| Online advertising can be a costly affair. | | | | Writing keyword rich content is ensuring that a |
| Yet we cannot afford to ignore advertising online, | | | | page on your site is highly focused on a particular |
| especially those of us whose primary business is | | | | topic that is the answer to one of the problems a |
| on the Internet. Newcomers to doing business | | | | prospective customer may have. |
| online often start with these steps: | | | | By performing search engine optimization, you can |
| | | | start to get some of the traffic from search |
| 1. Create a business website | | | | engines such as Google and Yahoo. This is free |
| 2. Pay to have the website submitted to search | | | | traffic, which would certainly boost your ROI if |
| engines | | | | you could convert them into customers. |
| 3. Pay to get traffic through pay-per-click ads | | | | Opt-in Lists |
| 4. Wonder why their ROI is so low | | | | An opt-in list is where a potential customer fills |
| This article will talk about two techniques, that | | | | out a form on your website requesting more |
| when used together can boost your website's | | | | information by email. Many websites do not have |
| traffic and increase your sales. The two | | | | this step, which is a huge mistake. A potential |
| techniques are search engine optimization and | | | | customer comes to your website because they |
| opt-in lists. | | | | have a problem to solve, and they think your |
| Search Engine Optimization | | | | website will help them solve it. |
| An online business will get the majority of its | | | | So why don't they buy? Maybe your website did |
| traffic through search engines. Hundreds of millions | | | | not answer all the questions they had, or maybe |
| of people go to the Internet each day looking for | | | | they wanted to think about it, and then found |
| solutions to their problems. Some of those people | | | | another site to buy at by the time they made up |
| have problems you can solve, and search engine | | | | their mind. Making a purchase online is often a big |
| optimization is the key to getting your website | | | | decision, and one prospective customers do not |
| seen by them. | | | | take lightly. |
| Let's say that a person goes to Google and types | | | | An opt-in list provides a middle ground between |
| in the search phrase, "inexpensive jewelry". | | | | buying and leaving. They can request more |
| Google decides which websites to show in two | | | | information without giving any billing information or |
| steps. | | | | paying anything. Someone who is on the fence |
| First, a pool of matching websites is created from | | | | about buying may be willing to sign up for more |
| all the websites Google knows about. A website | | | | information. |
| goes into that pool if it contains the words in the | | | | The opt-in list is your opportunity to start a |
| search phrase, in any order. When I was writing | | | | conversation with the fence sitters. The |
| this article, there were over one million websites in | | | | customers have already bought, and the people |
| that pool for "inexpensive jewelry". | | | | who will never buy have already left. The people |
| Second, Google decides which pages in that pool | | | | who sign up for more information want to be |
| of pages is most relevant to the search phrase. | | | | convinced, and have given you permission to do |
| Relevancy is partly determined by the content on | | | | so through email. So send them emails that |
| the page itself, and partly by links to that page. A | | | | address common concerns and questions. After a |
| page that has the search phrase exactly as the | | | | few emails offer them an introductory prices. |
| person typed it (e.g. "inexpensive jewelry") is | | | | Keep the conversation going, because if you do |
| more relevant that one that has the words in a | | | | not they will not be back. |
| different order (e.g. "jewelry is not inexpensive") | | | | An autoresponder will automate your end of this |
| or scattered over the page. Links to a page are | | | | conversation. The basic idea is that you write a |
| important, too. Any site that links to the page | | | | series of three or four email letters to go out to |
| with the text "inexpensive jewelry" is a vote for | | | | people who request more information. These |
| that page being highly relevant to that search | | | | letters are sent automatically at whatever interval |
| phrase. | | | | you specify. At any point, the person can reply |
| All this plus more goes into Google deciding which | | | | and the reply goes directly to your email so you |
| website to put first in the search results. And first | | | | can continue the conversation in person. If they |
| is where you want to be, if you want to be the | | | | have not bought by the end of the automated |
| one to solve a potential customer's problems. | | | | sequence, they probably will not, but at least you |
| While some aspects of search engine optimization | | | | had a chance to convert them into customers. |
| can be handled by a SEO consultant, there are | | | | Properly written autoresponder letters make it |
| two steps that are your responsibility. You know | | | | seem as if you're taking a personal interest in |
| your business and your customers better than a | | | | each potential customer. |
| consultant. Those two steps are keyword | | | | The power of combining these techniques is that |
| research and writing keyword rich content. | | | | search engine optimization helps you to get more |
| Keyword research is the process of predicting | | | | traffic to your website, and opt-in lists help you to |
| what likely customers will type into Google. Think | | | | convert the fence sitters to customers. You may |
| of this as figuring out what problem they have to | | | | still need to pay for online advertising, but your |
| solve for which your website is the answer. | | | | return on that investment can rise dramatically. |