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Now that you’ve launched your beautiful new liveBooks website, it’s time to start thinking about how to get more website visitors that you can convert into customers. The right approach to increasing online traffic can push your site higher in search rankings and put your business ahead of the competition. As you build your web presence, you’ll notice that there are many ways to advertise your business online. Read on to learn the basics of these online marketing methods and find out what kind of online marketing is right for your unique business.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website to make it more visible in organic search results. Search engines focus on relevancy and quality, and a successful SEO marketing plan starts with keyword research to see what terms your target audience is using find your business, services, or products online. Once you have a list of keywords, you then incorporate them by using them in the following areas.

• Meta titles and descriptions: These are the short descriptions that Google shows on search results pages. Having keyword-focused, relevant meta titles and descriptions can increase the probability of search engine users navigating to your website from the list of search results.
• Image ALT tags: Google looks at image alt tags when crawling websites, so having keyword-rich, descriptive alt tags can help search engines better understand what your business is all about. Descriptive alt tags can also help visually impaired web users better understand your visual content.
• Page content: Last but certainly not least, incorporating your keywords into your content is a good way to encourage search engines to rank you for your most relevant search terms. Creating content based on your keywords can help give online searchers information they are looking for, and fresh, relevant content is something Google looks at in their ranking algorithm.

Links

Links to your website can also increase your SEO value. Google looks at links as a sign of credibility, so making sure you have quality links from trusted online directories and websites within your industry should be a focus in your SEO plan. Social links and shares can also help increase your online viewership, so figuring out a social media posting schedule is beneficial when promoting your business online.

Layout

Your layout also plays a role in SEO. Make sure you have a mobile-friendly design with simple navigation and an intuitive URL structure. Give your online visitors a user-friendly experience by setting up your website so that users can quickly find whatever information they’re looking for.

Leave it to the professionals

Investing in SEO is an important part of online marketing. Make sure you find an SEO practitioner that’s up to date on the constantly changing industry landscape and avoid unqualified SEO companies that may end up harming your online visibility rather than helping it. Beware of companies that use “blackhat” SEO techniques that may harm your website.

The Power of Local Listings

Visibility in local search results attracts nearby traffic, including mobile consumers. In addition to making location-based keywords a core part of your SEO efforts, it’s critical to make sure your business contact information is displayed prominently across the web. Make sure your NAP (name, address, and phone number) information is added to profiles on local listing sites like Google My Business, Facebook and Yelp. Having correct and consistent business information across the web is important for both search engines and actual users. Don’t lose a customer because of an incorrect phone number or address!

Search Engine Marketing

Like SEO, search engine marketing (SEM) can greatly increase your site’s visibility in search results. However, using SEM means paying for the privilege of being seen. Also called Pay-per-click (PPC), this type of advertising is available from major search engines like Google and Bing. PPC gives you a chance to display specific advertising messages in prominent paid-only search result areas above and below organic search listings.

Targeting is key when setting up a successful PPC campaign. You’ll want to make sure you’re spending your PPC budget on the right types of online searchers, so doing research before setting up your campaign, and constantly tweaking and testing your campaign setup will allow for the best possible results.

It’s important to do the following when setting up your campaign:

• Write keyword-rich titles and ad copy
• Setup geotargeting that makes sense for your business
• Bid on a combination of high- and low-competition keywords
• Create specialized landing pages for each PPC offer

While tools such as AdWords express make it easy to quickly start a SEM campaign, you may want to consider hiring an online marketer to lead your SEM strategy.