I'll Make a Killing with my New Website

Everyone seems to know someone who is rumored to have made a killing by putting up a website and watching the customers come flooding in without additional effort.

This sounds exciting, and may have happen on rare occasions. But the “build it and they will come” approach does not apply to most websites.

For most website owners, relying on Google, Yahoo, and other search engines to bring a flood of customers to their site will lead to disappointment. Search engine marketing, placing advertisements on search engines that are displayed when a customer types a specific search word or phrase, has revolutionized much of the modern business landscape.

Geographical boundaries are almost non-existent. The need to build a “brick and mortar” store is now an option where it was once a requirement, and marketing campaigns previously completely reliant on printing and mailing are almost obsolete. 

All of this points to the need for a good business plan that does not start or end a web presence. A website needs to be part of an overall integrated plan that includes marketing, time, and ongoing budget to support the site.   

Marketing

An appropriate marketing campaign is needed in order to promote a new site through email blasts, search engine optimization, purchased AdWords, link building, and the like.

Existing businesses should integrate their new web presence into all promotional materials and any ongoing marketing campaigns.

With online advertising, the opportunities are broken into two distinct categories: search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM).

Search engine optimization is based on the content and structure of a website, relying on search engines, like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, to scan the site and index its contents.

Based on these scans, search engines will rank a site against other sites for its value based on various words and word combinations. This ranking will determine how high your site appears when a customer uses search engines to find information.

Remember, it takes time to get ranked well by search engines, and it requires an ongoing effort to keep a high ranking. There is no direct cost to this type of marketing other than the effort you are willing to put into your website content. 

Search engine marketing drives customers to sites based on advisements purchased on a pay-per-click model (PPC). This means you spend a little bit of money each time a potential customer clicks on your ad.

This marketing tactic can be used to quickly drive users to your website, but it comes with a direct cost based on the search word or string purchased. “Web design” is an example of a search string we might use to target people looking to redesign their websites.   

For the best results, a combination of both SEO and SEM may be necessary to reach the goals you have for your website.

Time

Websites need time to be found and added to the various services that constantly crawl the millions of sites on the Internet.

In many cases it may take months for a new site to reach its potential in regards to search engine ranking. As a business owner, you may feel anxious during this time if you expected a flood of customers starting the day the site is launched.

When this is the case, the best thing you can do is promote your site both online and in your city, while posting great content on a dedicated news or blog page. By providing added value and keeping your website fresh, you’re boosting your online presence. 

Content doesn’t relate to just words, though. Videos and photos are excellent content sources you can use to begin attracting web traffic.

Additional Budget

To be continuously successful on the Internet, a budget must be in place to keep a website updated. Along with improving search engine rankings, customers – current and future ones – will respond better to a site that is growing and evolving to meet their needs.

Building a website is an exciting step toward reaching out to a world of new customers on the Internet. Effective marketing, an appropriate timeline, and an additional budget to maintain your site will help you reach your goals and turn your website into a powerful marketing tool.  

Want to learn more about how Visionary Services can support your new or existing website? Contact us today!