First, “Build it and they will come.” This may apply to Disneyland, but for websites on the Internet, it will never be the case. With millions of websites out there, you have to spread the words about your website through search engines, social media, advertising, and word of mouth. The more you promote your business effectively online, the better chance your site will be seen and the more customers will find you.
I have met a number of business owners who established their websites more than five years ago, but still haven’t seen significant returns on their investment. When I ask how they’ve promoted their website, they often reply that “I had it setup and then…” and their body language tells me that they thought that was all they would need to do in terms of internet marketing. Building a website is step one – promoting it needs to be an ongoing thing if you want to increase visitors, and customers.
Second, “Having my website listed on a few business directory pages is good enough.” Unless your business is flooded with customers and you do not want new ones, this online marketing approach will Not help you stay as visible and credible as you should be, among your competition. Today, people expect any business to have a website, as well as social media pages and business directory listings. Since your website is the first thing people use to learn about your business, having a professional-looking one couldn’t be more important. While social media and directory listings are important to your online marketing; your business’ website should be your number 1 priority.
Third, “Any website design will do.” If you had one chance to stand in front of millions of people to showcase your business, would you want your business presentation to look just likes hundreds of other businesses? Of course not. You’d want your presentation to be unique, professional…memorable. You’d want it to look as good as it can so you can make a lasting impression on potential customers. So instead of going with a cheap website template that’s been duplicated and re-sold thousands of times online, you should make sure your site is custom designed and tailored to your business. You want it to stand out, especially in comparison to your competitors’ websites.
Fourth, “Lots of targeted keywords in my web page content will help my website rank well on Google.” Some business owners who are relatively new to internet marketing believe (or told to believe) that simply inserting lots of keywords into their webpages will help them do well in their search engine results. If done haphazardly, too many keywords can both fail to help you with search engines, and be annoying to people who read your webpages. To avoid wasting your time while hurting your website’s search engine ranking, you should contact a professional SEO company to have them optimize your website correctly from the start.
These are the 4 biggest misperceptions I often see when new clients first come to us. I hope this will help small businesses like yours better adjust your current internet marketing campaign for greater results. If you do, please share it with others. Thanks!
