Digital marketing is a very broad term that includes website design, social media, online advertising, email advertising, SEO and more. This can be extremely confusing to the local business owner simply looking to attract more customers to their website. They are typically too busy running operations to investigate which digital marketing strategies work best for their business.
Your Website Is A King
Just about every aspect of digital marketing is driving internet traffic to your website. Too many websites were not created with responsive design, meaning they look wrong and are difficult to navigate on mobile devices. Visitors must be able to click on a phone number or an email address to contact you. If they have to zoom in or write down the number then you are likely to lose them to a competitor whose site is mobile optimized. The idea is to convert visitors into either a phone call, an email or a walk-in.
Additionally, Google has been tightening up its algorithm to award higher rankings to sites that are optimized for mobile visitors. You don’t want to be pushed to page two or three of Google’s search results. Get your site compatible for mobile devices immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chances are that you have probably typed a question into Google to find out how something works. People are changing the way they use Google. No longer do people want to search for information, they prefer Google to answer their questions. Google has recognized this and introduced rich answers to its search algorithm so they can provide more accurate results. Just about any local business has common questions they often get from their customers, so implementing a frequently asked questions page (FAQ) on your website is essential, so when people are asking Google these questions, your site may rank higher.
Use Social Media Wisely
Many local businesses are confused to what social channels they should be using and how they should be posting. One of the most important rules of marketing and running a business is to know your customer base. Social media is not rocket science, but it can be a huge drain on your time if not used properly. Nobody is looking for a roofer on Twitter or a plumber on Instagram. When it comes to posting on social media, understand that you are creating a voice for your business and often communicating with your most loyal customers so engage with your followers and share information that is pertinent to them.
Local businesses should constantly be looking at their own website to make sure it’s easy to navigate, has fresh content and contact information works on mobile. Once your site is humming along, you can start implementing some of the other digital marketing strategies that drive traffic to your site, like social media, email marketing, AdWords, PPC and more.
Contact one of our Web Specialists to learn more how we can help!
