As the importance of SEO for online businesses increases those who are novice webmasters tend to overlook a vital aspect which is user experience. Just topping the rankings is not adequate if online visitors do not find a site to be of use. The objective of SEO is to attract online users to your site and the experience they have will determine their duration and if they will return.
To create a positive user experience one does not essentially need professional assistance like that what is required for SEO. Every web user is aware as to what sites catch their fancy and have you add them on as favorites. A web user is also very well aware as to what types of sites have one exit at the earliest. Therefore a webmaster has to try and ensure that his website falls in the former category.
Anthony Constantinou says, some of the features that attract visitors and keep them engaged are:
Design: The very first thing that has a positive or negative impact (depending on the user’s choice) is the overall design of the site as that is the first thing that they see and are influenced by. It needs to be aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing, so that any visitor is drawn in to explore the website in-depth. Having a sitemap is must to make navigation easy. This is an important area to focus on and it is always good to seek the opinions of a few folks about your site so as to gauge the reaction.
Clarity: When anyone visits your site they should have a clear insight as to what the site has to offer its visitors. If it is focused on a particular area or a niche segment it should be clearly mentioned on the home page itself. If any visitor is unclear about what exactly is on offer at your site they will be less inclined to remain or revisit it again.
Audio and Visual aids: Utilizing video and images makes any content interesting for its viewers. They provide users with an engaging experience and make them feel interested in exploring more and wanting to revisit the site. As a website owner has a short time to leave a lasting impression, video and audio inputs have a positive impact on first time visitors.
Regular updates: Making regular posts and installing fresh updates are mandatory for any site owner. Having links in the right areas in the content are essential and must also provide the user with various options to keep their attention span. The titles must be interesting for any content as this increases the possibility of getting extra clicks from visitors.
Suppose your website covers a broad spectrum of products and services and are classified under separate categories you will need to ensure that a link for each group is installed in the navigation menu. This facilitates visitors and makes it easy for them to navigate and locate the information they are seeking.
The easiest way to judge your website yourself is by asking the question that would you find it interesting if you came across it on an online search. The answer to that must always be a very emphatic yes.
Types of online marketing to generate traffic
The scope of Internet marketing is diverse and involves the use of numerous strategies and theories to generate sales. However not all of them are equally effective in sales generation as desired by any online business entrepreneur. The fundamental principle behind any Internet marketing strategy is to establish a business’s online visibility and this is accomplished using online marketing services to generate revenue and achieve optimum ROI.
The principle objective of utilizing Internet marketing is to be able to influence online visitors to take a pre-decided course of action. Anthony Constantinou says, “A good way of gaining a following is through offering newsletter subscriptions to visitors or even providing free downloads of software packages at your website.” These are just some of the many ploys that will attract traffic to your website and help to achieve desired results. Some of the other features that play a pivotal role in organizing a successful marketing campaign include the design and website structure. These include features like content, user friendly interface, having a sitemap, easy navigation etc. These elements have to be well balanced to attract the desired levels of online traffic to your website.
Some of the most effective Internet marketing tools that are a prerequisite for any website or online business promotion to be successful are as follows:
Search Engine Marketing (SEM): This is one of the most efficient online advertising strategies which are used to optimize an online business effectively. This strategy works in collaboration with SEO and is offered generally as a combined package deal for businesses of all sizes. In this the product or service keywords are used to create prospective links with other businesses of a similar or related niche. It works wonders to enhance a website’s relevancy and is an effective tool to have a website listed among the top rankings in SERPs. Having good SERPs will improve the flow of online visitors to your site and will also help to increase the conversion rate.
Pay per click: PPC or pay-per-click method is one of the most popular techniques used by online businesses to increase volumes of traffic to a site. The benefit here is that a vendor does not have to pay for advertising or for online advertisements, but only incurs a charge when an online user clicks on the company’s link or icon. It is also commonly referred to as cost per click (CPC) technique of marketing.
Banners: Before the introduction of SEM this was one of the most preferred and a popular mode of Internet marketing but thereafter has diminished, though it is still considered to play an important part. In this form of advertising, a website owner has to pay a charge for the banner space that is hired. Another way of doing this is by exchanging banners with other online businesses.
Email: A form of advertising that has been around since the early days of the Net and which still enjoys a decent measure of success is Email marketing. This involves sending mailers, newsletters etc. to prospective clients and helps to inform them of the products and services which are on offer.
About The Author
Anthony Constantinou writes articles for health and finance industry, including the current business trends and professional advice. Apart from writing, he enjoys doing social work, charity, love traveling, playing indoor and outdoor games, and loves interacting with all right-thinking people. You can get to his write-ups by typing the word “Anthony Constantinou” into Google.
