If you have a website, how do you get people to go there?
By Adam
November 12, 2010
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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By Kobi Gulersen, Account Supervisor, Digital Specialist, MacLaren McCann Advertising
It’s commonly thought that one needs a “boat load of advertising dollars” to be able to create online awareness and drive users to a company website. Although a national digital advertising campaign would guarantee a good flow of traffic to your site, it’s not a realistic choice for small businesses, considering the hefty investment.
Believe it or not, there are simple and cost-effective tactics you can use to increase your presence online and increase sales. A simple one is to invest in paid searches. As a business owner, you can purchase certain targeted key words related to your business or service that a potential customer will search for. Observe the example below, a user looking for “Italian furniture Toronto.” The pink area denotes businesses identified through these keywords. Ordering links is based on how much a business bids. The payment model is Cost Per Click (CPC), so you only pay if someone clicks through to your site, not simply for showing up on the search query. Average CPC payouts are between $1 and $5 per click, depending on what other businesses are bidding on the same key words.
Another cost-effective strategy is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is where you update your site to make it easier for search engines like Google to a) read your site and b) index your content so it’s easier to find. Doing simple things like updating the wording on your site to better reflect your services and removing heavy flash pieces/flash intros will increase your ranking opportunities in Google. Additionally, anything you can do entice third-party websites to link to your site will be very beneficial. Google’s algorithm places great emphasis on the quality, quantity and overall authority of the links pointing at your website. In this context, links are akin to votes.
To learn more about SEO and how you can use it to benefit your website, check out google.com/adwords. If your budget allows, you can hire a digital agency with search engine marketing expertise to help you to identify the right key search words and content you can update to make your site SEO-friendly.
During the 4 years Kobi has been in the ad industry he has worked on everything from digital campaigns to traditional mass initiatives; website builds to promotional programs and sponsorship activations. Kobi is currently developing communications programs for Nestle USA, MasterCard Canada and Hewlett Packard. Kobi has a passion for youth marketing, having pioneered new marketing strategies through a campus marketing agency he founded and later sold his ownership stake in. Kobi has developed marketing programs in Canada, the US and even the English Caribbean. His key client work experience includes: Nestle, MasterCard, HP, Rogers Wireless, Scotiabank International, M.A.C. Cosmetics, L’Oreal Professionnel, Tourism Calgary & the Degroote School of Business at McMaster University.
It’s commonly thought that one needs a “boat load of advertising dollars” to be able to create online awareness and drive users to a company website. Although a national digital advertising campaign would guarantee a good flow of traffic to your site, it’s not a realistic choice for small businesses, considering the hefty investment.
Believe it or not, there are simple and cost-effective tactics you can use to increase your presence online and increase sales. A simple one is to invest in paid searches. As a business owner, you can purchase certain targeted key words related to your business or service that a potential customer will search for. Observe the example below, a user looking for “Italian furniture Toronto.” The pink area denotes businesses identified through these keywords. Ordering links is based on how much a business bids. The payment model is Cost Per Click (CPC), so you only pay if someone clicks through to your site, not simply for showing up on the search query. Average CPC payouts are between $1 and $5 per click, depending on what other businesses are bidding on the same key words.
Another cost-effective strategy is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is where you update your site to make it easier for search engines like Google to a) read your site and b) index your content so it’s easier to find. Doing simple things like updating the wording on your site to better reflect your services and removing heavy flash pieces/flash intros will increase your ranking opportunities in Google. Additionally, anything you can do entice third-party websites to link to your site will be very beneficial. Google’s algorithm places great emphasis on the quality, quantity and overall authority of the links pointing at your website. In this context, links are akin to votes.
To learn more about SEO and how you can use it to benefit your website, check out google.com/adwords. If your budget allows, you can hire a digital agency with search engine marketing expertise to help you to identify the right key search words and content you can update to make your site SEO-friendly.
During the 4 years Kobi has been in the ad industry he has worked on everything from digital campaigns to traditional mass initiatives; website builds to promotional programs and sponsorship activations. Kobi is currently developing communications programs for Nestle USA, MasterCard Canada and Hewlett Packard. Kobi has a passion for youth marketing, having pioneered new marketing strategies through a campus marketing agency he founded and later sold his ownership stake in. Kobi has developed marketing programs in Canada, the US and even the English Caribbean. His key client work experience includes: Nestle, MasterCard, HP, Rogers Wireless, Scotiabank International, M.A.C. Cosmetics, L’Oreal Professionnel, Tourism Calgary & the Degroote School of Business at McMaster University.