Small business Internet marketing is as essential as the traditional marketing media of print, TV and radio. Unlike the usual forms of advertising, Internet marketing has a wider reach and costs much less than radio or TV airtime. With an estimated 2 billion Internet users going online everyday to search for products or services they need, the best way for small business to grow rapidly is through a website that is optimized for search engines.
What you need
Website: Every business needs an online presence, a website containing essential information about a business, its products or services and how it may be reached. A website can be a series of simple static home pages containing a business logo, address, list of products, photos and contact information or a highly interactive one with colorful and animated graphics, forms to fill out and useful information.
Domain name: Also referred to as URL, the domain name is a website’s address on the Web. It is how Internet users and search engine crawlers distinguish one website from the other. Ideally, the domain name should bear a business name or keywords relevant to the business it represents. Domain names are easily purchased online for as little as $10 each.
Email address: Most social networks, file sharing sites and membership websites require an email address to register an account. It is also used for link building, sending out newsletters or marketing letters to potential clients and buyers. A business email can be set up in conjunction with your website and its hosting service.
Google account: An account with the world’s largest search engine gives its members access to free email, keyword research tool, keyword monitoring, directory listing and other important tools which promote search engine optimization for small business Internet marketing.
Simple steps for small business internet marketing
Website development: A website must be visually appealing, highly navigable and informative. Its technical parts must be optimized in order for search crawlers to index and store relevant data easily. Basic web page optimization includes keywords in title tags, meta descriptions, headers and at various parts of text content. A sitemap and robots.txt files also promote visibility to search engines.
Content creation: Target clients are attracted to websites with fresh and helpful content. The best articles contain the right keywords to attract the search engines and relevant information to convince Internet users to buy a recommended product or leave their email address to receive further information.
Social media integration: Using the business’s email address, create accounts at various social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs. Link the business web page to the social sites, grow these networks and update information on these platforms regularly.
With the basic elements of Internet marketing in place, a SEO specialist can develop more advanced small business Internet marketing strategies to boost sales promote awareness and maintain client relationships online.
