I caught up with Ian Reilley, Director of Media Mouse, an Adelaide based internet marketing company specialising in SEO and conversion optimisation, in December to discuss web marketing.
Internet marketing is promoting your own or other websites getting exposure to your target market, traffic to your website, and converting those visitors. - Ian Reilley.
I asked Ian what is the first step when taking on a new client and he said "find out what they want." It is important to have clear goals in mind for your website or online presence to give direction to your web marketing campaign. Once the desired end point (goals) have been established you simply need to "work backwards" to determine what needs to be done, and then execute it.
One of the first and most important steps to success on the internet is keyword research. Ian highlighted 'market, competition and search volumes' as critical as important things to look at in the initial phases of an internet marketing plan.
Ian was adamant that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the most effective thing businesses can do to improve their websites and online presence. By SEO he basically means 'Page 1 of Google,' as they have by far the largest search market share in Australia (around 95%). He also said the following three things are important for success.
- Look and feel of your website
- Call to action
- Build an email list for a newsletter using an offer such as a discount or freebie
Mr Reilley is not yet convinced that Facebook, while excellent for branding, is the right vehicle for conversions when compared with Google.
When you hire an internet marketing professional for your business, Ian advises that you should see a return on your investment within 60 days. If you don't, you should find someone else.
Media Mouse offers a guarantee that they will get their clients to page 1 of Google for their business type. (Guarantee Terms)
sources: Interview with Ian Reilley (Dec 2010)
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I definitely agree, SEO is the way to go if you are starting out, social media can be very time consuming and the affects can be very short term, where as getting the top spot for a good keyword can bring you a steady stream of leads and sales for a long time