1. Have a Plan
Rather than launching in to get a website set up as fast as possible, have a plan that includes what you want to achieve from your website, how you’re going to market it and identifies the people that you will work with. You’ll need a different plan depending whether the website is the business, like an online store which should be at the hub of your online marketing plan, or if it supports your business, in which case your website is one of many parts of your marketing mix.
2. Allocate a Budget for Online Marketing
The days where simply having a website was enough are long gone. Now, getting a website should be just one step in your ongoing marketing plans. To have an effective website that gets results you need to market it.
This means that you either need the time and skills to market it yourself, or you need to allocate budget to outsource your marketing.
Aim to include a mix of activities like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media Marketing (SMM), Email Marketing and Blogging.
3. Web Copy Counts… A lot
If you want people to be able to find your website in search engines and then spend time finding out what you have to offer, you need great copy. Using carefully selected keywords in your copy in the right places is a core aspect of optimising your website for search engines. And if you’re planning to write and share blog articles, your success is all based on valuable content that you’ll create.
Plan your web copy at the same time as you plan your web design and development.
4. Build Your Network
Whether you choose to build a database of email subscribers, a network of followers on Twitter, members of a Facebook group or connections on LinkedIn, have a plan for expanding your network and an easy way for people to connect with you.
If you have an e-newsletter, add the subscribe box to the top right area of your website. If you’re on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, add the icons to part of your website that appears on every page, like the right hand column.
5. Be an Active Citizen of the World Wide Web
Think of your website as the hub of everything that goes in and everything that goes out. Aim to build many many high quality links coming in to your website, which is important for your search engine ranking. And likewise, add links out to other websites. This makes you a good web citizen because you’re helping others build inbound links.
This article is an excerpt from Grassroots Internet Strategy and the full article can be found here
