We are all aware of the increased need to focus on localized Internet marketing and SEO as it is undoubtedly something that is becoming more and more important. However, this can then lead to a problem for a number of people as they are unsure as to how they even begin with this form of marketing and it is all due to one thing, the size of the Internet.

You see, people view the Internet as this huge market, which it is of course, and they then get worried that their marketing gets lost and they will get nothing out of it. That does not have to be the case and to make life that little bit easier we will look at five things that you need to do for your localized Internet marketing.

1. Make Sure Your Website Is Suitable For Mobile Devices

This is now a huge one to focus on because it is important that your website is responsive for mobile devices or else Google is going to punish you in the search results. The number of people that use either their smartphone or tablet computer in order to access the Internet is growing on a daily basis and people around where you are located are trying to use those devices to access your website. If they are unable to do that, then they will go elsewhere and you have lost out.

2. Find Out About Your Local Internet Directories.

Internet directories still have a role to play, but rather than just going for any directory that you can find it is best if you can locate ones that are specifically for your local area. Make sure that you are listed on there and have as full a profile as possible. Look at getting yourself on websites such as Yelp and also Google Plus is a good place to be so you have your Google Maps listing as this appears high in the search results pages.

3. Never Ignore Social Media.

You ignore social media at your peril because everybody is using it and you should not miss out on it either. Get your profile, become active on it, and be friendly because people in your local area are using the likes of Facebook to locate businesses that they can then use and if you are not on there, then you can be absolutely sure that your competition are on it and taking away your clients. Be active on these websites as a dead page is only going to turn people away. If people contact you, then reply to them because this is a wonderful opportunity for you to show that you are a local business that cares about its customers and clients.

4. Use Paid Advertising.

Paid advertising undoubtedly has a role to play when it comes to your local Internet marketing. By this we mean the likes of Google Adwords and also now advertising on Facebook. The best part is that this can all be targeted both to the people that see it, at least on Facebook, and also the location so that it is very specific and only the people that you wish to become customers can then check out your advert. You can also set your own daily budget so that you do not break the bank, but do consider getting some advice on how to run these campaigns or you could get carried away with it all.

5. Build An Email List.

Does building an email list sound difficult or old fashioned to you? Well, that is not the case because in actual fact it is a wonderful way to generate interest in your business especially if you have new services or products that you wish to promote. The best part is that when you have this email list you can then send out newsletters and you already know that they are interested in what you have to offer and are then more likely to spend money with you. However, do not overdo it with the emails or you will annoy people and lost potential customers.

Those are five basic things that you can do in order to help with your localized Internet marketing. It is all about being very specific with your website and ideas and when you are a small business that is focusing on your own area, then this is something that you must do and do now.

Without this form of marketing, you are going to vanish into obscurity as there are so many companies out there that are all fighting for the very same market and it is up to you to stand out from the crowd. However, should you feel that it is too difficult, or you are just completely confused as to what to do next, then you should seek professional advice from experts that can help you to create a plan of action.

If you require any assistance then consider giving us a call as we would be more than happy to help.

It used to be believed that all you had to do in order to convert website visitors into useful customers or clients was just to have a nice website. However, thanks to the sheer competition that is out there in every single industry, we now know that there is a lot more to it than just having something that looks nice. Now, it is essential that your website is capable of converting those hard earned visitors into clients that are actually worth something to you. So, you need to ask yourself a question.

 Does your website have a good conversion rate?

 Think of it in this way. If your website is not doing the thing that it is supposed to be designed for, which is generating clients or new customers, then why do you even have it online?

The annoying part for many is that it often does not take too much work to turn a website from one that is under performing to one that is the star attraction. However, you need to know what you are doing or, in all honesty, you could make life worse.

Improving Those Conversion Rates.

So what can you do to improve your conversion rates? Well, there are several things, but one of the best places to begin is by carrying out some research.

The research we are talking about involves checking out the websites of your main competitors and see the kinds of designs that they are using. Now, you are of course unable to just copy and paste the template and use it yourself, but by looking to see if there are similarities in the way that certain information is put across does make it easier for you to then begin to see what could be working in your industry.

Study The Importance Of Colors

This might sound like a bit of a drag, but it has been shown that certain colors have either a positive or negative impact on how we behave at different times. There is an entire field out there that discusses how red may work better with call to action buttons for restaurants, but not for other industries for example and the difference it can make to conversion rates is actually quite astonishing.

Just to show you the difference, there is a wonderful example of a clothing website called RIPT that changed the color of its ‘Click to Action’ button from green to yellow. Now, you might not think that this would do much, but their sales then increased by 6.3% due entirely to the way in which the color better suited the website with it then having the desired effect on their visitors.

Keep With The Trends

This one is obvious, but you need to make sure that your website is keeping up to date with the current trends in not only web design, but also with how people interact with the websites in the first place.

People will pick up on websites that are outdated and will instantly then start to believe that your entire business is also not keeping up with the times even though nothing could be further from the truth. By making sure that your website follows modern trends it means that you will be seen as being fresh and all of your content will be displayed in the manner that is now accepted as the norm. When people see something as being familiar, then they are more likely to act the way you want them to.

The Placement Of Your Call To Action Button

However, even though color, trends, and general design all play a part in determining your conversion rate, perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind is the actual placement of your call to action button.

It has been shown in various studies that we tend to react differently depending on where these buttons are located and it is all to do with the way our eyes go over the page. You do of course also need to think about the copy you are using in order to draw people in and one of the best things that you can do is what is known as A/B testing.

With this, you are able to create various layouts of the same page and then run tests to see which design actually gets the best conversion rate without having to worry about constantly changing your website. This in itself can be a major breakthrough as there are websites that have increased their conversion rate by more than 100% just by moving the position of a single button. Take your time, try things out, and then make a decision.

So, what we are saying is that you do not need to just sit there and suffer with a poor conversion rate. Instead, you can take action and carry out some simple alterations that can vastly improve the way that people respond and react with your website.

Gone are the days of just throwing up any design and waiting for people to come to you. Now it is all about being enticing and providing visitors with everything that they need and you will see your business increase as a direct result.

There is so much to SEO to take into consideration that it is quite easy to understand why there may be a few myths and stories that develop over time. You see, with SEO we are at the mercy of Google and what they decide is now important with ranking websites, but there are certainly a few common beliefs that are completely wrong. So, what are some of the myths that we feel you need to forget?

1. Social Media Plays No Part In SEO
   This certainly used to be the case, but it has all changed in recent times as Google are now paying more attention to something called social signals. Basically, if your website or link is being discussed on social media, and if you have the link on your own social media profiles, then you are going to be in their favor. Google understands that social media is at the hub of activity on the Internet, so of course they are going to pay attention to it. In other words, if you ignore it and think that it has no role to play in SEO, then you are going to suffer
2. A High Page Rank Means No Need For SEO.
   This is a crazy myth to believe, but there are a number of people that feel that simply because their website has a high page rank, then there is no need for SEO. However, the truth of the matter is that even though page rank does play a role, it languishes at the bottom of the pile. What we are saying is that a high page rank will not guarantee you being on the first page and it is all because people have learnt how to manipulate the results using these pages, so Google no longer has them featuring as prominently as they used to.
3. Every Piece Of Content Plays A Part
   People are more aware now that content is absolute King when it comes to SEO and to a certain extent that is true. However, there are people that believe that every single piece of content on their website is important when it comes to SEO, but that is not the case. Instead, Google prefer content that provides actual value to your visitors and gives some indication of what your website is all about. You have to look at it that quality overrides quantity in this instance, so there are moments where less really is more. Avoid flooding your website with too much information that is not relevant or Google will certainly view your website in a different light.
4. I’ve Already Done SEO?
   This is an important point to make as it is actually the one area that often lets people down. You see,  people believe that SEO is just something that has to be done the one time and then you can leave it alone. However, that is completely wrong because SEO is something that is fluid and constant as it is ever changing both with what your competitors are doing as well as how Google ranks websites. SEO is an ongoing process and if you stop looking at ways to improve it, then you will be left behind and your website is going to start to drop down those results pages as a result.
5. Find That Keyword
   OK, so it is true that keywords are important when it comes to SEO, but people are often guilty of looking at the keywords in the wrong way. They feel that if they can find that one word or phrase that is perfect for them, then they will be well on their way to riches, but that is not the case. Instead, what you need to do is to think about an actual topic that people will search for or a question they will ask that will ultimately lead them to your website. The days of searching for a single keyword are pretty much over as people are looking at more detailed searches, so you need to get with the times or run the risk of being left behind.

What is clear is that SEO and the ‘rules’ that you need to follow are changing and that is something that has to be taken into consideration by every single person that has a website. Google are always looking at ways in which they can improve the search algorithm and if you do not keep up to date with those changes, then it is very easy for you to be left behind.

If you have little knowledge or experience with SEO, then we can only recommend that you seek the advice of an expert who can look at your website, your keywords, and the competition to come up with an approach that meets the current rules and regulations. By doing this, you are giving yourself the best possible chance of success and when you think about the money that can be made via a well positioned website this is surely one thing that should be at the top of your list of things to do.

There is probably no need to go over the importance of having an ecommerce website as readers will have already launched this part of their business. However, it is important to look at other aspects and one is how it appears to your customers especially if it is a number of years since you had this part of your website designed.

You see, it is important to view your ecommerce website in the exact same way as a real life store. Now, would you allow your real life store to look tired and not update it every now and again? How do you think that would come across to those customers that ventured inside?

Clearly if the inside of your real life store was dated and tired looking they would be more reluctant to spend money with you. They are going to view your business as perhaps being on its knees or you either do not care about your business or do not care about your customers. How do you think that is going to impact on your sales? Obviously they are going to take a nose dive in an instant and the exact same thing applies to your ecommerce store.

Keeping Things Fresh And Up To Date.

What we are saying is that it is important to keep your online store looking fresh and up to date. Gone are the days of it just being a list of products with minimal information because now the public expect so much more when shopping online.

One thing that you need to think about carefully is the page that they land on when they click through to your store. This page is akin to that shop window on the street for a real life store and you know how important it is for that window to be appealing to people so that they feel drawn in and tempted into spending money.

What people are doing now, and it is perhaps something that you should consider, is using large images on the landing page rather than the old method of basically throwing people right into the heart of the store. The trend now is to rely on good navigation from the shop front page and just to make it teasing and enticing so that the visitor feels like exploring and discovering what you have to offer.

This clearly means that we need to look at the design of your site and the current trend is for flat graphics so all of those 3D buttons need to go. You should also consider getting rid of what can only be described as gimmicks that were previously used to make your site look more interesting because now they are viewed as being annoying rather than anything else. Now, people expect an ecommerce store to look professional no matter the size of your business, so use colors that work well together and go for quality images to get a far more slick look.

The Listings.

Obviously the listings are important, but this is another area where things have changed in recent times. If your site is a few years old then you probably have things listed in a simplistic fashion where you have a thumbnail image, the name of the product, and then the price.

However, now you need to think bigger as people expect initial listings to have more details on the product that they can read before they then click through to the full page. Visitors want to be able to decide in an instant if they actually want to find out more, so you need to draw them in with a short sales pitch for those items in order to encourage them. An image and the product name is no longer enough. Even just one line can make a huge difference.

The only other thing that we should really discuss is giving your visitors information on their security. People are still very wary of spending online even though sales continue to increase, but they want to know that their credit cards or Paypal account will be safe at all times. Let them know what happens with their details and that they are protected and if you have any extra protection in place, such as being listed as a better business, then put it on there to build confidence.

What we are trying to say is that your ecommerce website needs to move with the times and that does mean changing designs as trends come and go. You would not leave a real life store such in the past, so why would you go and do the same with something that is online?

Your online store forms an integral part of your business and it is absolute madness to make a mess of things simply by neglecting it and believing that it will always work with the design and layout that you have in place. Do yourself a favor and get an expert to look at it and determine how things can be updated and you can be pretty much assured that your sales will increase as a result.

Now, does that not sound appealing the very fact that you can increase your turnover?