When business owners come to us for web design and Internet marketing, they generally want to know two things: first, will my site look great? And second, will it help me make more money?
The answer to the first question is easy. If you work with a talented creative team (and like their samples) you are very likely to get a beautiful web presence. The second question is a little trickier, however.
That’s because a lot of things go into the ROI you’ll get from a new website. There is the quality of the site itself, and the size of your market and the competition you’re facing, not to mention the strength of the marketing plan your team comes up with. Most importantly, though, there is a big X factor: how much work will you put into your own website?
If you expect to launch your new website and just have customers magically arrive, then you are likely to be disappointed. The launch of a new website is the start of your Internet marketing campaigns, not the end. To make your pages stand out, and to grow your bottom line, you have to pay attention to things like…
Regular Updates to Your Website
Changing event calendar details, posting current product pictures, and creating fresh team member bios are just a few examples of the kinds of updates you’ll probably have to make to your pages from time to time. Also, it’s going to be important that you keep your CMS software current, and make sure your contact details are always correct. Otherwise, your website will tell customers things that aren’t accurate.
A Unique Sales Message
Marketers tend to forget this, but a competitor can essentially copy your web layout, or even duplicate certain bits of functionality within your website. Unless they actually steal the code from your pages, it’s going to be difficult for you to prove they’ve done anything wrong, much less get your marketing advantage back.
With strong web content, though, you have something that’s harder to copy, steal, and adapt. If a competitor rips off something you’ve written, it will be easy to tell. And if they try to change it to fit their business, the effect probably won’t be as strong.
Adding New Content and Posts
Web content helps you draw in visitors from search engines and social media sites. It also shows buyers why they should work with you instead of a competitor, and helps you generate conversions. For that reason, you should always be looking to add more to your blog, and to your profiles around the web. A steady stream of text and images will do wonders for every part of your Internet marketing campaign.
Promoting Your Website to Buyers
You can bring customers to your website through email, online ads, social media, or search engine optimization. You’ll probably use some combination, and maybe all of the above. What you can’t do, though, is stop promoting your website. As soon as that happens, your traffic dries up, and so do opportunities to win new sales.
Each of these three activities is incredibly important. In fact, they are arguably more important than the website itself. You can get by with a so-so website and an awesome Internet marketing plan (not that we recommend it), but it doesn’t matter how great your web presence is if no one finds it.