You’re pumped to get a new website, but do you have the correct website marketing strategy in place? Every business needs a website to stay relevant these days. One mistake business owners often make when getting a new website is going straight to web development without considering the web presence strategy—or even their own audience. You know that saying, “Build it, and they will come?” It’s just as wrong in this situation as it is in most other situations.
Here are six reasons why you need a website marketing strategy before contacting a web developer about a new website. Why six, you ask? We thought seven would be too convenient, and five seemed lazy.
6 Reasons Why You Need a Website Marketing Strategy
Website marketing strategies understand websites as a business asset and create a certain business objective.
Web presence marketing companies look at your website like the business asset that it is, a marketing tool that represents your business to the World Wide Web. That’s billions of potential customers. A website creation strategy harnesses your website in front of the right customers. Web developers, on the other hand, focus more on website design and less on website design strategy. A good looking website is important, but if people aren’t visiting the sexy website, it really doesn’t matter how good it looks.
Website marketing strategy keeps marketing in mind.
Web designers are there to build and launch your website. This is their main focus; the relationship rarely goes beyond a few months, and the outcome is very tangible. A web presence marketing agency is in it for the long haul. They consider your end marketing goal and create a marketing strategy accordingly. If the website doesn’t work with the marketing strategy, it won’t be an effective marketing tool. Consider that fact that your website developer is taking direction from you (likely not a web marketing expert) he or she is simply getting the “I feel” portion of building a website.
“I feel this looks good.”
“I feel that we should talk about x, y & z.”
A website marketing company will be there to sherpa you through the process and make sure your website brings you business instead of showcasing the fact that you have a dog and like to put pictures of it online.
Website marketing strategy focuses on generating leads.
Something as simple as putting your company phone number in an obvious and easy-to-find location is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT ways your customers will do business with you. At Post Launch, there isn’t a week that goes by where we work on a website that is missing this obvious conversion opportunity. It’s not that your web developer / designer wants to hurt your business. Phone numbers aren’t visually appealing, so they are often overlooked.
A website marketing partner in crime will make sure you have all appropriate calls to action in the right amount, in the right locations on your website.
Website marketing strategy considers the user experience.
Look at online shopping sites. We see websites with product descriptions, prices, pictures, and all the pieces that make for a normal online store. However, when it comes time to make a purchase, your shopping cart and checkout process is four pages deep. This is a lot of time for someone to sit (on their mobile device most likely) on their computer to buy what you are selling.
This goes back to web designers being more focused on how a website looks than the actual function of the website to bring in business. While they may have experience in design, they don’t have the knowledge necessary to create a website that focuses on how a typical user or potential customer will flow through a website to get to the ending result the business wants. Whether that be the “buy now” page, the “contact us” page, or the “fill out this form” page, web marketing agencies focus user experience. Web designers don’t always consider this aspect when developing your website.
Website marketing strategy understands your business.
Sure, you might get a question along the lines of “Show me some websites you like.” It’s likely that what you “like” online isn’t always the best for your business.
“We don’t care what you like… We care what your customers like.” Michael Smith, CSO at Evus Technologies.
At the end of the day, the guy or gal building your website doesn’t need you to do more business or make more money off your site. A web presence marketing firm has to produce results long-term, or you fire them—it’s that simple. Web designers and developers are not invested in your business the way internet marketing firms are.
We are in it for the long run, working tirelessly to see your business improve through increased website traffic, brand awareness and other website marketing strategies.
Often website development companies offer “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” packages with a developed site. The reality is that most only scratch the surface. Comprehensive SEO strategies embrace hundreds of keywords and search phrases as well as embracing a myriad of other practices.
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Content Syndication
- Technical Site Optimization
- And about a dozen other tactics designed to make sure you are getting the best possible traffic for your firm.
It’s worth repeating that a fast, sexy, new website is the cornerstone of an adequate online marketing campaign but having a web presence marketing company helping you through that process can make it less painful, less expensive and easier on both you and your web developer.
If you are in the market for a new website, stop shopping for developers now! Call an internet marketing company, like Post Launch, and make sure the website in development is created with your long-term marketing goals in mind.
