Many companies see a growing percentage of their customers doing business online. Potential customers are researching products and services- and making buying decisions based on what they find on the web. Without an effective online presence, a business may lose customers to competitors. Consider these ideas to attract customers online.
Building brand awareness
Customers buy a product when they have a need, and remember that your firm can address that need. Customer knowledge about your business is called brand awareness. Investopedia defines brand awareness as the likelihood that consumers recognize the existence and availability of a company’s product or service. This concept is a key step in promoting a product.
Customers may need to be exposed to a company’s brand multiple times before they buy. One way they are exposed is through a web search. The search application that is used most often is Google. To gain exposure on the web, you need a website is optimized for searches.
SEO and Google
The term SEO refers to search engine optimization. Google has search filters that determine where a given website, blog or article will appear when a keyword search is performed. If a website is highly ranked, it will appear on the first page or two of the search results.
Google Panda is a search filter that is designed to prevent websites with poor quality content from working their way into Google’s top search results. Having lots of keywords on your site is no longer enough. You need useful, engaging content to have a high ranking in a Google search.
Mobile web searches
There are 1.5 billion mobile internet users online, according to searchenginewatch. Mobile users comprise 60% of all online traffic, and one-fifth of the ecommerce market. Your website or blog now must be mobile-friendly.
Mobile-friendly means that your site’s text must be large enough to be read on a phone. Any buttons on your site must be far enough apart so that users can use them to navigate your site. Your website pages need to be able to load quickly on a mobile device.
How well are you doing?
Once you implement your SEO strategy, you need tools to assess how you’re doing. Searchbloom explains that 75% of website searchers never go past the first page they see. Simply type in your domain name, and you’ll find out how easily customers are finding your site. Once you see the results, you can make changes to your SEO strategy.
From web search to customer
Here’s a strategy that many businesses use to find new customers:
- Write blog posts or articles with useful content for a particular audience. The more useful content you write, the higher you will be ranked in a Google search. Include a link to your website in the blog post or article.
- When a client visits your site, include a free offer for more useful content, in exchange for their email address. This strategy is referred to as an opt-in. Your website can include a pop-up window with the free offer.
- Once a client opts in, you can email them directly with more useful information that helps them solve a problem.
- As the client reads more of your information, you’re building brand awareness. When they need the product or service that you sell, they’re more likely to buy from you.
Make an investment in an online strategy for your business. That strategy will help you increase sales and compete effectively online.