How To Advertise A Website

Today's entrepreneur needs to know how to advertise a website promoting the goods and services offered by the company in order to effectively compete in an increasingly media-saturated world. By educating oneself on the pros and cons of various internet advertising services, the business owner can make intelligent decisions while designing an effective marketing strategy that fits within the company's advertising budget. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of the internet is that it brings together buyers and sellers so efficiently. Geographical limitations are practically nonexistent in the worldwide web marketplace. Buyers can easily compare prices and benefits of a desired product from multiple sellers in order to get the best value for their money. Sellers can offer products and services to closely targeted niche markets without the overhead expenses of a physical retail location.

An individual pondering the topic of how to advertise a website should first analyze the site's purpose. Is it to offer information on a specific topic so that the individual can establish himself as an expert? Or is the site an online store with specific products? Perhaps the site is a combination of the two. What is the purpose of the marketing strategy? Does the business owner want to increase market share or introduce her products and services to a new target audience? The more thought given to these and other basic marketing questions, the clearer idea the business owner will have about the type of advertising campaign will most effectively help her reach her goals. With this information, she can begin researching internet advertising services and options that will successfully meet her clearly stated objectives in a cost-effective way. The business owner can also identify which marketing methods she can do on her own and which ones will require the assistance of a professional consultant.

Budding entrepreneurs often make the mistake of thinking that they must do whatever it takes and spend as much money as it takes to make it to the top of the rankings for one of the major search engines. Of course, this is a legitimate goal within a larger marketing strategy. But getting to the front page listings for a search engine takes time and patience. In fact, some consultants suggest that the first step for a successful ranking begins before the entrepreneur opens the doors, figuratively speaking, to the business. Popular products being sold by a million different vendors should probably be avoided. The popularity is easy to research by typing the appropriate keyword in the search engine's input box and noting the number of results. For example, typing the keywords "gold watches" into a major search engine yields more than a million results. Obviously, it would be foolish for a prospective seller of gold watches to pin his entire advertising strategy on using the keywords "gold watches" to get into the top of the rankings immediately after opening for business. A better idea is to find a less popular product with fewer competitors. Without taking the concept to a ridiculous extreme, the number of results should be low enough that competition will be minimal without being so low that a viable market may not exist for the product. Consider this Scripture: "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness" (Proverbs 15:2). Even a little bit of knowledge can help a prospective online business operator choose the appropriate product or service, one that has the right balance of target market and competition.

In further considering the issue of how to advertise a website, an entrepreneur needs to understand the demographic of the perfect customer for the goods or services. What are the gender, age, annual income, and education level of the typical consumer for this particular product? Where will this particular person most likely search for the product? How can advertising for the product most effectively reach the consumer? Young stay-at-home moms will probably be browsing completely different internet sites than a highly educated retired professional. Though the demographics for a product's consumer base may overlap -- after all, everyone needs toothpaste -- the more specialized the product the more its customer base will fit a particular niche. By identifying this niche as strongly and clearly as possible, the entrepreneur will be more effective at identifying the internet advertising services that are best designed to reach that niche market.

Multiple advertising avenues exist on the web. In a sense, the different methods will either take a lot of time and little money or a lot of money and little time to put into place. The entrepreneur needs to determine the time/money balance that works best for the product being offered and the company's growth strategy. On the "lot of time" end of the continuum, the entrepreneur can locate and research other websites that complement her own and ask the other site owner to trade links. In effect, the two owners are advertising for each other. This can be a very time-consuming, though quite cheap, strategy. On the opposite "lot of money" end of the continuum are third party companies that offer a range of internet advertising services including site promotion and marketing through directories and affiliate programs. By turning over the advertising component of the business to the professionals, the business owner's time can be spent on other aspects of the company. As with any business decision, the entrepreneur needs to determine the proper balance between the time it takes to do a task oneself and the cost-effectiveness of contracting the work out to professionals. The entrepreneur has to make many decisions when deciding how to advertise a website. The more the individual knows about the chosen product, the niche market, and the advertising options that are available, the wiser the decisions will be made that will put the company on the road to success.

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