It is difficult to create an income using the internet because there are so many competitors in the digital market. While you have to provide quality information to the web, it is also important to be able to promote your site well in order to generate a consistent flow of traffic to your site. The sites that perform the best are those that are well optimized for their intended audience, are technologically solid and that appear high in the search engines.
To develop a successful web site, it is necessary to know what people are looking for on the web and who your target audience is. Once you identify the needs, desires, and intent of your target audience, you can strategically place links and calls to action to stimulate interaction.
Your links should take the visitor to:
- Your main product or service
- A lead capture page
- Another web site or source that has real value to the visitor’s business
Aligning the intent of your target audience with where you place your links greatly increases the number of interactions with your web site and conversions.
1. Developing a Content Retention Strategy
While attracting visitors to your web site is important, retaining them is just as important. An effective method of retaining visitors is to post new content on a regular basis, including news, articles, etc. Posting new content on a regular basis gives visitors a reason to come back, helps improve your web site’s visibility in the search engines and establishes you as the expert in your field.
When visitors feel that they get new value from visiting your web site every week, they are much more likely to visit your web site again.
2. Deciding Whether to Use Free or Paid Advertising Methods
As to how you will advertise your web site, you must decide if you will depend on free advertising methods, paid advertising methods or a mix of both.
Free advertising methods (article submission to directories, etc.) work well for long term traffic generation. However, they do require consistent and ongoing effort to be effective.
Paid advertising methods (Google AdWords, etc.) can give you a rapid increase in the number of visitors to your web site. Paid advertising methods are especially good for launching new products or quickly expanding your customer base.
To determine which approach is better for you, use analytics tools like Google Analytics to track:
- the number of visitors to your web site
- where your visitors came from
- the percentage of your visitors who completed a desired action
- the sales performance of your web site
- Making data-driven decisions will help to eliminate wasted marketing dollars.
3. Monitoring the Results of Your Paid Advertising Campaigns
If you decide to use paid advertising, it is very important to track your campaign’s performance.
Important metrics to track include:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): Make sure you are getting the greatest number of clicks at the lowest possible cost.
- Conversion rate: Track whether your visitors are taking the desired action such as making a purchase or signing up for something.
Tracking these metrics will ensure that your paid advertising campaigns continue to be profitable.
The Three Pillars of Web Site Success
In order to be successful on-line, your web site must meet three criteria:
- Attract visitors through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and promotion.
- Keep your visitors engaged through valuable and constantly updated content.
- Convert your visitors into customers through clear calls to action and streamlined user journeys.
Achieving these goals will require a thorough understanding of your target audience, a structured content strategy and a well-thought out promotional plan.
Conclusion
Success on the web does not happen randomly. Success on the web occurs due to careful planning, audience research, continued production of high-quality content and constant monitoring of your web site’s performance. A web site that attracts, retains and converts visitors – and has a strong marketing strategy behind it – has the greatest potential for producing sustainable revenue.