Web Site Marketing Strategy

Marketing with Articles

Are You A Bum?

Article Marketing, when done correctly, could offer benefits beyond ones expectations. The problem most face is in the creation of the article and keeping it quality rich and  note worthy to those who will be reading it. Article Marketing, or Bum Marketing as it is also known, could give you great presence in the market place. One great feature of this form of marketing is that it is free.

Many of the top article directories will let you publish an article at no cost and it will remain in their data base for years to come. How great is that? Don’t get to excited just yet, your article must be approved first, which gives you some work to be done, to get it right. The e-zines are yet another way to create some waves for yourself and your business or product that you seek to promote.

Besides direct paid marketing like PPC and AdWords, Article marketing gives you more of an opportunity to be creative and offer your prospects or customers some useful information or education, if you will. It gives you a chance to be known as an expert in a field or niche which will grow your customer base in a specific target market. Doing this will offer you some serious income and repeat business going forward. Articles are known to become viral hence creating a tidal wave of traffic to your website or whatever you are promoting.

This is why it is extremely important that you research everything and create something that is going to bring you viable targeted prospects. This type of promoting will last for years which is why some of the great marketers include articles as one of their worthwhile advertising platforms.

When you start to get the hang of Article Marketing you can incorporate SEO (search engine Optimization) to them much easier than you can to your website. How? Because you can make them Keyword rich from beginning to end and when done right you can have an article hit Page one of Google within days sometimes hours. This is an incredible thing to accomplish because you will get hordes of traffic quickly.

Publishing your website address at the end of that article will offer your prospects an easy avenue to click on your link and go directly to your site. Standard advertising does not give you such versatility or opportunity to go viral as does article marketing.

As you can see, through the benefits that this offers, it is important that you take the time to submit well optimized and written articles. Keep them fun and informative. Create some interest and don’t give everything away. Get your readers curiosity going so that they want to know more. The benefits to you, in the long run, by making your articles something readers will pass on to others, will give you some incredible success with both visibility and financially.

Improve Web Marketing With Sitemaps

 Improve Web Marketing with Sitemaps

Sitemaps 101 – Here are Some Tips and Strategies on Building Sitemaps

Have you ever wondered how a search engine works? It would be great to watch a spyder crawl your site and find its way around by a simple sitemap you left for it to have a successful visit.  You may have even experienced that a link you thought was relevant to your keyword came back completely different than you had anticipated, and you could not figure out why. I bet you were thinking that there must be something wrong with the search engine that it generated irrelevant results or your web marketing plan had failed.

How does a search engine work?

Two things are basically the factors that will result in making search engines work effectively and efficiently:  the first would be an electronic search spider and the second, the sitemap.

What is a sitemap?

When using a web marketing plan that includes sitemaps, the sitemap is a page or pages that serve/s as a directory by listing all the connections or links, to all documents and files found on the website. It is not just a random listing of links, but organized in a way that it gives the web user an idea of how all the information, that can be found in the site,  fits into an outline or framework. It is like viewing the table of contents of a book, or viewing the “concept map” of the site’s content.

A Spider? Will it bite?

In SEO language, a spider is not an insect found in your basement. This electronic search spider is actually a bot which collects data and copies content to be stored in the search engine’s database when keywords are fed into the search dialogue box. The spider reads the content of the site and sends another bot to follow the links and copy the content contained in them.

What is the purpose of a Sitemap?

A sitemap,  like any other map,  gives directions to a navigator. It primarily targets search engine spiders so that they are properly directed to your site and to the links where keywords entered in the search dialogue appears.  As such, it is actually a useful tool in search engine optimization. A well organized web marketing plan with a  site map will guide the spider to find the information it needs when keywords are entered during a search operation.

As an additional beneficial consequence, sitemaps have proven to be useful even to web users. Since a sitemap displays all the links to information found in a website, it helps the user to search for a particular topic in mind. Many users also use the sitemap to navigate between pages in a site.

How Do I benefit from a Sitemap?

1. No page would be left unturned

Going back to the purpose of sitemaps, having one would mean faster and easier tracking and crawling of spiders all over your site. As a result, search engines would surely get to the view all the pages of your site and not just the pages containing random keywords.

2. Easier navigation for site visitors

Once a web user has accessed your sitemap, they need not go back to the search engine page to look for what they need. If what they are looking for is in your site, then they would have an easier and faster way of locating it.

3. Potential advertising value

If it so happens that a relevant product or service company reaches your site, then it would be easier for them to see how best they can position themselves in the different pages of your site as a paid page advertisement.

4. Encourage greater traffic to your site

If your web marketing efforts inludes a sitemap, then potential buyers would have an easier time in accessing your latest products and services. Moreover, they would not miss out on any product that might be off future interest to them since the sitemap would display all information found the site.

How does one format the sitemap?

Currently there are about three major types of sitemaps: an indexed, a full categorical, and a restricted categorical. An indexed site map appears as an alphabetical listing or directory. A full categorical map displays all links classified into categories; while a restricted categorical sitemap displays all links listed in a chosen category at a time. Web marketing plans that include the full and restricted sitemaps, are very similar except that the former displays all links in all categories all at once in a page, while the latter focuses only the links under the selected category for easier and less eye-straining viewing.

The most widely used format is the full categorical. Based on most research, the full categorical format is most preferred by users since it is easier to search for topics within the site and it allows easier comparison between and among categories.

Some tips in setting up your sitemap

1. Link the sitemap only to your homepage.

This is to ensure that the spider starts searching from your homepage down to all the pages listed in your sitemap. In this way, no page would be left unvisited by the spider, although some factors may prevent that at times

2. Do not go beyond 30 pages for a sitemap.

Large websites having 50 or more pages should not go beyond 30 since this adds more pages to the site, and might make search engines think that the sitemap is a link farm.  Also, this prevents overcrowding of links which could be tiring to view. We do not want our little spider getting it’s legs all wound up now do we. This would doom all your web marketing plans for sure.

3. Be Sure You Have checked all the links listed in your sitemap.

It is frustrating to some when you click on a link only to find out that nothing is displayed. Test your sitemap; click all links in every page to make sure that all links are indeed linked to the right page.

4. Give keyword-rich titles to sitemap links.

Keyword-rich titles give your site more advantage in being searched properly under the right category. But be sure to have this sitemap link linked back to the sitemap (e.g. back to sitemap).

5. Provide a short description for the links in the sitemap.

Doing so would give readers a better idea of what to find in the link and save them time on surfing.

6. Be consistent in designing your sitemap with the other pages of the site.

Be sure your web marketing plans include Employing a recurring design and the same HTML template for all pages to establish identity and build character to your website.

O.k. Do you have the picture? They are really not that difficult to put together and in most cases there are programs that will build them for you. That being said get going and build yourself a great sitemap

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at support@webmarketingstrategysite.com

Cheers,

Manny F.

mannyf@webmarketingstrategysite.com

Online Marketing Tips and strategies

A Web Site Marketing Strategy Plan

Web Marketing, in general was always known as putting an ad in the local paper, penny saver, a magazine and of course TV. When it comes to setting up a web marketing strategy plan it really is not that different. Technology has certainly advanced more than the traditional way of advertising which has made the financial rewards far greater. In order for your  web site marketing plan to be effective, there are generally two things that a business will need in the Internet market.  The first is to have a product that can be  sold and distributed. The second is to have a product that is marketable and is in need by the consumers in that market. The fastest and most effective way of getting your product noticed is to generate traffic and when that traffic starts coming, you most definitely need a website for them to come to. So let’s say that your website, by far, is where you need to start. If you are ready to move into this direction then here is a solid web site marketing strategy to help you get started.

1. The first thing to do is to determine what the market or consumer is looking for weather it be a solution to a problem or a way to give them a more solid financial future. Research will be of vital importance to make sure the product you will promote is going to help those that are searching. You must take YOUR personal needs and wants completely out of the equation or you are doomed for failure. What you need and want may not be another s cup of tea.  In other words, what may look and sound great to you, or vice verse, may not look so good to someone else. They will be buying not you.

2. You will need to focus on some key Internet strategies, to be able to zero in on your target market and their needs.  Your domain name plays a big part in this process so if you have others involved in the decision making for your company, it would be best for all to concur on what the best name would be. Your web site marketing strategy for this needs to be well planned. It needs to be easy for people to remember, so you can build brand recognition, as well as being one that catches on. A good rule to follow is to think of it in different angles, switch words around, drop some, add some see what sounds best.

If I was to say to you, “what is the happiest place on earth”? I will assume you will say Disneyland. This is what I mean by catchy.  You will be surprised at how many names you will come up with that are already taken. Their are billions of people in our world and most people have been online at one time or another to see if a name they have always thought of was available. Sadly, at times their fantasy is crushed so it would be wise to have 3 or 4 names just in case.

At this point you will also need to develop a search engine marketing strategy because the search engines are looking for specific things and names that their searchers are looking for. They will not send your information to them unless they feel it best represents what they want. Crazy, I know, seems unfair that someone would decide this ahead of time without giving us a chance but it is what it is and you will need to be prepared for that or I am afraid to say you will never sell a thing nor will anyone ever know about your business without it.  These sites also allow one to make a sitemap which can be downloaded in minutes for a small fee. No web site marketing plan should be without one.  Another good example is the various email sites which you can partner with for some good exposure and some free services. Most of these services will let you sign up for free. When you have money to add to your marketing campaign, you can upgrade to a paying member and get as much as double even triple more exposure and services. That sounds good doesn’t it? O.k. let’s move along…

3. A product of good quality should be sold at a decent price. Sometimes, the product one makes is already available in the market. To be competitive, one must figure out a way to convince people as to why this product is better than the other leading brands available. What features does it have that the competitor doesn’t? What makes it unique which is not only about the product on hand but the service that this can give as well? Remember always to keep in mind that your web site marketing strategy will need to be creative and different with an impulse to act quickly.

4. Just like having a normal business, one must acquire the right equipment and machines for the job. Here is where your online marketing tools play a very big part on out smarting your competition.  It can be a physical piece of equipment or something electronic that is online. You will however, need to have an ordering system on the Internet to have things move quickly or you will be swallowed up whole, bones and all.

To be successful, your web site marketing strategy needs to be one that involves a delivery system that is able to get a product to your customer on time if not sooner. In addition you will need to have some kind of staff on hand to answer questions or complaints should something go wrong.

5.  I am sure you have heard this phrase more than you care to mention, or that I care to quote for that matter, however you will need to spend money to make money, plain and simple. You can do a lot of things for free but you will not make any serious money in this business unless you pay some money for the proper web marketing tools and products you are going to need to stay competitive. That does not mean spending money beyond your means which will put you in the poor house before you ever get started. It means as you make some money , you will need to put back some and a little more after that. It is a gradual process that takes time, and is a web marketing strategy you need to follow cautiously, but the end reward is un-matched by anything and you can make a ton of money in this business if you play it smart.

Don’t set yourself up for failure be sure to properly manage your expenses. Test your web site marketing campaigns so that you are always aware of what is working and what is not. Tweak the ones that are showing potential and scrap the ones, right away, that are not. This will save you thousands of dollars. STAY WITHIN YOUR BUDGET, nothing more nothing less, until you are ahead enough to invest a little more to grow a little more.

6. With everything in place, it is now time to promote your website.  This is where the rubber meets the road. It is a lot of information and far to many different Internet strategies which will show you hot to increase web traffic.

I have a newsletter that I send out to my subscribers that goes into more detail and it is done like a college course. Only in Internet terms we call it an e-course. You are welcome to subscribe to my newsletter, I am sure you will find it valuable and you will get some great free stuff from time to time to help you on your road to success. It is free to join, and you can sign up on the form that is just to the right of this post.   Good luck and I wish you years of success.

Manny F.

mannyf@webmarketingstrategysite.com