Web Marketing Beyond SEO
As important as it is, Search Engine Optimisation is not the only way to drive business to your site - and nor should it be.
Getting metaphorical for a minute - imagine the Web as a town, and SEO as a real estate agent selling you a plot for your shop. If you have a small budget, he might get you a store in a backstreet on the outskirts of town, for a lot more, you could have a shop front on the High Street.
So the store on the High Street is going to do a lot better than the backstreet store right? Well, its certainly got a big advantage - people find it easily and its convenient to get to. But what if the backstreet store puts posters all over town, advertises on the local radio, gets out with a sandwich board etc?
In web marketing its just as important not to forget the other means of getting customers to your site - done well they can more can compensate for a poor position on the search engines, and done in combination with good SEO they can mean a very successful site.
And without them, you run the risk of seeing your SEO work go to waste if competitors up their SEO budget or improve their sites - or Google decides to change the way it ranks sites and you suddenly find yourself evicted from your prime location (as has happened in the past).
Some areas you should consider beyond SEO include:
Advertising your URL
Get your web address out there at every opportunity. Put it on your letterheads, your business card, your bags, the bumper sticker on your car. If you have the budget, advertise in the press or local radio. If you have a bricks-and-mortar store, tell your customers about your website, put special web-only offers on there to encourage them to use it, and to recommend it.
Become an expert
You know your business inside out - so don't be shy to tell people. Your expertise can become a great promotional tool. Write guides and articles on your site that people in your industry, or potential customers, will find useful. If the guides are good - other sites will link to them. You can also try a bit of old-fashioned PR - if your industry is in the news, offer your services as an expert, online and offline. Find the name of your local business reporter or editor and send them press releases with a topical or newsworthy angle. Answer questions on your specialist subject in online forums relevant to your industry. Put a blog on your site, and promote it via blog search engines such as Technorati or using RSS feeds.
Be sociable
Use social networking sites such as YouTube and MySpace - you could even think about uploading video of yourself: if, say, you are a builder why not make a video showing a few "tricks of the trade" for instance. In short - get your face and your name out there.
Directory sites
Add your site to good free online directories, and particularly to ones relevant to your industry. Its worth paying for directory listing too, if the directory proves its worth. Try putting the search terms your customers use to find you into Google, or one of the other search engines, then see which directories show up on the first page.
Relevant Links
Link-building is not only great for SEO - its great for getting you found without the help of search engines. Find sites which offer complimentary services to yours, and don't be shy to ask for a reciprocal link - most companies will be only to glad to get a link from you if you are offering something that helps their customers. For instance, if you are a florist who specialises in wedding flowers, find some sites for local wedding venues and ask for a link. People booking a wedding venue will probably be looking for flowers too.
Newsletters
One of the most cost-effective ways of marketing your site. If someone agrees to sign up for your newsletter, they have already bought into the idea of using your services. Use the newsletter to promote new products, advertise special offers, offer useful advise and create a sense of community.
John Brunsdon is a director of UK Web Design and Marketing company Tickbox Marketing ( http://www.tickboxmarketing.co.uk ). Before setting up Tickbox, John worked for the BBC News website for seven years and is a former national newspaper journalist.
http://www.tickboxmarketing.co.uk
