Online Businesses – Can Google, Your Customers Still Find You?

As we move into a new year, it is beneficial to any business’ bottom-line to look at ways to improve, increase, and impact brand visibility online.  Why is Online Marketing so critical in 2011?  Well, the simple answer is – if you don’t keep up with the streaming media that is constantly producing new content, your online presence can be easily lost.  Any money spent on past efforts will evaporate, and you will find yourself starting from square one.

Competition on the Web is ever increasing, and businesses must constantly keep ahead of the marketing trends to stay on top.  Luckily, there are many simple and cost-effective ways to keep your business visible online.

1. Know Your Audience – There is no need to waste money and energy on people who are not interested in your products and services.  Use analytics technology to evaluate visitor trends.  Google Analytics is free and enables you to easily track your Website Visitors’ purchasing habits.  If you are Website proficient, you can do this yourself, or ask your Webmaster/Web Designer for help setting it up and interpreting the data.
2. Audit Your Online Marketing Efforts – Whether you are doing Online Marketing yourself, doing it “In-House”, or outsourcing it via a marketing professional – you need to setup a feedback loop.  Are your ads driving the right traffic?  Is your Website converting?  Are customers sticking around?  There are many third-party tools that will help.  Most Online Advertising platforms like Google Ad Words include some type of tracking and trending analysis.  Either look for yourself, or request the data from your advertising professional.
3. Know How a Search Engine Views Your Website – Creating and maintaining a Website that contains content, links, and services that are relevant to your business and products is not only important to your customers, but Search Engines as well.  Search Engines will place your content on their keyword results pages based on how much of an authority they believe your Webpage’s content to be on that particular keyword or phrase.  You can use The SEO Engine to give you an unbiased analysis of how your Website is viewed on a Search Engine, and make adjustments accordingly.

Take advantage of the available free tools to track your online performance, not just for your Website, but your brand and advertisements as well.  Ensure that you are delegating the right resources in the right places to make your business more effective online.