If you are managing your own small business or have a hobby that you are thinking of making money from, you will know that you can’t get far in life without the help of a fully functioning website. Traditional marketing alone is no longer a viable option to succeed in business. Your time and effort should be focused on reaching your customers directly through a digital marketing platform, such as a website or a blog.
Digital Marketing Fundamentals
Online business statistics show that 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases. If your website is easy to find and navigate, it creates a more comfortable user experience. Furthermore, understanding how to set your website apart can make the difference between a customer clicking off and making a purchase or recommending your website to a friend. We can all agree that the sheer volume of advice on growing your digital marketing strategy can be overwhelming, so let’s start by breaking down the fundamentals into five categories.
- Carry out website audits
- Develop a structured roadmap
- Create high-quality content
- Go mobile
- Monitor and analyze results
Carrying Out Website Audits
Let’s assume you have created your website and it has been up and running for several months. Regardless of how well you perceive the platform to be performing, there is always a possibility that a particular aspect can be improved upon, either to solve a problem that’s holding you back or enhancing a feature that could be working harder for you.
The first type of audit you will need to conduct is to assess the technical makeup of your website. Typically this exercise should be handled by a web developer or SEO specialist who will have an eye for knowing which parts of your website to check.
The second type of audit is for the content you are writing, in short, and long form. Again, this is best handled by a copywriter or editor, although you may wish to take this on yourself if you possess high-caliber writing skills. Guides for conducting a content audit vary in format, and there is plenty to be inspired by online.
Developing A Structured Roadmap
The outcome of both the technical and content audits will make you more aware of the scope of the tasks ahead of you, which will form a large part of your digital strategy for improving the visibility and potency of your website. Use a method of sorting tasks by type, priority, duration, and resources needed. By focusing on the details of each lesson and then scheduling it, you will begin to build a roadmap you and other colleagues can follow. Editorial calendars and task templates are helpful guides to work with.
Creating High-Quality Content
Google loves content; there’s no denying that. These days only the better quality content gets the most attention. There are different types of content for other objectives, so understand the significance of all written, visual, and multimedia content material you want to work with for growing your website. Some examples can include:
Data visualization – data-rich content is heavily referenced by external sites, which can allow you to become a trusted source of authority
Video and photo galleries – multimedia content can attract new users and generate higher engagement and conversion rates
Social media – extend your online presence by publishing content on popular social channels, allowing for a new source of traffic and customer engagement.
Going Mobile
While the uptake of internet use via mobile devices is indeed more rapid than desktop usage, there should always be a dual focus on each type of device when upgrading your website. Nevertheless, mobile is something that many business and website owners neglect, and this comes at a colossal cost now that Google is adamant about penalizing sites that aren’t mobile-friendly. Stay one step ahead and incorporate mobile website changes into your roadmap and digital strategy.
Monitoring And Analysing Results
Google Analytics is one of the best tools out there for checking in to see how well the pages of your website perform and what kind of effect they are having on your website’s overall growth. If you haven’t set up Google Analytics, pause your current actions until this is in place. Conduct daily and weekly checks and learn to understand the value of each type of page to continue with or change course for how you go about expanding your website platform. You may want to keep a close eye on the number of sessions, bounce rate per page, page conversion rate, and time on site.
I hope you find these digital marketing strategy tips beneficial for your circumstances. Remember, building and maintaining a website or blog is a journey. Stick with it, learn from your experiences, and share your knowledge with others!
