Build a Strong Digital Online Foundation
Long-term SEO vs.
short-term Google PPC ads
short-term Google PPC ads
What are your marketing priorities? What should you spend money on? What are your digital marketing goals and expectations? Hint: coals burn hotter than flames!
Many small local businesses are confused by what advertising they should implement. So they resort to Google Ads/Search campaigns, Display ad campaigns, or Social ad campaigns before anything else. These are effective short-term solutions to generate leads immediately. They work even better, however, in combination with a good foundation.
What is a good digital online foundation? It's a well-functioning and well-designed website. Pay attention to SEO, Search Engine Optimization, which builds useful content, improves organic search results, and develops Google ranking for better visibility. Both on-page and off-page SEO are key. Email marketing is a valuable tool to market to current customers and build your brand. And reviews are your online word-of-mouth, your reputation, and brand awareness.
Three areas to focus on for a website that will serve you well:
1) "Smart" websites always keep up with what Google algorithms and "crawlers" understand while searching for information to serve to queries. A strong website is technologically up-to-date, has the latest programming, is well-organized, current, and is very useful to people searching for infomation, services or products. It has a high conversion rate, converting visitors to customers.
2) UX - User Experience will make or break a website. It has to be logical, easy-to-navigate and simple to understand. It has to clearly tell users what to do, where to find what they are looking for, and how to contact a business.
3) "Sticky" websites simply have valuable content that visitors want to see again. Return customers are more profitable for a business.
What is a "Smart" web site?
"Smart" websites are fast-loading, technologically up-to-date, have business schema, and have landing pages designed to convert visitors to customers.
Google has emphasized that E.E.A.T (Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust) is the way forward in improving content to satisfy customer queries and intent. Websites focusing on graphic design instead of conversion strength are getting left behind, both by Google and by customers seeking infomation quickly.
Websites should not be "just a pretty face" any longer. They now are "Smart" websites capable of being more than just a few pages on the web, and should actively be your best salesperson.
Website user experience (UX)
Do your prospects know what to do when they land on your website? Do they understand how to buy your product or service? Or are they left feeling confused?
According to data scientists and media specialists, today's customer has an attention span of only 8 seconds to make a decision. That's right, 8 seconds! Some even have it dialed in to just 3-5 seconds on a web page.
Here's the thing: today's customer doesn't necessarily know how to buy. And a confused customer is even less likely to make a purchase. That's why it's crucial to have professional assistance when it comes to your website. It could mean the difference between gaining customers or losing them to the competition.
Make it Sticky: valuable, useful, interesting and fresh
A website is your first impression. "Set it and leave it" is not the best website strategy. It has to be well-put-together, engaging, memorable, interesting, useful... and up-to-date!
The easiest way to compete is to be the best. And your best foot forward is a great website. It doesn't have to be fancy, or expensive. Just "sticky".
Return visitors are evidence of your brand recognition, value, and how useful your visitors find your website. A good return rate can be as high as 30%. They are 73% more likely to buy, with a 3–5% conversion rate, compared to 1–2% for new visitors.
Results of a Smart high-converting
website
website
A strong online foundation is everything. This graphic of website visits is for a client with a smart high-converting website foundation, listings management, reputation management, and a small re-targeting campaign. NO Google Ads! These can now be added to this foundation to further target and generate leads.
The gradual increase in website traffic is visibly obvious, nothing special, but they now have a strong foundation to build upon.
Nothing in their campaign has changed for the whole year. NO increase at all in marketing or advertising spend. This website foundation is merely maintained to be technologically relevant. It is constantly being monitored and tweaked to keep up with Google. Despite pressure from the competition, notice how the website visits continue to gradually build over time.
What's next in the digital marketing plan?
This client is now in the driver's seat. They can add any ad campaign they like to sky-rocket their leads to new levels. Now that they have good "coals", a strong digital marketing foundation, they can add the "flames" which now will burn brighter: Google Ads. Display ads. Social ads.