Summary: Internet marketing is a skyscraper which has many building blocks to it. The foundation however constitutes of Search Engine Optimization, Content Marketing and Social Media Marketing. Getting the basics straight is of prime importance. It’s also vital to know the pros and cons of each, to be able to use it to one’s own advantage; therefore making the entire effort of internet marketing worthwhile.
Successful Internet Marketing is a subjective term and how to become successful, is a difficult question to answer. Internet marketing has been evolving right since its inception with many algorithms and updates that came by, refining the users experience each time. Marketers have been struggling to keep pace with the refinements though. When the Penguin and Panda updates were released, most websites fell prey to the acrimony of Google. While those following white hat practices survived, the evaders were consumed. So how can internet marketing be executed to a business’ advantage? Discussed here under are the basics of internet marketing, which if taken care of, can work great advantages for a business.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): To understand the importance of Search Ranking, one needs to do nothing but put themselves in the shoes of their viewers. The majority of the viewers see results present on the first page with very few taking the effort to search on the second and even lesser on the third and so on. In fact 95% of the visitors look at the first page results only. This is reason enough to understand the significance of ranking. Previously emphasis was laid on concepts like keyword placement and keyword density, where keywords ruled the roost. However, with the release of the latest updates, these concepts went for a toss, the reason being that Google realized the fact that keywords could be ranked with page optimization, even if they weren’t relevant. For websites that have faced the brunt, here is what needs to be ensured while doing SEO:
- Natural, in-depth and high quality content
- Natural use of keywords but not over use
- Use of audios, videos, images, infographics etc
- Quality backlinks
- Website load time, the faster the better
- Smart use of Social Media platforms
Two checkpoints that need to be understood in greater depth are Content Marketing and Social Media Marketing. It has been heard more than often that “Content is King” however what kind of content is implied here is the question. With the Hummingbird algorithm, the convention of content being keyword centric became irrelevant. Google now prefers content that is original, natural, informative and in-depth. Penalty for low quality, irrelevant and copied content has been clearly cited in the engine’s updates. Marketers need to understand that visitors would want to stay on, in a website, blogs, newsletters, etc; only if they find the content (blogs, images, audios, videos) engaging; and Google’s existence is solely to serve the researcher’s research needs.
To make better sense of the third factor of successful internet marketing, let’s put it this way; content marketing can be effectively done through social media platforms to enhance SEO rankings. Social Media, the way to make your content, messages and updates go viral. It’s not sufficient to just have high quality content. It needs to be shared to know the good work that you are capable of and once your audience will notice your worth they will acknowledge it by sharing it, liking it or following you. This popularity of yours will be rewarded by Google; giving you higher placement in the search engine. A common misconception that most businesses engaging in internet marketing have is that the more likes you have the more popular you are. This is an absolute hoax! Having likes is not sufficient, engagement is more important. For Google, a site which has few likes but visitors staying on for longer periods of time is more credible than a site that has 10,000 followers.
Various institutes and workshops are run to aid learning best practices of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These setups also help understand and learn about Social Media and Pay per Click forms of advertisements as beneficial internet marketing tools. Additionally, a few even organize meets or sessions with the Industry Experts. Marketers and professionals can seek help and guidance from such undertakings.
Conclusively, quality rich content if shared through channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ can work wonders for making SEO work wonderfully and therefore help achieve rankings on search engines. Marketers need to understand that algorithms changes and updates will always be occurring but if the basic practices adopted for marketing are legitimate and credible internet marketing efforts will never go waste.
So what challenges have you been facing in your internet marketing efforts? Any other practices that have yielded you better results? Share your stories with us.
