Your website is up and operating – What’s Next?

You have spent time, money, energy and effort and, finally, your website is out there in the online world.

So – what’s next?

If you have a reputable developer, they will continue to work in the background to build the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to give your site the best chance of online visibility through the search engines, like Google.  This is not an exact science and is a continuous process.  It can also take quite a while, which can be very frustrating.

Your site will be registered with the search engine consoles (like Google Search Console).  This tells the search engines that they should pay attention to it. 

However, like a physical store, just opening the door isn’t enough. 

Even when you have all the signwriting and fantastic stock, if people don’t know about you, they won’t visit the store …. Your website is the same.  People still need to find out about it.

This will happen eventually.  That’s what SEO is for …. Just as some people will eventually find your physical store …. But there are some strategies you can try to help your site be found by more people, faster.  Just like traditional advertising, these are not fool-proof, and will depend on quality, consistency and whether people actually want what you are offering.

1.  ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA.  You may already have people who “like” or “know” you through your social channels.  Be sure to let them know about your website so they can check it out, and ask them to let their friends know.  The more people who are visiting your page, the more the search engines will understand that it is a valuable site.  Which channels you use will depend on who your target market is and where they spend their time.  For most product sites, I find a combination of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube is very effective.  For Services sites, I would add in Linked In.  The MOST exciting part about these are that you can do all this yourself for free, or you could pay a service like Easy As Marketing to assist you.
2.  PAID SOCIAL ADVERTISING. There are no guarantees, even if you post in social media, that the right people, or any people for that matter, will see your information.  The simplest way to improve this is via social media advertising.  The various platforms all have different costs and targeting potential, but, if done effectively, it is a good way to reach more people and the ones who will be most interested in your product or service.  If you are not an experienced, effective marketer, you may want to consider a copywriter who specialises in social marketing to maximise the effect.  Remember still, there is sometimes a testing phase, so results are not always immediate.
3. MEDIA COVERAGE.  Keep an eye on the local events (or national or international, depending on your target market focus) and if something happens that fits with your product or service, provide a media release to your local traditional media, as well as online media outlets.
4. HOLD AN EVENT.  This can be online, or offline, or a combination, but be sure to highlight your website so more people are aware.
5. RUN A COMPETITION.  Be sure that people need to interact with your website to enter the competition so that it creates an online presence.
6. BLOG ARTICLES.  The search engines love fresh recent content, so be sure that you are adding a new article regularly.  The content should reflect the searches that people would be making for your product or service.  Just as the magazines only want the latest stories, so do the search engines value regular updated information on websites.  No-one wants to read an article about a celebrity regarding something that happened 5 years ago; people want to know what’s happening now.  Online is no different.  Search engines display content to their viewers (your potential customers) that is fresh, new and relevant.

Whilst all these strategies can be completed yourself, it is often more effective to engage a professional to undertake these marketing strategies for you.  They have the experience to discover the best focus words for you and how to incorporate them into an effective campaign to reach the right people at the right time.  While you focus on being the best service provider or offering the best customer service or sourcing the finest products, they focus on the marketing strategies which are working in an ever-changing online world. 

Easy As Marketing is your Digital Domination specialist.  Focusing on targeted organic and paid social media, as well as regular, focused articles to maximise the potential reach of your website for small business owners, with a manageable monthly fee to take the pressure off the already super-busy businessperson.  It just starts with a conversation to discuss what you need.  Ask yourself:  Do you really have the time to learn all that’s needed to effectively market your new store? Or would it be better to leave it to the specialists who can take that pressure off your shoulders, allowing you to focus on what’s important in your store.

Send a message to our page for more info, or check out our website:  https://www.easyasmarketing.com