subject: What is Online Marketing and who needs it? [print this page] What is Online Marketing and who needs it?
If you have an online business or are thinking about starting one, then you are, or will be the person in need of Online marketing. While the internet is a global structure, you cannot assume that once you have a website you are accessing the global market. That is simply not the case.
To be able to access the global market and expand your customer base, you will have to know how to effectively market your website, your products, your services and you entire brand. Online marketing is fairly easy if you know what you are doing and are experienced in the area, otherwise it can be extremely frustrating because you put out all that effort and nothing new seems to be happening.
The same way you try different strategies and methods to get customers to enter a store, is the same way you apply different methods to get customers to visit your website, because it is in fact your online store and that is where your business will be conducted from. Advertisements always seem to work along with endless promotions and giveaways, but when it comes to online marketing, it is a little more in-depth than that. With land stores, most companies simply put their companies names in the directory and people will find them easily, because customers are already aware that the companies are listed in alphabetical order, therefore they will often spend the time to skip through to find the right one. Additionally, a company just needs to have the right name to be at the front of the list because Abbreviations and the letter "A" always comes first in each category.
But that is not how it works online. When it comes to the internet, the biggest and most used directories are search engines, and in these directories your company or business name is completely irrelevant to where you stand. It may be relevant to attract customers once they have already seen it, but not your listing status. Search engines place you in particular sections based on your ranks and your rank is based off many other aspects. While no one really knows the exact algorithm that drives these search engines, many online marketers are aware of a few strategies that will help you rank higher.
Search engines like to know that your website is updated regularly; they like to know that you have enough relevant content on your web pages and having people link to your website while you link to theirs is always a good idea. These are just a few of the things that are involved with Online marketing, but the main thing to remember is that the aim is always to be listed in the popular search engines and be ranked high enough to show up on the first results page when a search is performed.
