Internet Marketing Plans
The size and cost of an Internet marketing strategy can vary enormously. There is no one, basic set of criteria that makes a website a successful marketing tool. If there were, every business could just buy into package, sit back and let the money roll in! In an ideal world this would be the case with a level playing field for everyone on the planet.In such a scenario Google would probably cease to exist as their paid advertising revenue stream at the core of its financial success would lose its attraction for the majority of its current customers.
Q: What is the reality of Internet Marketing?
A: Given the dominance of Google Search and the ongoing complex development of its Page Rank algorithm, website owners must currently seek to satisfy more than 200 ranking factors to have a chance of a top 10 ranking. There is an alternative in terms of Google and that is to pay for AdWords but even then, a website needs a visibility beyond Google in order to be successful. From YouTube to Facebook, Instagram to Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and more, there are now a vast number of ways in which a website can generate success.
Since 1998 when we first started marketing websites to search engines (Excite, Lycos, Hotbot – those were the days!) we have always applied one rule. We tailor an individual package to match the client’s needs. The marketing strategy we suggest will be based upon a variety of factors including:
- product or service type
- geographical market(s)
- B2B or B2C focus
- multi-lingual requirements
- e-commerce requirements
The eventual marketing strategy will always at its most basic include keyword research, link building and optimization of a website. However, this is rarely sufficient to bring in any tangible success. Generally, a strategy will also include detailed competitor research, copywriting for blog and news publication, copywriting for regular updates to the website itself (usually to expand relevancy), the study of Analytics, setting up/running/monitoring a YouTube Channel, LinkedIn profile and a choice of social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc). With highly competitive products/services, there will also be the need to study/set up/run cpc campaigns.
The work involved in implementing this higher level of marketing strategy will depend upon whether the product or service is single or multiple. Websites that offer multiple products and aim at international markets require the most commitment and effort from an Internet marketer.