Learning from the Online Marketing Mistakes of Others | New ...

Sometimes the best way for today?s online marketers to learn how to effectively optimize and promote their business on the Internet is to observe and learn from the mistakes made by others. This article will focus on the four most egregious errors seen in the world of marketing and what you can do to use these lessons to boost your own search engine optimization and marketing efforts. It is important to have a solid online marketing strategy in place as a means of effectively targeting your primary demographic, particularly when there are so many more businesses doing business online today.

Mistake #1 ? Not Using Analytics
There?s no excuse not to take advantage of all the amazing analytical tools that are now available to web-based business owners and marketers. Ask your professional developer about tools that can be integrated into your website to measure traffic, track leads and compare the results of all your marketing campaigns and traffic sources.

If you aren?t using one of these tools you are effectively working in the dark. Tracking your traffic and leads helps you to get more out of each marketing campaign and discover more effective ways to reach your target demographic. When you know which leads yield the best results, you can know which marketing sources to focus on the most.

Mistake #2 ? Not Researching Keywords
One of the biggest mistakes made by website owners is to choose a couple of one-word keywords that best describe their business and not taking the time to research other options that could help them refine and target their traffic. Long-tail keywords and phrases that contain three or more keywords can help to boost conversions by pre-qualifying your traffic.

Keyword research should be thoroughly conducted before launching any campaign or completing any search engine optimization project. Once a series of base words are selected, it is important to assess the subject matter of each page to ensure relevance and popularity of the words to refine your selections. Think about how you search for things online, the words you use and the phrases you type in to narrow down the results, then apply those methods to your research.

Mistake #3 ? Not Knowing the Type of Website You Need
Different businesses need different types of websites. Some businesses will do well with just a single introductory page and a contact or request form page. Others need a much larger website that encompasses product information, educational offerings or opportunities for visitors to interact. Hiring a professional web design company that understands the needs of your business is extremely important to the success of your websites.

Other mistakes within this same category include building a social media site and thinking that it can take the place of a full website. A Facebook Page is not a website and in most cases a simple blog won?t be sufficient either. When you meet with you developer for the first time, you should be sure to express your needs, desires and goals for the website to ensure that you and the design team are on the same page.

Mistake #4 ? Not Creating an Effective Call to Action
A call to action or CTA, is any element that compels your site visitors to complete a desired activity. That activity could be anything from registering for a weekly newsletter to purchasing a product. Once the visitor completes the desired activity, it is considered a conversion. Many website owners will only relate the idea of a conversion as a purchase, but there are many other ways to get your visitors to convert that don?t involve making a sale.

A CTA can be quite simple, such as linked text that says ?click here now,? ?buy it now? or any other related phrase or it can be more complex. However you decide to do it, your CTA should be placed in a visible spot on your web page, be supported effectively by providing the promised content or offers, and should be included in some form on each and every page within your site.

For more information and assistance in improving your website?s design and SEO, contact New Bedford Internet (508-415-8648) and get a free estimate. New Bedford Internet has built a solid reputation for attentive service and products and systems, serving clients in the New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven and Southcoast, Massachusetts area since 1999.

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