Marketing: Online Marketing Basics

Marketing Methods

What Are The Primary Methods For Online Marketing

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
PPC (Pay Per Click)
Social Media

Which Method Should I Use

Each marketing method has its advantages, so many established businesses utilize all of them. If you are just starting out and only have enough resources to pursue a single method, here is some information that may help you decide:

SEO takes a while to establish but generally has the highest and most permanent returns on ROI.
PPC can produce an ROI immediately and only costs you as much money as you want to put into it.
Social Media requires a significant amount of time but costs very little.

Traffic Conversion And ROI

What Does 'Traffic Conversion' Mean

Traffic conversion means that your visitors are not just simply finding you. They are also engaging with you in a meaningful way. What a 'meaningful' engagement means is entirely up to you (such as directing a customer to contact you, visit your local restaurant, or purchase something from your online store).

What Does 'ROI' Mean

Return On Investment. Marketing yourself costs you time and resources, so in order to maintain a sustainable marketing model, you need to earn at least as much as you spend. Increasing your traffic conversion can increase your ROI. Understanding the potential ROI of investment can help you make more successful decisions in marketing.

How Do I Increase My Traffic Conversion and ROI

Study your target audience. Look at your business from your customers' perspectives. Gather information and analytics to help you measure your customers' behaviors. Ask yourself questions such as the following:

Is your website designed to engage your visitors in a meaningful way
Which keywords promote the type of engagement you are looking for
Which marketing method is best designed to maximize the ROI you need

Can You Help Me

Measuring Your Marketing Success

Why Is It Important To Measure My Success

Not only will it help you see if your marketing strategies are working, but it can also help you identify opportunities for improvement. It can also help you identify which marketing methods are the most successful in focusing more of your resources on what you know is working.

How Can I Measure My Success

Various analytical tools are available to help you measure your website's traffic. Depending on the complexity of your tool, you will be able to measure how many people are visiting your site, where your visitors are coming from, how long they stay on your site, and more. With that in mind, most website and business owners choose Google Analytics to help them measure their marketing success.

However, visitor analytics alone can only give you part of the picture. You will need to combine this with your data (such as revenue, costs, and so forth) to get a more actionable understanding of how you can adapt and improve upon your marketing strategies.