating that buzz. Online, however, success is manifested through qualified website traffic. If you get people talking about you - specifically your intended audience - you will inevitably increase website traffic and grow your overall business. So how do you create a buzz around your website and get the attention of your intended audience?

Well-Coordinated SEO - Search engine optimization handled professionally through a website optimization firm can do a lot to get the name of a company out there in front of an audience that not only is interested but is in the market for the products and services that the site offers. Organic SEO is undertaken through the choosing of appropriate keywords that will likely be used in a search; as well as through strategic linking and a variety of other SEO practices. An added benefit of using a website optimization firm is that they will continue to manage the campaign so that website traffic is maintained and that changes and additions to the campaign can be handled on the spot.

More in the next post…

When you embark upon a traditional advertising and marketing campaign your motivation is to gain the attention of your intended audience through the strategies that you put into place. Ultimately, however, what you really mean to do through this work is to generate a perception about your brand - lay the foundation for those who have no pre-conceived ideas about your brand and change the perception of those who may have negative feelings toward it. How you do this is entirely within the scope of creative strategizing and execution and while this lends itself to traditional advertising and marketing it most certainly lends itself equally well to online work.

Selling yourself and changing perception online can be tricky. There are few places where consumers - and misaligned wrongdoers - can weigh in so completely and so instantly on your product and service. Almost every day web sites and the companies behind them are being judged by a jury of their online peers and it can be a difficult battle to face. The best resources that anyone has for being successful online is their ability to adjust their search engine rankings. You want to be as close to the top of the rankings as possible so that you can immediately and positively attract the attention of your audience. Of course such rankings increase web traffic as a matter of course, but if you strategize appropriately and execute your plan with equal parts determination and flexibility you can maximize your opportunities to not only get more web site traffic but attract the traffic that will have a higher conversion rate and earn you business.

Managing such an online campaign is best done through the work of a web site optimization firm that can lend their expertise to the process. More in the next post…

It’s that time of year when we head into our closets to sort and discard clothes and turn over our homes to ensure that we clean out the cobwebs and clutter of the past winter. Spring cleaning, in fact, is something that we habitually do as a nation; something that is as traditional as the holidays that come every spring. Just as we put effort into cleaning out our homes so too should we take the time to freshen up our web sites. Our web sites, after all, are a direct reflection of our business and the first impression that many will have of the quality of our products or level of our abilities. If you haven’t thought about spring cleaning your web site then now is the time. To get started you should work with a web site optimization firm that can assess your situation and make the recommendations that will elevate your site to the next level.

Working with a web site optimization firm will give you the insight you need to make whatever changes need to be made. Even a traditional business needs to make changes in order to keep the attention of their audience - stock turnovers, changes in store design, creative advertising, and more. The same can be said for web sites that need to engage their audience in order to maintain interest and to gain the attention of the search engines so that they can elevate their rankings and increase web site traffic.

Making changes and refreshing a site may include the creation and implementation of additional optimized content - utilizing the appropriate keywords that correspond to the products and services that the business offers and are likely to be used in a search.

By making additions and changing things up within the context of a search engine optimization campaign, you can keep your site on the radar of the search engines and engage your audience creatively.

In the last post we talked about the importance in online marketing of putting together a solid plan and - beyond that - working that plan each and every day. There is management that is needed in order for an online marketing strategy to be successful, to generate more web site traffic and grow the company’s brand on another level. Those who understand how hands-on this process is hire a web site optimization firm to not only implement the strategy but manage the details.

We first discussed the management necessary in search engine optimization. There is the choosing of keywords, the creation and implementation of keyword rich content, the management of a comprehensive linking strategy, and much more. This is not a one and done process - something that is put into place and allowed to run its course. Management is absolutely critical to success and a web site optimization firm offers ongoing management that includes course correcting an SEO plan to adjust to changing trends, changes in the company, and more.

Pay-per-Click - If SEO is a public relations campaign, then PPC is an advertising campaign. Either way it must be managed. In this case, the web site owner - the advertiser - purchases a top spot in the sponsored ad section of the search engines in order to capitalize on the keywords that they think are most effective for their business. PPC management is an integral part of making sure this goes off without a hitch and is ultimately successful in delivering the site with increased web site traffic - and hopefully visitors that are in keeping with the company’s overall customer base.

Whether you choose SEO or PPC, management is essential to success. Turn to a web site optimization firm to help you realize your goals and grow your business online.

As the New Year begins and business starts to gain momentum again after the holidays, companies far and wide are examining their resources and gathering pertinent information so as to make the best decisions for their future. Finances have been tough all around and most companies are caught up in simply trying to stay afloat; but there are still decisions that must be made including how best to spend an allocated budget for the year. For those looking to promote their online presence they will understand the merit in taking their web site to the next level by getting assistance from a web site optimization firm.

Of course, as with anything else, the benefits of using a web site optimization firm must be held up against the money that will be spent on such a campaign. After examination most web site owners will immediately see the benefit of putting money towards a well managed search engine optimization or pay per click campaign. The benefits of working with a professional web site optimization firm include:

The benefit of experience. Putting a site online is only a part of the process of finding success on the Internet. Online marketing takes solid understanding and a level of expertise that most web site owners simply do not have. A reputable web site optimization firm will have experience in promoting a variety of web sites through a variety of different online marketing channels. They will also understand that there is no fixed science to online marketing; that it must be adjusted as things change - and things will change often. You want to work with a web site optimization company that not only understands how to increase web traffic but can predict and provide counsel regarding online changes.

More benefits of working with a professional web site optimization firm in the next post…

There has always been and will continue to be significant competition in the online arena. New web sites are launched every day - many offering the same information, products and services that you do. How do you stand out? How do you continue to promote your online presence? How do you increase your rankings with the search engines and support those rankings effectively for the long haul? Most of all, how do you appeal to a sophisticated and discerning online audience in a way that helps you increase web traffic and convert visitors to eventual customers?

All of this and more comes down to effective online marketing - something that forward-thinking web site owners take very seriously. Most will work with a web site optimization firm to help them strategize their marketing goals and pursue their objectives. A web site optimization firm can help address all of a web site’s modern marketing goals…

How do you stand out? Standing out in a crowded market depends on carving out a niche and targeting your audience with focused accuracy. It all begins with a great web site - something user-friendly, aesthetically unique and offering great information and relevant content.

How do you continue to promote your online presence? There has to be a strong strategy in place that utilizes a multi-pronged approach that may include search engine optimization, pay per click, distribution of press releases, and integrated social media marketing. This strategy must be defined, put into operation, and managed. A web site optimization firm can take the lead and manage the project for success.

How do you increase your rankings with the search engines and support those rankings effectively for the long haul? A well planned and orchestrated search engine optimization strategy is most effective - in tandem with other marketing avenues - to increase rankings, increase web site traffic and convert customers. The most important component in this process is aligning yourself with a solid web site optimization firm.

How do you appeal to a sophisticated and discerning online audience in a way that helps you increase web traffic and convert visitors to eventual customers? In order to continue to be relevant in the online environment it’s always important to be one step ahead of the game. Look to a web site optimization firm to lead the way to navigate you through online changes and to look for the next big thing online so that you can position yourself appropriately.