7 Things Marketers Should be Learning from, According to the Internet

Posted on November 24th, 2014 by Quertime Writer in Info & News

The world of internet marketing and search engine optimization is constantly evolving, as are the habits of online consumers. Trying to navigate through the latest developments and advances in technology can be quite difficult. There are several things you should know when it comes to marketing your website or business online.

Staying relevant and positioning yourself correctly is the main purpose of internet marketing, which will get you more sales and growth for your business. Search engine optimization is the best way to get traffic organically, but is just one aspect of internet marketing. Here we will point out the top 7 internet marketing trends that you should know about and learn from.

Responsive Web Design

Much of the traffic on the internet these days is done on mobile devices, smartphones and tablets. In fact, a recent article from Marketing Land reports that 30% of all traffic comes from mobile devices, as well as, 15% of all sales. This has a significant impact on any business owner with a website.

However, consumers will be less inclined to stay on websites that are not mobile friendly. Because of the lower data connection speeds, mobile users require websites that do not take a lot of time to load. If your website takes several moments to load, you are putting yourself at risk due to penalties in rank among popular search engines. Thus, having a more simple, mobile friendly and responsive web design is a growing trend that is a must have.

Social Media

Connecting with friends, co-workers and potential clients is just one small use for social media websites. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are some of the most influential marketing platforms out there and will impact your marketing efforts in so many ways. Search engines use social media signals for ranking purposes and help to boost your online presence. With so much competition out there, utilizing social media to connect directly with your customers will give you an advantage over others.

As outlined in our previous article: Top 10 Online Marketing Tips, making sure that you are sharing your content across different social media websites is also very important. This will allow you to stay current, focus on branding and become a leader in your industry. Remember, the best form of advertising is word of mouth and social media does just that.

Reputation Management

Customer testimonials and opinions are so important online and can have a lasting impression on the people who hear them. Whether they or good or bad, maintaining your reputation online is vital and can be managed by experts. Reputation management services can help ensure that positive reviews and testimonials are visible and that negative searches are not ranked highest for your company. To give you a little detail here is an example of typical services provided. Not every customer can be pleased all of the time, and negative feedback weighs heavily on consumers purchase decisions. Focusing on your best feedback and satisfied clients will help you bring in more business, build a reputation and prevent your company from misleading attacks.

Link Building and Listings

Having your website linked by other websites is one of the most beneficial ways that you can get your website ranked higher. It is also important to note that getting your link placed on a website that is well known, highly ranked and trusted will put you even higher among search engine rankings. Making sure that all of your website and company information is accurate and listed in popular directories will help you in the link building process. By engaging with others and promoting your website, you can spread links across the web, but it does not happen overnight. There are major directories, niche and industry directories that you can submit your link to, for a small fee or no cost at all. Local listing services are a great way to get the word out, and they now have a stronger impact on consumers search results.

Email Marketing

Email marketing has been and will continue to be an effective way for marketers to bring in website traffic and generate revenue. According to this infographic, 66% of people, over the age of 15, make purchases online through email marketing messages. That is a staggering number of consumers that are influenced by digital marketing tactics. Optimizing your email messages are a necessity and they should be mobile friendly, have a clear call to action and contain many links within the message. Providing useful information and giving your customers more value through email marketing will provide incentive to sign up, resulting in more repeat business.

Content Marketing

Content marketing and article marketing are still excellent search engine optimization methods. By disseminating useful information and writing valuable content, you are effectively building links and getting your website ranked higher. Using popular search terms or keywords in your content, you can increase the amount of traffic for your website and hopefully convert more visitors into sales. Content marketing can include writing on a blog, sharing an eBook, providing tips or a monthly newsletter. There are so many creative ways that you can distribute content across the internet, you just have to find out which one works best for your business. It has worked before and is a time tested method and you may be surprised to discover that content marketing goes as far back as 1891, before the internet even existed!

Traffic Analysis

One of the most important things marketers must pay attention to is their website traffic. It is not enough to keep a steady flow of visitors coming in. You must analyze patterns and behaviors of your visitors. Tools like Google Analytics will prove to be an invaluable resource for your business. Identifying what sources are bringing in traffic, what pages they are visiting and what makes them convert into sales are just a few things you should have a close eye on. Understanding your customer’s behaviors online and constantly testing methods to increase conversion rates will make your site more successful.