You have a Brand New Website….What Next?

When it comes to Marketing using Internet, visitor traffic is the lifeblood that powers lead generation and this, in turn, fuels sales and ultimately, impacts your bottom line.

The beauty of the Internet is its ease of access for everyone, however, people must be able to find your website on the Internet before they will become visitors! Remember, your website is your main source of leads and credibility…and it is one of about 600 million on the Internet. That is over half-a-billion websites.

For your brand new website to be found, it has to be visible in search engine results. And on social channels. And on mobile devices. And it needs regularly updated content.

So what can you do to get your brand new website in front of the right visitors?

Optimize it for Search Engines

Search Engine Optimization is a set of targeted activities that increases the popularity of a website on the Internet and increases its rank so that it can be found when people look for you. Your site must appear in the top 10 search results to be noticed – chances are slim that visitors will look at page 2, or beyond. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) focuses in strategically increasing inbound links (ones that point to your website) using carefully crafted tactics. How often do you go to page 2 to find what you are looking for? 

Be Social!

Don’t be Uncomfortable with Social Media. Social Marketing makes your website visible on all major social channels such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more, depending on the type of business and the target audience. Today, adults of all demographics are using social networks to connect with friends, share photos with family members, and – yes – recommend products to the people they care about. The latest statistics from Pew Internet indicate that 67% of all adults use social networking sites. Out of the demographic most likely to share content about brands online (moms, for the curious), 50% make brand recommendations through social networking on a daily or weekly basis, and 93% say they’re influenced by others’ recommendations. So in its most basic application, social media marketing is a must for businesses that want customers to recommend their product or service! Once you understand what Social Media is all about, how it works and how you can leverage Social Media, it will become a breeze! When it comes to marketing, Social Media no longer optional. It is an absolute necessity.

Here is a chart that depicts the rise of Social Media in the United States over the last 7 years:

You will find more statistics at Statista

As you can see, there has been a tremendous increase across all age groups.

Continaully Add & Update Content!

You invested money, time and effort into building your website. Don’t let it languish by the wayside. Your website is your main identity on the Internet. It represents you, your brand, your organization, your services and probably much more. Give it the time, the attention and importance it deserves. Keep the content up to date. If you have a blog, establish a blogging schedule and blog regularly and consistently. You can use your blog for almost anything that you want to share about your organization – latest updates, news, projects, reviews – all within reason, of course. If you have social presence, post regular updates! Keep in touch with your visitors and customers. 

Be Visual

Yes, we are a visual society and a picture is still worth a thousand words! Polls show that people would much rather watch a 2-3 minute video than read a page or two of text. Similarly, Infographics can take seemingly complex types of information and disseminate it is such a manner that it becomes easily understood. So play creative director and add relevant visual elements to you website, your blog, Remember, Images, Graphics, Infographics and Videos speak for themselves! 

Get a Mobile Website

If you don’t have a mobile website, you are losing potential customers! Mobile users today account for over 20% of the total searches conducted on the Internet and this trend is growing rapidly as more and more people gravitate towards mobile devices and if you don’t have a mobile-friendly (also known as responsive) website, make this a serious priority. Mobile devices include smartphones and tablet devices of all varieties and flavors. In fact, there are many people that rely solely on their mobile devices to stay connected!

Check out this graph – look at the tremendous rise of smartphone users over the last few years:

You will find more statistics at Statista 

Become Friends with Website Analytics Systems

Discover who comes to your website and what they do when they get there! There are many robust tools available so you can track your website visitors. You can slice and dice that information as you desire. It is important to track these metrics because this will reveal stuff that you probably are not even aware of. One of the best tools that is available for free is Google Analytics. Here is a snapshot of a Google Analytics Dashboard.

Once you start to measure and monitor, you will see how weekends, seasonal variations, holidays and other items impact visitor traffic.

So, what have you done to promote your brand new website?