When it comes to expanding a business, taking it online is one way in which many business owners try to grow. However, while an online presence is great, it doesn't matter if your site doesn't get noticed by people. Dan Maynard recently spoke at a Yorkton Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch about how to make an online business stand out from the crowd and get attention.
Maynard has been involved in internet marketing for a decade, and is currently working with the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) to help businesses better use the internet in their businesses.
Maynard focused on two ways to get traffic to a website. One was search engine optimization (SEO), which is used to better position a site on popular search engines such as Google or Bing. The other is using social media such as Facebook or Twitter to build relationships and attract clients.
Maynard says that search engines are still one of the primary methods people use to get information, which is why it's important to have a site well positioned on one. With people being more specific in their search queries and less inclined to wade through many pages of information, Maynard says that businesses need to understand the ways search engines work to better position themselves.
"I've seen too many companies where they build their website, they spend thousands of dollars on their website, and they get no traffic," Maynard says.
Pages are ranked in a number of ways, including through mentions of relevant keywords, links back to the site, and so on. Maynard says that companies need to plan for the traffic they want and build with that in mind.
It is also important that pages have worthwhile content, Maynard emphasizes. If people don't like the experience of a site and don't find what they're looking for, they will often just return to their search instead of bothering with the site in question. That means two things, one is that people will not be interested in the product being offered, and second that the site will eventually drop down the ranks, as bounceback rates are calculated by the major search providers.
Another area to promote a business and build traffic is social media. Maynard says that social media is about engaging people and becoming part of a community.
"You're talking, you're engaging, you're participating, you're adding value, you're helping," Maynard says.
The goal of social media is to engage people who are interested in what you are selling, Maynard says. This involves listening to people in communities and discovering what concerns are surrounding that topic. Instead of selling products, social media is about adding value to a conversation and interacting with an audience. Maynard notes that while it takes a great deal of effort, becoming involved in social media is something which can bring a business active and interested followers. He notes that he has sold products through Twitter as part of an organic trade fair, because it's a topic people are interested in and getting more information on those products is something that they are passionate about.
With both methods, Maynard emphasizes that it is vital that people have a reason to visit the site and giving people information and services they find valuable are the end goals. The value of search engine optimization and social media is that they bring eyes to the site, and let people know the information is there.
