Ever wonder how companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google grow their businesses so quickly? It’s all about SEO and marketing online. In this article, we will answer the question “What is SEO?” as well as “What is Online Marketing?”
SEO: Search Engine Optimization
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” Essentially, this is a process of improving the ranking of your website or blogs on search engines like Google.
There are two parts to SEO. The first part is on-site SEO. This includes things like boosting your website’s visibility on social media sites and improving the organization and design of your website. The second part is off-site SEO. This includes getting back links to your website from other sites. Back links are important because they indicate that other sites like yours think highly of you and your products. When a site decides to link to you, it’s called “earned media.”
The better your on-site and off-site SEO, the higher your search engine rankings and the more potential customers you will have.
Online Marketing: Creating a brand identity
“Marketing” online refers to the methods companies use to get the word out about their products to potential customers. In this case, we are talking about businesses that sell products directly to consumers without going through a middleman.
The primary purpose of online marketing is to create a brand identity for your company. To do this, you will want to focus on establishing a website, creating SEO-friendly content, and getting the word out about your products through various platforms.
Website
The most basic form of marketing is a website. A business with a website already has an online identity. They can add content whenever they want and can use various strategies to get the word out about their product or service. Building a website can be costly, however, so many businesses choose to rent a freelancer or hire a digital marketing agency to do it for them. When choosing a digital marketing agency, you want to make sure they are a member of the Digital Marketing Association as well as other governing bodies. This ensures you are working with experts who understand SEO and marketing in general.
Content
Once you have a website, you can start creating content. This content can take the form of a blog post, a white paper, an ebook, an interactive game, or any other type of content that you can think of. The better your content, the more likely you will be to attract customers to your site.
Blogs and other types of content are valuable these days because people are starting to favor content-based websites. In other words, sites that are simply designed for reading content rather than purchasing a product or signing up for a service. If you want to create content for blogs, you can use a service like Hootsuite, which creates content for you based on the type of content you already have. For example, if you have a lot of case studies and blog posts, Hootsuite will pull content from those blog posts to create new case studies for you to share.
Social Media
If you have a website, you can get the word out about your products through social media. There are plenty of platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram that you can use to build credibility and connect with potential customers. You can use these platforms like any other social media site to share content, get feedback, and engage with customers.
The difference is these platforms allow for a much broader reach and have a much greater potential to grow your business. You can have a Facebook page with hundreds of thousands of fans, for example, which can greatly expand your SEO efforts.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO is a vital part of any marketing plan because it helps you get the word out to potential customers about your products no matter what platform they are on. When you rank high on search engines like Google, you will appear on the first page of results. This means the more people that see your listing, the more likely they are to click on your site.
If you want to improve your SEO rankings, you will want to focus on doing the following things. First, create solid content that is both informative and fun to read. Second, use keywords throughout the text of your website, emails, and social media posts. Third, create links to other relevant, authoritative websites. Finally, be consistent and use quality content to build an authoritative website.
In addition to on-site and off-site SEO, you will also want to develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. This includes things like identifying the demographics and psychographics of your audience and creating content that appeals to them. You should also consider which platforms your audience is on and create content for those platforms.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is another effective form of marketing. A few businesses choose to go the route of traditional mail marketing by sending out regular mailers. However, many businesses choose to go the extra mile and implement an email marketing strategy. This strategy allows them to constantly stay in touch with their audience and to let them know about new products and offerings.
The key to email marketing is to create a list of potential customers. You can do this through various tactics like paid promotion on social media or through an email signup form on your site. Once you have a list, you can use email marketing software like MailChimp to send regular emails that include valuable information.
Depending on your product or service, you may want to consider creating affiliate or referral marketing programs. In affiliate marketing, you will work with merchants or vendors who provide goods or services to consumers. The merchant or vendor pays a commission to the person referring a purchase.
PPC (Pay Per Click)
Similar to Social Media, Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing is a method of advertising where you pay a company to get your website or blog in front of potential customers. The cost of a PPC ad is based on how many people click on the ad and how much you are willing to spend. Essentially, you are paying for people to visit your site or blog. This is a popular form of marketing with big businesses because it is cost-effective and allows for quick results. It is also typically free to use for startups and smaller businesses.
Mobile Marketing
More and more consumers are choosing to buy goods and services online from businesses that have a mobile website. Essentially, a mobile website is a site that is optimally designed for viewing on a small screen like a smartphone.
If you want to get the word out about your products and services to potential customers no matter where they are, you can use various platforms like apps, email, and websites to gain traction.
The better your app, the more people you will reach. With apps, you can provide customers with quick and easy access to information about your products, ordering features, and other interactive elements. You can also use various platforms like Google AdWords to gain quick and easy access to potential customers.
Email and websites are valuable in their own right, but it’s the content within those emails and websites that will make or break your campaign. Make sure that each email or blog post contains a unique piece of information that will keep your readers engaged.
Video Marketing
Similarly, more and more people are choosing to buy products and services online from businesses that have a video website. Video marketing is simply a method of advertising where you play a video, typically involving product or service announcements, interviews with industry experts, product demos, and so much more.
You can use various platforms like YouTube to create and share videos. Similar to apps and mobile websites, videos on these platforms are easy and quick to create and can be highly engaging.
Online Forums/Chats
Online forums are a vital part of any business’s marketing plan. Similar to websites and blogs, these are places where you can have open conversations with potential customers. Unlike websites and blogs, however, forums are a place for people to have conversations with each other. This can be a valuable tool in getting the word out about your products and services.
Businesses use online forums to answer questions, provide guidance, and get feedback. To succeed in this space, you need to provide good, quality content to forums that are relevant to your target audience. Once you do this, you will find that customers are much more receptive to your advice and suggestions.
Chats are similar to forums in that they are places where people can have conversations about your products and services. However, chats are more direct and often more informal. Using apps like Slack, businesses can have real-time discussions with customers about their products.