Prepare for your internet marketing investment and long term search marketing ROI

Website Marketing is the future... the future is now...

Search engines are the #1 way users find new web sites & products... even above email, tv, radio and word of mouth. Internet Marketing is the most valuable business tool available. Your investment, in terms of both time and money should be taken seriously and be substantial. Here are a few quick statistics:

• Online retail sales in the US surpassed $45 billion in 2002 and 55% of online purchases were made on sites found through search listings.
• Online Retail Sales in the United States grows by 25%-40% each year depending on the industry.
• Roughly half of consumers conduct research on search engines before making a purchase.
• Search terms that include the manufacturer or product name only account for 30% of total search volume.
• Broad search terms deliver 70% of traffic and 60% of all conversions (rankings for broad terms are only achieved through comprehensive SEO).
  

Of course, the numbers mentioned above increase annually as society becomes technologically advanced and the first generation of truly internet-savvy consumers acquires wealth.

Ignore web saturation at your own peril...

How much time do you put into your marketing your business traditionally? How much money do you spend on radio, television or newspaper advertisements? How much energy do you invest in creating relevant and effective ad copy for those mediums? While internet marketing is relatively new and a unique discipline in itself, it's critical to think of it in real world terms and to give as much consideration, dedication and resources as you do to traditional mediums, if not more. The internet is a far more powerful way to captivate and capitalize on a brand impression. It's also much easier to track ROI, consumer behavior & conversion.

As in the "real world" every business needs to establish authority within their industry by making connections and participating in social activities. Social networking opportunities like chamber events, trade shows & workshops are similar to Social networking on the internet. It's the key to the modern internet ecosystem and it brings us to the concept of "Web 2.0".

Social Networking, Web 2.0 & rubbing virtual elbows...

Web 2.0 is something of a buzz word right now, and it can mean many things to many people. In terms of internet marketing, Web 2.0 is a place where the users or "the community" determine what's relevant and useful by talking about, voting for, and linking to quality websites. Social networking on the web is accomplished in a number of ways:

Myspace, Facebook, etc.

These are community-driven websites in which friends recommend various things and link to favorite websites.

Social bookmarking sites

Sites such as digg.com, depend on votes from other users. How it works is a user comes upon a site that they consider to be particularly useful, they write a review for their own future reference (which is stored in their browser toolbar) and that review goes to the top of a ticker on a community website (digg.com). Other people use this ticker as a source of news & if they also like the website, article, video or news that has been reviewed, they vote for it and it stays near the top of the queue, attracting even more visitors.

Blogs

Sites hosted on blogger.com or wordpress.com can be thought of as chronological journals diaries with an archive. There are as many topics as there are blogs and they tend to be very niche. It's free and an easy way for anyone to publish on the web. The topic of a blog can be anything the owner wants it to be.  Popular blogs tend to have a loyal following and it's a great way to engage users and attract visitors to your website by participating. Many businesses, both retail and service, choose to manage their own blogs and create their own community. There are many fringe benefits to creating your own blog as well (more on that later).

Web 2.0 Marketing: subtle, clean, relevant & professional...

The greatest benefit to the users and participants of Web 2.0 is an organic method of filtering spam, so it's critically important that you create quality content. The days of spamming people with e-mails and using unsavory techniques to bait people into visiting low quality websites are over. This organic, community-driven method of getting good content is analogous to the future of search engines as well. Google, the most dynamic search engine available, will one day operate in a similar way. It will focus more on trust and reputation and what the community feels about your content rather than the actual content itself. It's wise to begin investing in your online reputation and social networks immediately. Continue reading Why Use Google?.