... get the exposure you need
It is uncanny how significantly digital marketing has changed, or should we say evolved, over just the past decade. With all of the talk about SEO (search engine optimization), as well as SEM (search engine marketing), the average small business owner routinely finds themselves completely confused, before they even have a chance to process everything that's needed to compete online.
The truth is, there are in fact ways for new or small businesses, as well as entrepreneurs, to enjoy the perks of a high-ranking website, without spending a small fortune on PPC (pay-per-click) or an over-priced advertising agency. Let's look at a few of the fundamental things to keep in mind, when starting the process of having a new website built for your service, small business or home-based company.
Target Your Audience, then Target Again
Before you do anything else, you need to clearly, even vocally, define who you are trying to reach. This, as you know, is something that essentially comes as second nature to most small business owners. Interestingly enough, for many others it's a completely new concept that ends up eluding them for years.
But the time eventually comes to define your target market, and this is best accomplished by modeling, or mirroring, your current best client or customer. Here's a small sampling of the criteria needed for proper client mirroring --an important and often overlooked step when building a new business website...
- What industry are they in?
- How long have they been in business?
- What is it about our relationship that works?
- What is their sales volume?
- Do they fall under the category of consumer, business, not-for-profit?
- What products or services do they buy most often?
- Who else needs the same products/services & could benefit?
Don't Be a Hero if You're Not One
As fellow business owners, we can say with honesty that we get it... that urge to conserve capital by doing the website and SEO "stuff" on your own. This mentality worked great until about 2007, now, it's nothing more than wasted time, especially if you don't know the proper channels and backend settings.
You will save immensely in time, resources and premature stress-related aging, by hiring a website design company that specializes in smaller businesses, the self-employed, one-man/woman operations, professionals and others under this genre.
At TCN in Rochester NY, we know exactly what it's like to be starting out, and have worked hard in developing several website design packages for newer companies and those on restricted budgets. For examples of our work, complete pricing information or to speak with one of our staff SEO experts, contact us or call TCN at (585) 424-5090.
