Dynamic Business

Promoting your website
“If you build it, they will come.” Unfortunately, this maxim isn’t one that applies to websites. Bringing traffic requires time, effort and patience. I’m a big believer in search engine optimisation (SEO). Good keywords and page headings are essential to be sure that Google and Yahoo know who and what you are.

Partnering with other brands and linking between your sites is a great way to increase your page-rank at the same as time driving interested traffic to your site. Targeted banner advertising on the sites that your audience generally visits, whether that’s ninemsn, news.com.au or something much more specific, can help, but in today’s saturated landscape (with its cynical, media-savvy consumers) it can be difficult to stand out.

What’s more effective is often trying to reach your customers in non-traditional ways. Becoming an expert blogger or opinion leader in your industry can help establish a profile, as can harnessing some of the features of Web 2.0 (creating a Facebook fan page, for example, will gain you attention via the notifications broadcast through the site when somebody joins). Investing in mediums such as radio or print can also be a way to bring new traffic. Again, a good knowledge of your customer and their habits will guide you here. Offline, promoting your web address through your packaging, signage, press releases, business cards, vehicles (indeed almost anywhere it will fit!) puts it at the centre of your identity and brand.

New and interesting web-based features, especially industry firsts, can also generate buzz for your brand. At the moment, mobile applications such as those for the iPhone are proving hugely popular. Not only are they a great way to reach your customers, but they’re also a means of gaining attention at the same time as setting your business apart.

For most businesses, there are no longer ways around it. A good website; one which attracts and retains customers, is a must. If you want to take things to the next level, keeping customers engaged through blogs, forums, easy-to-use features and links back and forth to other social media, will help to create a community around which your business or brand can thrive.

Remember, the overall aim is to make your website an easy, intuitive and friendly experience, at all times driven by the customer. The popularity of a business’ website is usually a good thermometer for popularity of the business itself, so make a plan in 2009: get back to the web and put your business out there.

-Mary Henderson is CEO of Geek IT Group (www.geekitgroup.com.au) and a member of the Dynamic Business Expert Panel.

Top five tips

1. Move away from ‘static’ and towards ‘social’

2. Give your customers the site they want

3. Develop in phases, not all at once

4. Invest the time to keep your content updated

5. Promote your site and put it at the centre of your brand

Keep them coming back
You wouldn’t read the same day’s newspaper over and over again, and the only way to keep customers returning to your site is to make sure that its content and features are constantly updated. If you can, set up a team whose job it is to continually update and analyse the site, converting customer feedback into ideas for digital features and tools. Get this same team to Google your business, its competitors and relevant products. Make it an ongoing project to finds out what’s happening on forums and in the blogosphere, then incorporate that feedback into your own products and services.

Another advantage of switching from ‘static’ to ‘social’ is the ability to more easily research your customer base. With easily deployed surveys, and a ready and often willing audience, it’s not difficult to gain the type of insights that can lead to real innovation, so be sure to seize these opportunities as they present.

People who read this, also liked:
Yahoo – small business, where are you?
Bad blogs sink websites
Marketing the right way: eat your own cooking
Website checklist: user-friendly practises

Seeking to promote your business? Create your free Australian business listing with Dynamic Search business directory – Sister site of Dynamic Business.