Yodle Tipster: The First Thing You Should Do Onlin...

Posted by The Yodler

Here's a question. What is the first thing you should online? Is it....

a. Buy pay per click ads
b. Build a professionally designed website
c. Hang out on social networks
d. Get listed in local directories

Once bitten by the online advertising bug, a lot of business owners get ahead of themselves, seduced by pretty flash banner ads and other impressive-sounding tactics. It’s understandable since online advertising tactics tend to be cost-effective and easily tracked, but the reality is that most people should go back to basics first. The single most important thing you can do online as a local business owner is make sure that you have a website and it is up to snuff.

Yeah, I know, it’s not glamorous, but the truth is that most businesses’ websites are not designed for sales conversions. Things like search engine optimization and search engine marketing can be very effective in driving traffic to your website, but it will have all been a waste if they direct consumers to a less than user friendly website. Simple changes can translate into huge gains. Here are a few things you can do.

Looks matter: You don’t need a fancy website with a Flash intro and a raft of interactive media (in fact, studies have shown that media overload can end up frustrating and turning away potential customers), but you do need a visually pleasing website. For instance, use lighter colors, which people generally consider more attractive, and convert better. By contrast, white letters on a black background don’t convert. Don’t go crazy with text. Too much can overwhelm. Often, aesthetics and functionality go hand in hand.

Update your landing page: When potential customers respond to a call to action online, this is where they end up. A landing page is where people arrive when they click an online ad or search listing that prompted the reader to visit your site. The landing page might let customers print an e-coupon or head to your online merchandise shop, or it could provide them with a form to give you their postal mailing addresses so you can send them your quarterly catalog. It’s important that the landing page is specifically relevant to the ad that drove the consumer there. Your landing page doesn’t have to be your homepage. If your ad is about a specific service, you can have the ad direct your consumers to the page on your site that is about that service. You might drag your feet here, but think about this: online consumers are easily distracted; when you’ve gotten their attention, don’t make them work.

Track results: If you’ve optimized your website, you should be tracking and measuring results.
• Identify what your users like (and dislike) about your site. Web analytics tells you which pages on your site get the most traffic as well as the site’s most common entry and exit pages. You can use this data to refine and update your site.
• Find out where your traffic comes from and why. Are search engines your site’s biggest source of traffic? Or are you getting a bunch of people from industry blogs?
• Determine whether your lead generation efforts are working. Did your postcard campaign produce the number of form completions you wanted? Are more people contacting you by phone after visiting your site?
• Evaluate the effectiveness of your online advertising. If you’re spending a lot on search engine ads or keyword buys, you want to know which ones are performing.

Final thoughts: It’s all interrelated. To convert, you need to drive traffic. To drive traffic, you need to advertise and optimize. Online advertising is a multi-faceted marketing channel that hinges on conversion, and conversion hinges on your website. Read more about the importance of a website in Local Online Advertising for Dummies in Chapter 4, Building a Great Website: The Key to Online Advertising Success.