Strategies for online business promotion are becoming more fluid as search engine algorithms and social media reshape how we interact online. As a result, tactics used just a few months ago to help grow businesses may now be ineffective or result in penalties. Staying on top of which strategies are no longer effective can be hard, but with these tips from Coalition Technologies, you can refine your internet marketing for a more effective website.
1. Cramming in the Keywords
In the past, copywriters would take some choice keywords that aligned with the company message and topic and insert them into a page’s content as frequently as possible. The idea was that the more a keyword showed up, the greater the chance for a hit on a search engine. This technique, known as keyword stuffing, is long outdated and can now hurt your site’s ranking. Now if a search engine sees an unnatural amount of a particular keyword on one page, they identify the page as spam. To avoid being listed as spam, when using keywords, make sure they fit into your page as naturally as possible.
2. Using Fake Testimonials or Content
A popular way to get people to consider buying your product is by posting customer reviews. Consumers want to know about the quality of a product or service, how it works, and if it’s worth the cost of their investment. Reviews help potential customers decide what to buy, but only if the reviews appear honest and genuine. There are sites that offer a service which writes fake reviews to boost a company’s image. In today’s world consumers are better than ever at spotting phony reviews. If they spot paid reviews on your site, customers will stop trusting the integrity of your brand.
3. High Volume Email
When companies first went online every business set up an email list to send out mass messages on new products to try and push sales and interest consumers. With so many companies jumping on this strategy, email newsletters and offers turned into white noise that consumers typically delete without reading. Instead, make sure to trim email lists to your target audience and only email people who are genuinely interested in your brand.
4. Focusing on Dynamic Content Instead of Useful Content
A lot of websites have geared their content to include flashy buzzwords and clickbait headlines to draw readers in. Many users spot these tactics quickly and generally shy away from websites that use them. If you want consumers to spend more time on your site, then the content needs to be designed with their needs in mind. Useful blogs and information on your site will create a much more loyal following than showy headlines and filler content.
5. Commenting on Other Blogs
If you are an authority in your industry, you might want to use your expertise to draw people to your site. Comment on other blogs is a good way to attract new followers, but you need to make sure your comments add something valuable to the blog. Useless comments will be regarded as spam by potential customers and will often be deleted by the blog owner. You don’t always need to post a link to your blog in a comment, sometimes just mentioning your company name will be enough to garner interest.
6. Exchanging Links for Links
Webmasters used to team up and swap links as a way to bolster the audience of both sites. Having a vast amount of reciprocating links is no longer useful, as search engines will flag this as unnatural or spam. Instead, make sure links are relevant and of high quality instead of just being vaguely related.
7. Overloading Social Media Pages
With the explosion of social media pages, companies have an easy way to get information to consumers. But just because you can reach them, doesn’t mean you always should. Having a high number of posts that are business or sales oriented can seem like spam and turn people away. Instead, send out direct sales posts sparingly and balance your posts with engaging stories or amusing photos that tie back to your brand.
8. Filling Your Site with Articles from Content Farms
There are companies where third parties are paid to pull together press releases and articles with little input from the client. Utilizing these sources will often result in barely legible and vague content that doesn’t help or interest your consumers. Instead, promote your company by populating your site with original, relevant, and interesting content written by you or your team.
9. Using Advertisements to Monetize Your Site
In the past, sites would cross promote items, but if consumers are visiting your site, they are interested in your products, not the products of a partner whose products may not relate to yours. For example, a hardware store’s website might have advertisements for a line of tools. Rather than using ads to make money, create genuine content like blogs or in-house reviews about the products you wish to promote.
10. Putting Your Business First
There’s nothing wrong with being focused on your company, but in today’s digital marketplace you can’t ignore your customers. Engage with them often, take the time to respond to reviews and answer consumer questions, and release content that focuses on their needs and you’ll see a surprising spike in loyalty.
For such a powerful tool, internet marketing can be surprisingly difficult to manage. Constant updates in online software and shifting trends make it hard to keep up with your customers. Make sure you’re updating your marketing strategies accordingly or your company may be lost among a multitude of others all trying to create a strong online presence.