In some ways, the progress of the online world has made launching a new business much, much easier. Gone are the days when new companies started handing out 20,000 leaflets around the local area - the internet makes things so much easier.
Additionally, things are nowhere near as technical as they once were. You no longer need to code, or pay extortionate amounts of money to someone to do this for you; you can create your own website with this web builder tool and similar alternatives.
There's just one problem with all of the above - it's still a bit of a minefield. Knowing how to market your business online is easier said than done and for the ultimate newbie, it's a tricky field to enter.
Taking this into account, let's take a look at the three main methods that new businesses use and how you can market your website via these approaches.
Method #1 - SEO
This is something of a long-term approach, but one that can reap real dividends. Some might suggest that search engine optimization has become harder, and less effective, than several years ago. There's no doubt that this is true in some regards, but let's not forget the key factor here - SEO is effectively a free way to place your business in front of potential customers.
If you can appear at the top of the search results, every time someone searches for a keyword related to your business, the benefits can be endless.
Some businesses will invest huge sums in SEO, but for smaller, local types it's not necessarily required. Instead, get the fundamentals right, and consider some link or citation building to help you along your way.
Method #2 - PPC
Following on from the discussion on SEO, it only appears natural to move towards PPC. This is an acronym for Pay Per Click and rather than providing free traffic to your website, you'll pay each time someone clicks on your listing.
In comparison to SEO, this is an instant way to achieve traffic. There's no waiting game, but there are obvious cost implications. You should consider that the traffic potential tends to be higher with this as well, for the simple reason that Google and other search engines are providing more prominence to those advertisers who pay for the privilege of appearing at the top of their platform.
Method #3 – Display
This is a lot different to the previous types of adverts we have looked at, but it can still work well for some businesses. Display advertising is where you’ll tend to pay on a CPM basis – a figure for every thousand people that see your advertisement on another website.
It’s ideal for brand awareness, but particularly for local businesses it can be a slow process. Ideally, if you’re looking for immediate growth, it might be an idea to combine this approach with one of the others we have discussed to reap the best rewards.
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