Having a website (preferably a good one) for your business is a great starting point. But you also need to make sure that your site can be found by your potential customers – which means that it needs to have good online visibility.
There are many opportunities to promote your business online – some of these are free, although most are likely to require an investment of some sort. Whether this investment is in your own time and effort, or in dollars – to pay an expert, will depend on your budget, your experience, and the potential rewards of increased sales for your business.
Most of the traditional approaches to marketing (flyers, billboards, signage, newspaper/magazine advertising, etc…) are still options and many of these may help to raise your online profile as well. However, with people from all age groups and demographics increasingly using the internet as their primary source of information for researching most types of products and services, it is obviously important that your business can be found via search engines.
One very important question that all small business owners should be asking (whether or not they have a website) is: can search engines find my business online?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a specialist activity that has evolved over the last decade or so, which focuses on achieving high visibility for your business online. This visibility is often measured in terms of rankings (how well your site is listed in search results), traffic (the volume of visitors to your website), and conversions (the number of people that take a "desired action" after visiting your website). Ultimately however, you need to keep in mind that the primary aim of your improved online visibility is increased sales or inquiries for your products/services.
The amount of effort that will be required to achieve good online visibility for your business is relative. The steps you will need to take are dependent on the products/services you are offering (your niche), your target market, and the quantity and quality of your local competition.
It's like the joke about two friends walking in the jungle, when suddenly, from a thicket ahead, out pops a hungry tiger. One friend quickly reaches in his pack, pulls out a pair of trainers and starts to put them on. With a surprised look the other friend says – "Do you really think that you can outrun that tiger with those?" “I don’t need to outrun the tiger”, his friend replies, “I just need to run faster than you.”
You don’t necessarily have to be the BEST; you just need to be better than your local competitors.
Small Business owners must take into account the fact that not all markets are the same, and should be approached differently. While Small Businesses in some markets may get to the "top of the list" by spending just $100 a month, others, in more competitive markets, may need to spend thousands of dollars to gain online visibility. For example a dentist in Sydney, is likely to require a bigger investment (in time and money) to promote his business online, than one in Townsville.
Ireckon provides professional consultancy and optimisation services to small business owners – to help you determine the most efficient ways to market, promote and grow your business online.
About Darryl
