According to the Netcraft Web Server Survey, the web is now home to more than 266 million websites. However, it is estimated that very few of these websites offer any real value to their owners. Based solely on my personal customer data here at inventiveWebs.com, I know this to be true.
You are probably wondering why this is. You may even be one of the many who have experienced disappointment and frustration with your personal or business web presence. If so, the good news is… no matter where you are, you can change course for the better. In most cases, its a matter of having the right guidance.
“Creating websites that perform is not rocket science, but it is a science nonetheless.” – Jason
Your website is just one part of your marketing system. And, if you set it up right from the start, it can be a big part. It will create leverage, leads, and allow you to communicate your core values to your target market in a way that addresses their primary fears and motivations for following or buying from you.
There are very specific concepts you must understand. Included below is a the top 5 concepts to consider when creating a website in order to save time, make money, or create a web project that will accomplish your goals:
1: You must know your purpose for creating your website! This seems like such a simple idea… However, in my personal experience, there seems to be a lack of good quality information on what a website is and how internet marketing can best be leveraged to generate leads, advertise your brand, or sell digial & physical products.
Ask yourself “What is the value of a website to me or my business?” and “How will a website best serve me?” Be specific and honest. If you want your website to generate leads, then a reasonable statement of purpose might be, “I want to leverage my website to create 10 new leads per week”. Again… Specific. Measurable. You will be able to use this knowledge to communicate better with your web developer.
2: Your website is just a tool! That is to say your website is only one part of a cohesive marketing plan. You can not realistically expect to have your website built and taken live… Then suddenly, magically, you are now receiving vast amounts of web traffic. Yet, many that I speak to believe that this is so. You will have to promote your site. Think of it this way… You wouldn’t open a brick and mortar office or storefront and expect that people would automatically find you. To be found, you must consider ways to get in front of people who will be predisposed to consume whatever it is you are offering. You must drive prospective customers to your storefront to make sales. The same is true online.
3: How do you want to promote your website? You will want to consider how you will drive traffic or promote your website based on your business or site purpose using one of four primary methods:
- PPC (Pay Per Click): This is a method of bidding on keyword search terms in a search engine like Google.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): This is a method of setting up your site to organically rank in a search engine for a particular search term. For example you can SEO your site to show up on page 1 in Google when someone searches “Organic Bread” or “Jeep Exhaust”.
- Social Media (Facebook, Twitter): This method is probably least understood by the masses, and what is does is allow you to build relationships in a social setting which can lead to people visiting your blog, website, or capture pages.
- Print Media (Doesn’t Sound Sexy): This can be a super powerful point of leverage in your business when done scientifically.
None of these methods have to be scary. We are happy to help you understand each in better detail… In fact, we have plans to write more information on each topic specifically in future posts.
4: Understand “The New Coke Phenomenon”! Sometimes a client will come to me and say that they are no longer happy with the way their site looks. And, then proceed to tell me that they want to change it for that reason alone. This is a mistake. The fact is that there is only one reason to change your website or any of your marketing: It is no longer performing.
In fact, one of my mentors talks about how he has seen many multi-million dollar companies change their marketing because the CEO or the owner no longer likes it! They give no regard to the numbers. For example, lets say you have a site that generates 10 leads per week and you decide that you don’t like the way it looks and have your designer change it. Then after a few weeks you look at your numbers and discover that the new site only generates 5 leads, but you like the way it looks. Would you change it back or continue to give your prospects what you prefer over what the numbers say they prefer?
Coka Cola did this with New Coke… They wisely changed it back. What they had was working already.
5:You must understand targeting your market! This is the biggest mistake made in marketing. If you plan to develop a following, build a customer list, sell a product, or allow interested parties to visit your website, you must know how to target them and you must know how to feed them what they want to be fed in the manner that they want to eat it!
An example might be: You are a REALTOR and you serve the Las Sendas community in east Mesa, AZ. To properly target people looking to buy or sell in Las Sendas, you will need to know the search terms they use to find Las Sendas information online. You then need to be able to have your website be the one they find either by using a PPC ad or a website which has been properly SEO’d to show up on page 1 of Google for their search terms. Their search terms might be “Las Sendas Community”, “Las Sendas House For Sale”, or “Las Sendas”. If your marketing is centered around the wrond search term, guess what happens… Nothing. Well, that’s not true. Something happens. And, what happens is someone else’s phone rings and they get the business.
If you understand these 5 concepts, you will undoubtedly be on the right path toward creating a profitable or purposeful web presence using internet marketing. If you would like to talk to a real live person and get up to 30 minutes of free advice, just contact Jason Archer.