Why Having a Website isn't Enough-Featured.jpg

Why Having a Website isn't Enough

Having a great business website is a good start when it comes to building your online presence, but it’s just that — a start. A website is only as valuable as it is visible, and to make it visible, you need to promote it with digital marketing.

In addition to making your website more visible, you also want to establish a presence anywhere your potential customers are looking.

There’s a lot of competition online. Sometimes, the difference between securing a lead or not simply depends on being visible in the right place.

How to make your website visible and grow your business online

#1. Get active on social media

These days, there’s almost no channel that’s more powerful for getting your name out there and building awareness in your brand than social media. That’s because social media is where your customers spend much of their time online, and more and more, it’s where they look for local businesses, as well as products and services.

Make sure that your business is listed on all of the social media platforms your customers might be using. But also, make sure that you don’t bite off more than you can chew, because it’s not enough just to have a profile on Facebook or Twitter. You also need to be active.

An effective social media management strategy involves posting content regularly and engaging with your followers regularly. And, you can make the most of it with social media marketing, which allows for super-targeted advertising that gives you the ability to market only to those who are most likely to want what you have to offer.

#2. If you’re local, get listed

In the good ol’ days, when someone was looking for a local plumber to work with or a great local restaurant for lunch, they’d check the phone book or ask for a recommendation from a friend. While personal referrals are still incredibly powerful, fewer people are seeking them out and more people are looking for local businesses online.

Being visible where potential customers are looking for a local business means getting listed on all applicable local business directories and review sites. You’ll want to make sure that you’re listed on all of the main ones, like Google, Top Rated Local® and Yelp, as well as any other sites that are applicable to your industry.

In addition to making sure that your business is listed on the right sites, you also want to make sure that you claim any existing listings that may be out there and keep them updated with current business information. The right listings management software can make it easier and a lot less time-consuming.

#3. Make your website visible with SEO

As I said, your website is only as good as it is visible. It can be the most beautifully designed website in the world, but if no one sees it, does it really matter? Luckily, you can make your website more visible with search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. It comes down to three basic things: keyword research, content building and link building. It’s a long-term strategy that helps your website rank in the organic search results for specific keywords that takes time and consistency.

#4. Get your name out there with search ads

As I said, SEO takes time, and until you can get your website to start ranking organically, you need to find other ways to be visible in the SERP (search engine results pages). One of the best ways to do that is through search advertising.

As well as helping you show up in the SERP before you start ranking organically (or in addition to your organic rankings), Google ads are valuable because they can be very targeted.

When you can advertise to a specific audience, you can create ads that are more specific to them. The more relevant you can make your ads, the more effective they’ll be, and the more bang you’ll get for your buck.

#5. Generate reviews

Reviews are an essential part of any business’s online strategy because they’re a key part of building trust online.

When someone shops in person, they are able to physically feel the product and see it in person before they decide to make a purchase. And when someone finds a local business after a referral from someone they know and trust, the trust is already built-in. But when shopping online or looking for a local business online, that trust has to first be established.

Reviews go a long way toward building that trust online, and every business should focus on generating more of them.

#6. Nurture your existing customers

If your strategy is always centered around attracting new customers to your business, you’re going to end up spending a lot more money on marketing for a meager return on your investment.

Let’s face it, marketing to new customers is the most expensive strategy. And, while it’s absolutely necessary to get the word out about who you are and what you do, you should never take the customers you have for granted.

There are so many digital marketing channels you can use to nurture your existing customers and to increase the average lifetime value of your customers. Email marketing and SMS marketing come to mind as two of the best channels for nurturing your customers.

Returning customers don’t need an expensive advertising campaign to get in the door, and since they already know and trust you, they’re usually willing to make bigger purchases. They’re also more likely to tell their friends and family about you.

To put it simply, nurturing your existing customers is one of the best things you can do for your bottom line.

Having a website alone isn’t enough, even if it’s a great website. However, it’s a must, and if your website isn’t up to par, it’s time to build one that is.

With the Websites 360® website builder, building the right business website is easy and doable for anyone, even if you don’t know a single line of code. Pick a design template today to get started!

Originally published on 7/8/20