In days gone by, the smartest shops or the largest chain of stores were the ones that made all the money. Today shoppers realise that it is so easy to go further afield than just their own shopping area or city.
As soon as they go online, a whole world of shopping opportunities opens up to them. Business today depends more and more on successful marketing online.
Search Engine Optimisation, commonly referred to as SEO, is the route you need to go to bring your web page to the notice of the public.
What it really involves is trying to make your website one of the first sites to appear when a prospective client types in a word or a phrase in his browser. This word or phrase is usually referred to as a “keyword†or “keyword phraseâ€.
SEO blogs are a good way to find out tips and tricks to learn to improve Search Engine Optimisation. Not only will you find ideas in a SEO blog, but you ought to be able to find numerous courses online to teach you the best way to market your goods over the internet.
The first step in moving away from brick and mortar store selling alone to a much wider public is to start off with website creation.
The first thing to do is to arrange suitable domain and hosting for your site. You will need to check out the various hosting companies to compare their various offers, the costs involved, as well as the potential to go larger and more sophisticated later.
There are even many companies that offer free website domains and hosting, and some people find this a “safe†way to experiment. No money is lost while they try and find their feet. You need to not only have an attractive site, but also to make it “user friendly†and easy to navigate.
However, if you choose this way to learn, your newborn site will probably be flooded with spammy advertisements and banners. The only way to get rid of these is usually to upgrade into a paying site.
If you are serious, but do not have the knowledge to do things professionally yourself, you ought to consider appointing a good online company who will design a website you can be proud of.
Most of these companies will also handle your SEO as well. This can be quite complicated and time consuming. But whatever you decide, you do need to know what sort of site you want.
A quick browse through the internet, looking at websites that sell similar products to the ones you propose marketing, will show you a whole variety of different approaches to web design.
Take vigilant note of your initial reactions to the various sites. This first impression is vital. Then analyse more carefully to find out why you liked them or didn’t like them. Your website is going to become your new “shop windowâ€. It will draw people to have a second look, or not.
When you build your website, or have it done professionally for you, the person/company who does your website development will need to know what reflects your values, the product you are selling and the type of customers you are trying to attract.
Once your website is the way you like it, and is ready for your first customers, the big question of website promotion will now come up.This is where SEO comes in. It can be quite tricky and time consuming, but is definitely possible to learn, if this really interests you, and you have the time to spend on it.