Search Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation
As with traditional offline businesses, building and opening the store is only the first step. Now you need to make sure people know about your site and start to visit. And equally important you want to make sure they come back!
“If you build it, they will come” may have worked for Kevin Costner’s baseball stadium in the film Field of Dreams, but it certainly doesn’t translate to web-based business. Site owners need to actively market their websites online to get them noticed by leading search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
Getting noticed online
Leading Internet user surveys repeatedly find that a very high proportion (68% in 2008) of search engine users do not venture beyond the first page of search results, with an alarming 92% looking no further than the third page. The lesson is simple – you need to ensure that your site is appearing in the first three pages, preferably on page one. So, aware that it’s vital to attain a high position in the search engine listings, how to actually get there?
Slow and steady, or quick fix
There are two main types of search results – “organic” and “paid search”. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and considering both types is often the wisest move.
Organic, natural search results
Organic, or natural, search results are those which most people are familiar with. These are the lists of results, typically ten to a page, which appear in the main body of search engines such as Google. These ratings have to be earned and, although they normally require hard work, this means they are usually regarded as the most credible results. This is where K-Point can employ techniques such as optimising keywords and links within your content and developing incoming links to your site, while analysing what is working for your competitors.
Buy your way to the top
Paid search advertising, such as Google Adwords, accounts for the results appearing in the “sponsored links” on the right-hand side or along the top of the page. We can help maximise the return on Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns (you typically pay for each click you receive on these links) by analysing your competitors’ campaigns. We will advise on an optimum monthly budget for your campaign, and monitor its effectiveness. Your budget affects the ad’s exposure and the cost of each click. These costs vary with the level of competition, the search phrases you target, the position you wish to attain in these listings, and your competitors’ budgets. Without professional advice you could be throwing your money away.
Content is king
Whether you opt for the slow but steady optimisation approach, or the quick-fix paid avenue, or a healthy mix of both, once you have visitors on your site you need to grab and hold their attention. Our designers will advise you on how to keep your website content fresh, interesting and up-to-date. A critical look at your site from a prospective customer’s point of view is always a good exercise, and we will identify if adequate information is available and easily accessible. This core content is basically what search engines are analysing to see how well you deserve to be ranked against other sites, and expert advice will soon pay off.
Monitoring your visitors’ behaviour
Just like traditional marketing, you must measure your results. Tools such as Google Analytics are invaluable for viewing visitor statistics, identifying visitor patterns, and monitoring activity within your site. Do visitors visit the pages you want them to, abandon orders at the checkout, or leave the site immediately? We can help interpret the sometimes daunting statistics, graphs and activity reports, identifying user behaviour which may highlight problems with your design and content, so that they can be resolved swiftly.
Remember, there are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going to. Promises about attaining number one positions overnight sound too good to be true, and they inevitably are.
