Internet Marketing for Small Businesses

“Hi, I want to be #1 on Google!” – think twice before you say it. Do you really want to be number one on Google? If you have your own small business you know better than anyone how important marketing is and how cautious you must be when investing your hard earned money. Yes, it’s all about that extremely important bottom line.

Depending on which keywords you want to position on your website, you should be aware of the fact that it’s going to cost you a considerable amount of money and time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to discourage Internet marketing. However, I would like you to consider that being on the first page of Google may not be for everyone. Being #1 on Google may not be a sound investment and there are many other methods you can choose to increase website traffic and attract prospects.

It’s very important to choose an individualized method if you want to achieve success. I will share with you several excellent alternatives for small business budgets. Let’s take a look at it more closely…

1. Be Prepared

• Market Research
  Start with studying your market. Do some research and determine which advertising methods will be the most effective for your business. Check to see how many results are listed in Google under your keywords.
• Keywords
  Choose your keywords and focus on them. Don’t try to position your website on 20 keywords inserted at the beginning. If you offer services only to a specific area, always be certain to include the location in your keywords.
• Competition
  Study your competition and pay close attention to the methods they use to market their business. Type their name into Google and see where they have posted ads or what websites link to their business.
• Your Business And Your Budget
  Try to determine the size of your business and calculate your advertising budget accordingly. If you are a small company and the competition on your keywords in Google is tough, it may not be the best use of your advertising dollar to focus your Internet marketing on becoming #1 on Google. Your budget may be too small to compete with other companies who have invested thousands of dollars. However, there are some effective advertising alternatives I’ll discuss later that will allow you to get many valuable leads from the Internet.

2. Make Sure Your Car Runs Before You Go For A Ride…

There are a few things you should always check on your website before you begin any Internet marketing. If you don’t have a website yet, it is essential that your new website includes each of these important points.

• Design And Usability
  Everything is about that crucial conversion rate. You may have hundreds of visitors every day, but they won’t be effective if you cannot covert them into new leads or clients. A good design may play a significant role in your website success. Does your website have contact information on every sub page? How many steps must your visitors take to contact you or buy your product? Is your website easy to navigate? These are just a few of the aspects you should consider… they have a significant impact on positive customer reaction to your site!
• Accessibility
  Make sure your website is compatible with the most popular web browsers. If you don’t care about Safari users, then you may lose 3% – 5% of your prospects. What about Flash and JavaScript? There are many visitors who may not have Flash or JavaScript. Do they have the opportunity to see your website?
• Content
  You may have the best fishing-rod in the world, but you won’t catch anything if you don’t have good bait! Your website content is your most effective tool when it comes to attracting customers to your site. It’s extremely important to hire a copywriter who specializes in writing SEO-optimized content. It has been my experience that professional copy remarkably increases sales.
• Statistics
  Install statistical tracking on your website. It is absolutely mandatory that you have a tool to measure your progress. You can test different techniques every month and find which ones are the most effective for your business goals. Carefully study your traffic source and focus on what brings you the most positive results. Don’t waste your time on something that doesn’t work for you!

Only when you have thoroughly checked all of the above points will you be prepared to begin your internet marketing. Otherwise, it may be a waste of money and time.

If your website is ready… sit down and buckle up, the trip won’t be easy!

3. Choose Your Destination and the Road You Want To Travel

First of all, choose your destination and ask yourself where you want to be in 6 months. Set your goals each month and try to reach them. There are alternatives methods for effectively marketing your services on the Internet. If your budget is tight, don’t try to be number one on Google. Choose a different option and focus on it. This approach will help you to spend your money more wisely and bring you much quicker and more effective results.

• Number One on Google
  Depending on the competition on keywords it may not be an easy trip for a small business. It is imperative that you hire a professional, experienced website designer and prepare for several months of hard work. If your website is new, you should be aware that it may take at least 6 months to see results. It is an excellent idea to feature a blog on your website and update it regularly. You also have to build links to your site, search engine optimize your website, begin social networking, maintain and update your unique content and post articles on other sites. All of this will cost money but you can reap significant rewards for your business with these methods. And, of course, your work will have to include all the following points…
• Local Ads And Directories
  Submit your link to free directories and post your ads in the classifieds. Try to get a good position on websites like Yelp or Google Maps. Ask your current clients to give you positive comments and always maintain an excellent work record. It is a good idea to pay for submitting your website to Yahoo! Directory. Focus on your niche and think locally.
• Be An Expert
  If you are a good writer and have tons of innovative ideas, start a blog on your website. Write about your services and find solutions for potential problems. You can very quickly build a solid community around your blog and become a local expert. Socialize with other bloggers and exchange links. It’s not always easy but it can be extremely effective!
• Advertising
  Take a highway… but always be very cautious when choosing this option. Google AdWords is very popular and an easy way to advertise. However, good keyword research and a strong keyword strategy are necessary before you begin.

4. Don’t Get Stuck On A Dead End Street

How many calls or e-mails do you receive about fantastic SEO techniques that will land your business on the first page of Google in less than a month? Nobody can guarantee you the first position or even the first page. Don’t trust those tricky and deceptive services or you may find yourself on a dead end street with no way to escape. Google doesn’t operate the same as it did five years ago or even last year. There are continuing and constant updates to content that Google considers as spam. If there is a small error you could find your website on the banned list.

5. Congratulations, You Have Reached Your Destination!

If you get good results you may want to try additional methods to increase the amount of traffic on your website. If you feel strongly enough about the importance of being on the first page you will need to consider Search Engine Optimization and compete for the first page on Google. It will be a lot easier to achieve this difficult position if you have a blog with a few thousands subscribers or if your company already has a good position on Yelp and Google Maps.

I have presented only a few ways to market your business on the Internet for those of you who own a small business and are operating with budget constraints. Of course there are other strategies and I will look forward to hearing your ideas and comments. Share your Internet marketing ideas and let me know what you think.

Contact us if you need a professional help in marketing your business. We are always happy to share our expertise and to contribute to the success of your project.