I learned the hard way that the modified quote from the Kevin Costner movie “Field of Dreams” is not necessarily true when it comes to business websites. You’ve heard it: If you build it, they will come. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. My bet is they won’t unless you do this: Market your site. I want to share with you some ways you can engage in digital marketing. Wooster Media Group LLC is a digital marketing company, and believe me when I say this, I would love your business. I would love to help you design a digital marketing plan that will help you elevate your business over the next year or two, but I realize not all businesses have a budget that can support it. That’s OK. When your budget allows for hiring a digital marketing firm, contact us, but until then, check out some digital marketing tips you can implement right now.
1. Search engines need to know your website exists
So, just how do search engine bots know you exist? Well, you need to tell them. See, it truly is not as simple as building it and everybody coming. The major player in the search game is Google. You want to make sure the Googlebot knows you exist. You can do so by adding your URL here.
Over at the Kissmetrics blog, they have done a wonderful job writing about this subject. You can go more in-depth by visiting their site.
2. Make sure your business is on Google Maps
Let’s face it, people are using their smartphones at an increasing rate each year to do searches. I cannot tell you how many times my wife, Wendi, and I are out of town and we will call up Google Maps (or Google) and search “restaurants near me,” “gas stations near me” or something similar. When people search for your business online, if you are listed with Google My Business, then your company will appear in Google Maps and when people search for you, the search listings will include your business hours, phone number, website and directions. Google is all about user experience, and listing your company with Google My Business will make it easier for people to find and connect with you. As part of our service, we help companies register with Google My Business, but you can do it yourself here.
3. Start blogging
My wife and I are big fans of Dave Ramsey, a marketing genius whose Financial Peace University products have helped countless families get out of debt and stay out of debt. If you have seen any of Ramsey’s videos, you have probably heard this advice over and over again: Sell the car! That is usually the advice given to couples who are trying to get out of debt and have a high car payment. Well, I am somewhat like Ramsey in this sense: If you want to get noticed: Start a blog!
Regularly offering fresh content on your website is critical to ranking higher on search results pages. We specialize in creating content every month for people like you and would love to discuss the possibility of providing that service for your blog or business, but whether we do it or someone else does, it needs to get done.
Google prefers longer blog posts. It used to be that blog posts came in between 300 to 500 words, but that is no longer the case. Studies show the top ranking pages are pushing more than 2,000 words. You read that correctly: More than 2,000 words. Based on a Hubspot post from 2017, the sweet spot is about 2,500 words.
However, at a recent blogging conference, one of the presenters said try to write anywhere from 1,200- to 1,500-word posts. Why Google wants the longer posts is to create a better user experience. I am not sure where I read it, but Google’s focus on providing a great user experience is understanding intent. This is why search engine optimization strategies are so important. Your page titles, alt text on images, blog post headlines and blog post content all help the Googlebot better understand your intent, and when it aligns with the intent of the one searching, your page will rank higher.
4. Offer relevant, informative content
Content is king. If you want people to come to your site, then you need to provide useful, relevant and informative blog posts. Content marketing is all about providing value to potential customers. You build relationships by offering people something of value in your blog posts.
As the number of blog posts on your site increases, people will appreciate more and more what you have to offer. Over time, you will also position yourself as an authority in your industry. After all, they are coming back to your site for information, and they are sharing it with their friends.
While the focus here has been primarily the written word, you can also provide content via video, podcasts, whiteboard animations and infographics (all things we do at Wooster Media Group LLC).
5. Be social
Blogging is probably the best way you can market yourself digitally, and sharing that information on social media channels is right up there, too. You have taken the time to post good content on your site, and now you need others to see it. You never know which of your blog posts will connect with people and go viral or crazy.
Wendi Warren, my wife, writes about places where we travel, restaurants where we eat and fun things we do. One time she wrote about our visit to Minerva, Ohio, a pretty small town. Yet, it is the most popular post on her site. The post went viral because a Chamber of Commerce executive shared it in an email, and it got posted and reposted and shared on social media channels. (Check out the Minerva post here.)
Social media networks are critical to your digital marketing success, and make sure you utilize them. While these networks are free to use, they do not come without costs, mainly in time. The company officials we talk to tell us, “We just can’t keep up with Facebook and social media.” There’s a good reason: It just becomes one more thing to do for employees who already have a lot of stuff on their plates.
Another challenge is if you ask more than one person to post content on a social media network, the likelihood of it getting done typically diminishes because the first person thinks the second one will take care of it, and the second one is thinking the first person should. One of Murphy’s other laws is if more than one person is involved, then no one is at fault.
We wish you the best in your marketing endeavors, and if we can be of help, let us know. Reach out to us on our contact page or book a free SEO consultation.