It may seem sometimes that Google is the only player in the search engine game. While Google does hold the lion's share of the market, there are other search engines out there – and placement in those other engines can drive just as much traffic, or more. So here are a few tips to help you maximise your search engine traffic.
Google's the King of Search – But So What?
Google is the undisputed leader in search, holding nearly 90% of the UK market. But what many people don't consider is that Google's market share is not evenly distributed across all audience segments. In other words, while the vast majority of people might use Google, it doesn't necessarily mean that the vast majority of your target audience does.
Aspects to consider include:
Location. People in rural areas might be more likely to use Yahoo or MSN search.
Computer Systems. MSN Search is particularly easy to access for less savvy web users who are using the Vista operating system or the Internet Explorer browser. They might not bother going to the Google website.
Internet Services. AOL users tend to gravitate toward AOL Search. Many of them may not even realise that other search options exist.
Country of Residence. While only 10% of the UK population uses search engines other than Google, the U.S. market shows that more than three times that number rely on engines like Ask.com, Yahoo, Live, and MSN. Other areas may vary, as well.
As you can see, the behaviours and lifestyles of your target audience influence which search engine they'll use.
Why Should You Care Which Search Engine Your Customers Use?
The great thing about SEO is that the same good practices work well on all of the different engines; you don't have to optimise for each one separately. However, knowing where your customers are most likely to search gives you an edge when you plan your site.
First, keyword research needs to be conducted to determine which terms are most commonly used to find sites like yours on the search engines; you can then use these phrases in your copy. But wouldn't you rather know which search terms your specific target audience uses? By concentrating your keyword research on the search engines that your customers use, you can obtain the results that are most appropriate to your market segment.
Three Tips to Optimise for Any Search Engine
Write for Readers First. Don't let the search engines dictate what you write about; rather, tweak your phrasing to appeal to search engines, too.
1) Research Keywords Thoroughly. By knowing what your customers are searching for, you can help ensure that they find it – on your site.
2) Write Great Titles. Your meta title and meta descriptions will represent your site on search engine results pages.
3) Don't use the same ones throughout your site; instead, create compelling, keyword-rich titles and descriptions for each individual page.
By following these tips, you can watch your search engine success grow, driving more and more low-cost traffic to your business's website. If you would like to review how search engine optimisation can work for you, please call us on 01491 614121.
As technology expands, new ways to reach your target audience have developed. Is your company utilising all of the marketing tactics available to it? Would it help to know what successful activities other businesses are deploying? Here are some of the most popular online marketing methods of 2008, and how they could help your business grow.
Blogging
A blog, short for ‘web log’, is a journal that is available on the web, with all the contributed content being organised and archived so it’s always available. Blogs are used by large organisations all the way down to tiny, one-person enterprises. Blogging has become wildly popular among online businesses because it's a fantastic, low-cost way to reach out to customers and engage them in your company while simultaneously increasing the success of other marketing tactics.
For example, blogging can help you bring more readers to your email marketing list while giving search engines plenty of frequently-updated content to help you rank well in the search results. A blog brings readers back repeatedly to your site, increasing brand recognition and loyalty – all for nearly no cost other than the time it takes to write the blog posts.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is another low-cost way to reach out to potential customers. It has the additional benefit that the customers don't have to take the initiative to visit your site. Instead, your mails are delivered right to their virtual door. Email marketing gives you an opportunity to highlight sales and special offers, draw focus to a specific aspect of your company, and bring readers back to your site.
Search Engine Optimisation
Search engine optimisation is the key to tapping into a huge source of highly motivated potential customers. You'll be reaching the people who are actively looking for the information you provide. This means that search engine traffic is among the easiest to convert into paying customers.
Being ranked in the search engines is totally free, which can provide a high return on the investment of optimising your site.
Pay per click
Pay per click marketing has similar advantages to search engine optimisation. You target the same group of motivated and engaged people with a high likelihood of conversion. Pay per click has the additional advantage of being both faster and easier than SEO. You don't have to wait for search engines to index your pages; your ads can be online in minutes.
The disadvantage to pay per click advertising is that it's not free. However, it is possible to carefully hone your PPC campaigns to produce the highest possible return on your investment.
Social Networks
Social networks like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn let people connect to each other on a personal or professional level. They can share everything from their favourite websites to a broadcast of their blogs. This gives businesses a way to reach consumers where they like to hang out.
Social networks are becoming wildly popular, so the pool of potential customers is large. Furthermore, marketing to social networks has the potential for becoming viral, as one person spreads the word about your company to his or her friends, who tell their friends, and so on.
Call us on 01491 614121 to review your online marketing strategy for 2008.
If you aren't asking customers to share their opinions of your products and services, you are disappointing many of your site visitors and driving away many potential customers. User reviews are one of the most effective yet underutilised ways to attract new customers. Here are some tips to help you utilise user reviews on your website.
What Are User Reviews?
User reviews are comments from customers who have already purchased the product or service that you offer. User reviews can be glowingly positive or even negative, highlighting areas that your company could improve.
Why Are User Reviews Important to Your E-Commerce Site?
65% of shoppers frequently read reviews before making a purchase, and 34% actively seek out reviews on independent sites when they can't find what they need on the manufacturer's website. When you send your most engaged shoppers off-site, you risk the chance of losing them. By providing user reviews in prominent locations on your site, you answer your potential customers' questions as they arise.
Furthermore, user reviews provide more content for search engine optimisation purposes, as well as improving customer loyalty and engagement. The effect can be dramatic - Brett Hurt from Bazaarvoice estimates that user reviews can boost conversion rates by 20% while simultaneously driving up the average value of each sale.
User Reviews Make Your Site Stand Out
Despite many shoppers saying reviews are a critical part of their buying decision, not even a third of online retailers surveyed in a 2007 social commerce report said they displayed customer reviews on their sites. This means that there is a huge window of opportunity for your company to outshine your competitors by providing customer reviews to your site visitors as part of their purchasing process.
How Can You Obtain User Reviews?
The good news is that people love to share their opinions. Many people will jump into a discussion to rate and review a product, even if the current product rating is similar to their own opinion. Some tips for encouraging reviews include:
Offer Prominent Opportunities to Review. People won't participate if they don't know you offer the opportunity to leave reviews.
Make Reviewing Easy. People want to write their reviews quickly. Remove any barriers or complications that would slow their ability to write and post their reviews.
Give an Incentive to Review.
Incentives could range from contests that award prizes for great reviews to acknowledgement for top reviewers.
Remind People to Review. When you thank your customers for their purchase, remind them to return to the site and let others know about their experience.
Adding user reviews is an easy and low-cost way to improve customer engagement and satisfaction while driving up conversions and profits. Give us a call on 01491 614121 to see how you can make user reviews work for you.
Writing for websites is different from any other type of ad copy. People use the internet differently than they do newspapers or magazines, and they shop online differently than they shop in stores or from catalogues. Here are some great tips on how to write for the web, to ensure that your web copy gets read.
Web Readers Don't Read
Before you start writing for the web, you need to realise that web readers don't read; they skim. They look for signs that the article is of interest to them, and they make the decision in seconds. You have to capture their attention – and fast.
One way to do this is through snappy, informative headlines and subheadings. Headlines and subheadings are packed full of information, and they're usually set apart and bolded, meaning they attract the eye. Tips for great headlines and subheadings include:
Don't be cryptic -
Say what you mean; don't ask your readers to interpret puns or word tricks.
Front-load your information - Put the most important information at the top of the headline.
Summarise what comes next - Use your subheadings to sum up the paragraphs that will follow.
Web Readers Love Lists
Lists are great tools for web copy because they present a lot of information in a short amount of space. Use numbered or bulleted lists to break up a long block of text.
White Space is Your Friend
Too much happening on the page makes web copy look complicated. A page with lots of white space looks easy to read. Enhance the white space on your page by:
Creating short paragraphs - Break up big blocks of text.
Using photographs to inform, not illustrate - Using no pictures is better than unnecessary pictures.
Removing distractions - Every element on the page should work toward your site's goals.
Web Copy Should Be Tight
Rambling copy loses your audience. Find ways to say the same thing in as few words as you can. Cut out fluff, and pack each word with information that will reel in your readers. That doesn't mean that your article has to be all business – you can express your style and personality to connect with your readers – but be respectful of their time by:
1 Getting to the point.
2 Being specific.
3 Being factual.
4 Using an appropriate tone.
5 Being a stickler for correct spelling and grammar.
By following these tips, you can write powerful copy that your visitors actually read and remember.
Call us on 01491 614121 if you would like help with honing your web copy.
No matter what search engine your customers use, these three steps are vital to your success in drawing traffic:
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