Optimizing Website Performance & Internet Marketing

Before rolling up your sleeves to start designing your website, take a minute to think about your web marketing objectives. The more you know about your plans, your targeted audience and what you want to sell and where, the more effective your website will be. You will know exactly which elements to incorporate into your headings and pages to get noticed by search engines and potential customers, and you will be able to squeeze as much performance out of your Web applications as possible.

Defining Web marketing

Before setting marketing objectives you will have to know what Internet marketing is all about. Internet marketing, also known as online marketing, Internet advertising, or e-Marketing, is the marketing or promotion of goods and services on the Internet. For many entrepreneurs this definition does not stand alone and is deeply intertwined with obtaining a high quantity of web traffic and good search engine rankings.

How good is your Web marketing?

Many questions arise when analyzing your own personal marketing strategies. How much Web traffic do you get? Does it generate sales? Which search engines are you listed with? How high are your search engine rankings? Have you done SEO? Is your company’s brand being reinforced? Knowing the answers to these questions is the first step in establishing good marketing. Once you identify the weaknesses in the results you can start strengthening your weak links, adjust your website lay-out, enrich your homepage content, and realize your goals and objectives.

Objectives for commercial Website marketing

1. Saving money

-          Provide as much information as you can to potential customers, especially those already engaging in the buying process.

-          Opt for resources that can save you money – sending information via email is definitely cheaper than distributing printed materials or CDs.

-          Updating your Website in ‘real time’ can be quite affordable.

-          Websites provide easy access to resources and information. Keeping your Website stocked with informative content, comprehensive product descriptions, and a F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions) page will cut down on your customer service and staff costs.

2. Creating vital leads

-          Many Website visitors will not buy at first glance, but return several times to a site before making a decision. By offering a well-designed, informative and exciting Website you can cut down on the amount of times visitors need before they make up their mind.

-          Keep the lines of communication open by offering:

• Newsletters, either online or through E-mail
• Have white papers available for downloading (A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that addresses problems and suggestions on how to solve them)
• Offer frequent and updated feature articles
• Display customer reviews or testimonials of your products
• Create blogs and RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
• Set up online chats and forums
• Install instant messaging programming
• Insert flash, video and other animations on your site to entertain your customers, but be careful not to go overboard. Too many interruptions may distract the customer from his goal – to buy your products.

3. E-commerce or Online sales

-          To increase conversions include “call to action” prompts on your pages. Popular phrases are: “Buy now,” “Sign up here,” “Call now,” “Free Shipping,” or “Click here!”

-          Provide capabilities for on-line transactions, such as a shopping cart and easy payment options.

-          Real-time processing versus delayed purchasing. Real-time processing entails that when a payment is processed, the order is immediately closed by automated e-commerce software. This order closing method is typically used by companies with a steady volume of orders. Smaller businesses with infrequent sales may opt for the more affordable delayed purchasing method. This means that after the payment is collected, the order will be processed manually.

Once all these objectives have been set in place, you have decided on which website features to use, your website has been search engine optimized, and you know which search engines and directories to target, you will be well on your way to achieve e-commerce success and greatness. Before you know it, you’ll be climbing the rankings like a true champion!