5 Internet Marketing Rules that are Often Overlooked
The rules to succeed in internet marketing are set out in dozens of textbooks. Hundreds of experts talk about them in thousands of publications and blogs. And all the same, analyzing real cases of promotion of companies, you are faced with a strange situation. Obvious rules that seem to lie on the surface are forgotten and unused. We will not go into the reasons why this happens. Instead, we will remind you of just a few of these - simple, but often forgotten modern rules of internet marketing.
Content:
1. Get a Google Business Profile
2. More attention to site and customer security
3. Improve local SEO
4. Application of voice search
5. First - organic search, then paid advertising
6. Conclusion
Get a Google Business Profile
A very common omission that small and medium businesses make is not using the Google Business Profile. We’ll clarify right away that until 2022 this service was called Google My Business. With the help of Google Business Profile, a company can post information about itself without creating its own Internet resource. Google Business Profile features allow you to post and edit business data on Google Maps and in search results.
Creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile contributes to the solution of such tasks:
- improving the company's ranking in local search results;
- the ability for a customer to quickly and conveniently find your business in order to purchase goods or use the services offered.
It would seem that a great way to promote a small business in the local market. But so far it has not received mass distribution. For example, according to Australian digital agency PWD, less than half of local entrepreneurs have used the service in recent years.
However, most businesses use Google Business Profile to communicate with customers: indicate contacts, work hours, post photos and videos of places, receive feedback from customers. And they don’t even think about using Google Business Profile to optimize the company’s ranking in search results. At the same time, the service offers options that, if used correctly, contribute to SEO optimization.
More attention to site and customer security
Post a clear and concise customer privacy policy on the site. This document contains a description of the rules for processing and protecting confidential personal information about customers.
The need to publish a privacy policy on the website is caused, among other things, by the following factors:
- requirement of the law. Most states already have legislation in place to protect the security and privacy of user data. The general requirement of most of them is that the business must obtain explicit consent from the users whose data it intends to store and process. Neglect of the requirements of the laws threatens with large fines, and even litigation;
- use of third party services. Some companies (notably Apple, Amazon, Google) require websites and apps to post a privacy policy if they use their services. For example, in the case of using Google Analytics on the site;
- improving business transparency. A clear agreement on the privacy policy inspires confidence in the business, gives the user a sense of security.
An Internet marketer should draw the attention of business owners or managers to the need to publish an agreement in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of the countries in which the company operates.
Just in case, let me also remind you about the SSL certificate. The image of a closed padlock in front of the site address in the search bar is a confirmation that data is being exchanged between the server and the client computer. This symbol has already become mandatory for business-related sites. But even today, one of the internet marketing rules states that a site without an SSL certificate is immediately perceived as potentially dangerous for users. Which, of course, will quickly affect the ranking and the number of site visitors.
Improving Local SEO
Local SEO is essential for small businesses operating regionally rather than nationally or globally. According to studies (in particular, statistics provided by ReviewTrackers) 35% of all search traffic is local. It is simply unacceptable to miss out on so many leads by neglecting local SEO.
Taking care of local SEO should be included in the golden rules of internet marketing.
Below is a list (of course, it is far from complete) of simple actions to improve the situation:
- the first step to improve local SEO, I have already mentioned above, is the formation of a Google Business Profile of your company;
- then you should focus on mentioning your company on newspaper and sponsorship websites, micro-influencer blogs. This activity is the fifth most important ranking factor in local SEO. At least that was the case a few years ago. In our time, the situation is unlikely to have changed;
- collect enough reviews on the site. Most people trust other people's reviews as much as their own;
- update lost links. Look at which sites have links to your resource and find out if they are all working. And if the links are dead, find out why.
Applying voice search
Voice search is very convenient. It is more comfortable for a person to voice a request aloud than to type text on a smartphone display. So they look for addresses of shops, build routes, find out the schedule of cinemas and restaurants. Almost a third (27%) of online users worldwide use mobile voice search. OC&C Strategy Consultants estimates that voice search and smart speaker purchases in the US and UK will exceed $40 billion this year.
In short, it's time to add voice search to your internet marketing service to capitalize on the growing number of people who use Alexa, Cortana, Siri and Google Assistant to search the web.
Yes, adapting a site for voice search will require effort. But the impact of voice search on consumer behavior is growing very fast. Internet marketers simply must be ready to use this tool. If you want to meet the expectations of your customers.
First - organic search, then paid advertising
Don't be in a hurry to use paid advertising. It is not always effective. In no way am I discouraging readers from using such a tool. It all depends on the specific situation. But most experts recommend focusing on organic search first. Yes, the effect of efforts to improve organic search results will not appear immediately. But you should be encouraged that 70% of users prefer to get acquainted with companies, their products or services, through publications on the site, rather than advertising. And Google itself, in one of its economic impact reports, stated that organic search is 5 times more valuable than Google Ads.
Conclusion
And, in conclusion, one more nuance. It often fades into the background when an internet marketer, creative agency or internet marketing agency seeks to find and apply all the fashion trends. Don't just focus on SEO though. After all, what is the meaning of internet marketing? It is the art of providing the client with a unique and meaningful experience. An experience that motivates the client to take action.
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