If you are starting a business do some research before spending money on expensive marketing campaigns. When you know how to use tools on the Internet to your advantage, you can generate business without ever having to design a marketing mailer or pay for postage.
Many companies advertise automated marketing systems and claim you can generate thousands of organic leads in days when you buy their products. If you are a wise marketer, you should know that there is no real way to cheat the system. Marketing is not difficult if you know which tools and methods work. Review these tips before you build your brand and start your online presence.
Set Up Your Business Website
If you do not have a website you are going to have difficulty competing in this climate. Your website is the platform of your business and the hub of your online life. It can either make or break your ability to generate new clients.
You will not build a great reputation in a matter of days. It takes a great design as well as great content to attract visitors. You need to consider the purpose of your website and decide on a catchy and memorable domain name you can use. It may be a good idea to use keywords in your URL if you are not using your business name.
Optimizing Your Web Pages
After you register your domain name, set up hosting and have launched your site – it is time to start optimizing your site so you are ranked higher on all of the most popular search engines. WordPress has become one of the most popular web publishing platforms on the internet. It is the perfect CMS for business owners as it has pretty good SEO (search engine optimization) right “out of the box”. Certain SEO plugins can further optimize and tweak the site so you can be sure your articles stand the best possible chance of being noticed by Google.
With WordPress, you can also add comment forms, contact forms, galleries, search functions, sitemaps, and RSS feeds to your site. You can even choose themes that will make your site more user-friendly.
Getting Links to Your Site
Unfortunately SEO does not end with on-site optimization. The most important part of SEO happens off your site – as it’s success or failure will depend on the interest, links and social signals pointing towards your site.
The best way to get links is to write incredibly good content that gets noticed and linked to. A good article is propelled into a virtuous circle where it gets linked to and shared, therefore more people read it and then link to it and share it, and so on.
While you are waiting for this to happen there are several things you can do to increase interest and links to your site. Leave the link to your site everywhere you go on the web: in blog comments; in forum signatures; in your social profiles; on guest posts you write, etc. Search out directories in your niche that list websites of the same nature; find bloggers in your niche and write to them telling them of your best articles; add voting buttons on every page of your site to make it easy for people to vote for you on social sharing sites like Twitter and Facebook.
What to Write in Your Blog
If you write quality blog posts, you show customers that you are the authority on the topic you are discussing. This builds trust between you and the client so when the client has a need for the products and services you offer they are more likely to do business with you. Make sure your blogs are relevant and they keep the right tone. Add keywords into your blog content and never use fluff that is not informational. People are taking time to read the blogs you write so you have to create content that people want to spend time reading.
Get Out And Meet People
The worst thing you can do while running an online business is always be online! It really does you good to escape from your computer every once in a while. Try to find groups and meetups in your local area especially on business people. In my experience you are so much more likely to get work from people that you’ve had a face-to-face meeting with.
These are just a few tips on how to get clients without trying to cheat the system. If you want to win more visitors you need to put some work into your website and your off-page content. Give the search engines what they want and they will reward you with higher levels of traffic. And don’t forget to leave that computer every so often!
If you want to stand a chance to be successful, then yes – cheating is not an option. It’s always best to go with the white hat approaches then black and grey. In the end a business that has a quality site, quality posts and provides quality services will always prevail.
Absolutely Mia. Maybe the odd greyhat technique (getting likes and links from Fiverr, etc.) is acceptable by as you say “a business that has a quality site, quality posts and provides quality services will always prevail”. Thank you.
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting
Great writeup. I totally agree that it is a bad thing sat in front of your computer when trying to push your website. Face to face meeting have been the best converter for sales in the past year. I be looking up some unique London venues to wine and dine good customers once things take off to keep the customer trust and loyalty.
That’s right, Paul. There is a special bond when you’ve met someone face-to-face although it may be time-consuming to go and meet people. Don’t get stuck meeting everyone who asks you, though!
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting
Were good post!
I will take your advice on this one:
“Leave the link to your site everywhere you go on the web: in blog comments…”
Seriously now: I like the idea of Quality Content being a major ranking factor in search engines thanks to links to your site, but frankly when I see the top ranking of some sites compared to their content, I have the feeling that Panda is sleeping…
Anyway, “writing incredibly good content” is my challenge now
Panda is getting more and more awake the longer it goes on. If you are creating good content and spending a bit of time on links and social signals the rewards will come. Thanks, Mike.
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting
Well, this is good information. You know what to do with your online business
Thanks for all the tips you share here..Keep it up..Looking forward to read more of your blogs..
Pretty basic, but for sure helpful tips on getting new clients.
Website, SEO, and link building is a must!
Later, print business cards, go out and share it to everyone you meet.
Thanks Alex. All-in-all, I’ve had much better business from concentrating on the website with SEO and links. Although going out and meeting people with business cards is useful.
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting
Great tips! I’d just like to add to this: Many people think for some reason that “setting up a website” means getting ordered a Flash-driven, bright brochure-style website with 3 pages – services, about us and contact us. This doesn’t get you anywhere! Brochure style websites are DEAD – you need to have a blog to drive traffic your website, and post as often as possbile. Learned this one the hard way:)
Absolutely, Svetlana, I would advise anyone to set up a website with WordPress and blog at least once a week with quality articles of at least 500 words.
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting
Agree with your tips.
But, also agree with Svetlana. Today, blog is valuable part of a site in order to bring new clients to you.
Rezbarstvo Vinko´s last [type] ..Wood Carving Page for Macedonian Clients at WoodCarvingMacedonia.com
I say to set up a WordPress blog, absolutely, Rezbarstvo. Thank you.
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting
I would also add that social networking can play a big role in your business too. If done correctly and for the right/product or service it definitely attracts more visitors to a site!
It may attract more visitors. But are those visitors likely to be customers? My experience shows organic traffic from search engines is more likely to bring you work as a web designer.
Rob Cubbon´s last [type] ..How To Resell Web Hosting