Internet Marketing – 101

In the beginning; the world of computer-generated communication was simply an electronic expressway where basic data was transferred from one computer station to another via phone lines as opposed to hard copy sent through the U.S. mail. From it’s infancy through the explosive bubble bursting quandary of the 1990’s, the Internet has grown from a rudimentary method of information exchanges to a vast landscape, overflowing with everything the human experience can offer.

This “new” media had, in the beginning stages at least, presented itself as a limitless goldmine where anyone with even the remotest assemblage of a website could reach out to millions of consumers and cash in by simply planting their flag along the virtual highway and waving in the eager masses. But soon this wonderland of clickable access became a mire of digital billboards as search queries turned up millions of link responses, all eager to show their stuff. No longer the wide open plains of yesteryear; today’s web is a massive jungle of twisting mis-directions, poisonous traps and dark pits that can swallow an ill-prepared adventurer and bury them far away; adrift in its ever changing matrix with no hope of human contact.

Very sad really.

The beauty of the Internet, aside from an unending supply of the most trivial bits of data, excessive blogs clamoring for legitimacy and the ultimate in bizarre behaviors, is that for a business or organization the web has the unique ability to showcase a locale as a global entity or narrow the view to just your neighborhood. The trick to achieving marketable success and profitability in this endeavor is how you garner the appropriate traffic to your site and then convert said traffic into “business”. And here’s the rub; it’s not a simple solution. Each enterprise, in order to generate and maintain a real return on their investment needs to have a well planned and executed web strategy that is designed to entice, quantify, capture and convert “targeted” traffic into clientele.

Before we get into the marketing aspect we must get down to basics and understand what goes into “all of this stuff”.

It is not uncommon for companies to have a mis-understanding or a lack of appreciation for what is a properly conceived and constructed website presence. It’s one thing to be found by the search engines; however as with any brick and mortar business, store front presence is paramount. Many websites are so badly done that even when they are found by their targeted customers it amounts to a quick home page peek and then gone. This is a crucial element for web marketing and makes the difference between having volumes of traffic that give you “hits” but no profits and a site that is a source of income instead of an expense.

As Internet SEO marketing experts, iMajestic (www.imajestic.com) put it –
“Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of dynamically and effectively transmitting your website’s original and unique content to search engines and bringing forward the best, most up-to-date and effective solutions enabling your website to be instinctively visible and naturally rank higher than others offering the same or similar products and services.”

Let’s break down the essence of what makes the Internet tick and how it can be utilized and we’ll do this without a lot of the techno babble.

First – it is important to understand that the Internet can be a direct access directory or a bit like a maze put together as a puzzle. If a person knows the exact URL (website) address of their desired location it is a straight forward process of just typing in the address and click; simple and direct. But if you don’t have a specific site or link in mind and are looking for “something” in the area of your inquiry then the Net becomes more complex. Just like being a store within a busy city block, the only way people will find you will be either by shear chance or if you do something that will attract their attention – advertise and market.

Picture a configuration in which a person places a piece of a puzzle, (your search query) into the gateway of the maze, (the web search engine’s algorithms). Your search phrase or search criteria; known as a keyword or keyword phrase, alerts the search engine’s web crawlers to what you are looking for. Logically it is assumed that the more precise your search phrase is, the better your chances are that you will locate your exact listing. In practice this is true except that in order for it to work a website needs to have your particular inquiry imbedded into its programming and content so the crawlers will identify your site as a match. But there is even more to it than that which makes Internet marketing the art and science that it is.

Let’s take an example;

A simple search for “shoe store” on Google will generate about 8,330,000 listings with usually the bigger names in shoe retail outlets appearing on the first page and at the top of the listing. Why some listings rise to the top while others languish in obscurity is a mystery unless you are proficient in Search Engine Optimization and other disciplines of Internet marketing. Now the phrase “shoe store” is very general so let’s narrow it a little more because if you are looking for shoes chances are you want to find a store that’s within driving range so you can try your selection on. Say you live in the Los Angeles area, so we’ll search using the phrase “shoe stores in Los Angeles”. The web shows we’ve narrowed it down now to just 5,390,000 listings. Less, but are we getting exactly what we want and even more important to the business owner, is their business the one that is showing up at the top of that 5 million item search.

The general rule of thumb in the digital jungle is if you don’t get on the first page of search engine results, you have a slim chance of being discovered.

As important as it is to be specific in the search inquiry, merely placing possible search criteria within the framework of your website isn’t going to guarantee Google will recognize your site as “the one” to choose. Getting ranked by the search engines is a complex formula that involves various facets which work within a site and on the plane of the net’s constantly changing programming protocols. Because the algorithms used to determine how a website or link is chosen for higher rankings are kept secret from the general public, Internet marketers are forever developing, rediscovering and altering their methods for successful website recognition.

Second – Know what you have and how to communicate this to your audience.

Taking the shoe store example again, on the surface it seems rather obvious what the product is, right? Wrong. As a business owner looking to make a buck, understanding what you offer and who your customers are is essential to winning the battle for consumers.

1. What type of person will buy your shoes, men, women or both?
2. Do you offer children’s shoes and from what age?
3. Do you sell athletic shoes, dress shoes, work boots or all of the above?
4. Is your product high-end couture, basement discount bargains or a mixture?
5. Where is your physical location or are you strictly on-line?

As you can see by just these few questions, the nature of what and how you sell your product or service are critical elements for determining the best methods to market your business. Although your website can reach around the globe, are you prepared to sell and ship your products great distances or do you just want people to come to you, or is there something in the middle? Also many times where your store is physically located could be seen as a positive or negative and if it’s on the downside then you can use your website to counteract this.

One big miss-step made by even the most intelligent entrepreneurs is their lack of appreciation for what a website can do for their business. Many owners don’t realize how easy it is for their website to become a passive revenue stream. Even if you don’t offer a hard product, your website can still be utilized for income generation with a little imagination and know how.

Third – Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing is best left to the professionals. Let’s be clear – if you wouldn’t let an amateur fix your car or diagnose and treat your illness, why would you allow someone with limited experience and knowledge develop highly technical, protocol driven marketing strategies that can effect the very life blood of your business and livelihood?

Consider the words of web marketing authorities’ iMajestic;
“Your website is the most important part of your organization’s Internet marketing strategy. Your website is the heart of your business communication instrument both, to search engines as well as your future and existing customers.”

Additionally your website marketing should be integrated into your traditional business promotions. By interweaving web marketing with your traditional advertising you will enhance exposure, crossover traffic and be able to exponentially expand market share and awareness which can equate to reduced costs and higher profits. Don’t consider your website as a separate part of your business model. If anything the best part of Internet marketing solutions are the multitude of data that can be accumulated and utilized to further improve your market programs. Unlike advertising and marketing in traditional media – i.e. TV, Radio and Print, web based marketing provides an exhausting amount of significant demographic information such as:

• How many people are visiting your website?
• Where are these visitors coming from?
> Local, Regional, National and International
• How deep are they going into your site?
• Which pages of your website are getting the most response?
• How many “hits” are becoming extended stays or sessions?
• How many “sessions” are converting into SALES?

And the best part about getting this information is that all these programs from which these are derived from can be cost accounted down to the penny!

Fourth – It is important to recognize that Internet marketing is at once a science and an art form. The science of web marketing involves some very technical aspects:

Website development – True website development is more than throwing together some pre-fabricated templates, setting some links and placing Meta tags. Your site needs to have a “look and feel” that invites your clients to stay and explore the riches within instead of landing on the home page and moving on to someone else’s business. The “look” of the site is the same as the face of your store front.

Your website should reflect the nature of your business without being too busy, involved or outlandish. A website only has about 3 seconds to capture the visitor. After that if they aren’t intrigued, they’re gone.

It is imperative that your website be easy to use. Functionality can make or break a site because if a visitor can’t get around your website they will become frustrated and again – leave.

Some technical aspects of website construction involve:

The Front End – This term refers to that “look” of your site and includes images and text. This part of the development is usually done by a graphic designer although many sites will use “stock” images. Although using stock photos means your site won’t be unique in its look, it can be a way to save money. When choosing a designer to do this work, keep in mind to find a person that has experience creating work specifically for the computer screen and understands the technical restrictions in designing for the web.

Along with creating the images and “space” for the web site, having the right kind of content is principal for engaging your customers into reading about your business, but the content of your site plays a vital role for search engines to locate your website as well. Many times the web content is overlooked as a tool for enticing customers as well as giving Google, Yahoo and other “engines” the where withal to rank your site higher than your competition. The web phrase –“Content is King” means just what it says because the more unique, original and expressive your web content is the better the search engines like it.

It is important to remember that this content needs to incorporate the chosen keywords for your site within its text. This is another facet in the coupling of art and science as the use of keywords within the content must be placed in a specific structural arrangement while still being lucid, informative and entertaining. By building these elements into your web text you will improve your “organic” search engine optimization as part of your overall web marketing strategies.

Back End – This phrase basically translates into all the behind the scenes of the site, the work that needs to be done in order to have a fully functional website. You may hear all kinds of terms thrown around when talking to a web developer but here are the basics:

The code (program language) that makes your site work involves HTML (hyper text mark up) which tells your computer how to display images and text, connects a product or customer to your database and the protocol for uploading files to a server. Although this is technically “programming”, some developer don’t consider this at a high enough level to be called as such.

Other elements of web design include – Javascripts, which is a computer language that creates simple functions like forms, pop up windows and limited animation.

ASP and PHP is used for customization and in-site activity like data collection and displaying your customer’s account information. CSS (cascading style sheets) is essentially a way to control how your web site will appear and allows you to choose font and formatting styles, all from a central location.

Flash is used for interactivity and animated presentations and tool. One pit fall for Flash is that it is unrecognizable to the search engines. Websites should never be constructed entirely of Flash templates even though the “look” may be appealing.

Remember – having something cool to look at means nothing if no one can find it. Use Flash where it is needed but don’t over do it. There are other ways to enliven your website and can still be found by the web crawlers.

There are several different platforms to construct your website. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages but understanding what will work the best with the person(s) that will be maintaining your site should be a major consideration. Beware of web developers that want to customize your site to the point where they will be the only ones that can make any changes, creating a scenario that virtually locks you down.

Design and function platforms like Joomla, Drupal, Modx and Wordpress are universally used and can be maintained by most competent web masters. Sites that involve a lot of data base management such as large catalog retail companies, businesses that require storage and extraction of expansive information (research sites, insurance, banking etc.), will usually need to have their websites built from the ground up because they are incorporating so many different programs.

Now that you have your website built you’re all set to go so just sit back and wait for all the business to come in, right? Hardly. This isn’t Field of Dreams because building it is just half the battle. Let’s look at some of the ways that a website is promoted.

PPC – Pay Per Click

PPC is a pay as you go type of marketing. Simply stated, search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo act as advertising networks whereby your “ad”; your PPC URL listed in a premium area of their search engine results page, is in essence highlighted to attract the user’s attention and is perceived as being a more exact match to their inquiry. Pay Per Click advertising can be created quickly and is usually deemed a faster way to generate traffic response. This type of E-Marketing must be monitored continuously to adjust for traffic flows as well as changing bids for keywords.

With PPC the business only pays for when their link ad is clicked on. But the very nature of this game can be very tricky and if not done by experienced web marketers it can turn from profit to disaster. To put it into perspective experts iMajestic describe it this way;

“Though pay per click (PPC) can be fast to set up and provide a quick approach in driving traffic to your website or online store, managing thousands of keywords across multiple online-marketing channels, staying on-top of on-going bidding wars, creating Ad copy to establish higher Click Through Rates (CTR) and converting clicks to paying customers without the adequate research, development, implementation and continued management, can actually deplete your marketing budget faster than accrual your bank account.”

This being said, PPC campaigns, when done properly have proven to be a lucrative endeavor but this method is not right for every company so it’s important not to be “boxed” into some pre-determined formula. Make sure your Internet marketing is tailored to your business’ specific requirements regardless of how similar it may be to others.

Although not as fast a rise as a PPC marketing program, the “Organic” or “Natural” approach is more comprehensive. This method gets to the heart of how the Internet works as we discussed in the beginning. According to SEO authorities iMajestic –

“With over 80% of search engine users favoring natural search results, companies of all sizes understand the magnitude of elevated, high natural search rankings for their prospects and are spending a significant amount of their marketing budgets in-advance of and prior to redeeming results. “

A major complaint about the natural search engine optimization approach is the time and money usually associated with garnering results. Elements of Organic SEO programs involve everything from the beginning analytical research of your particular industry and competitors, Keyword research, web content enhancement with proper keyword SEO compliance, optimization of “back end” codes, link building, press release and article submissions that refer and point to your business, onsite blogs and more.

One crucial thing to remember about SEO, PPC, web development and every other aspect of the Internet marketing game, is the need to be continuously engaged in ongoing analytical reviews and modification of campaigns. The Internet is very much a living electronic organism. Google, MSN, Yahoo, AOL and all other search engines are constantly changing the way they want to find results. As search engines move forward with perfecting ways to get people what they want it is the business that stays in tune and anticipates these changes that will wind up on top of the results page.

Profitability is a matter of understanding the nature of how the Net operates and taking advantage of it to the fullest.

Internet Marketing