4 Mistakes Michigan Small Businesses Make with Internet Marketing
Internet Marketing Mistake 1 :
Hiring your teenage nephew because he took one web design class and he will give you a deal.
You may find this humorous but it happens all the time. The thing is, if I recommend someone as a financial planner based on a couple of high school courses, few people would trust their financial advice. This is not to say this person didn’t learn anything in school or wouldn’t try their best. But they just wouldn’t have the experience to compete with a professional.
But why is it that some Michigan small businesses are willing to hand over their SEO and Internet marketing to just anyone? Yes, it is possible to save money by hiring someone with less experience but you really aren’t saving any money when you have to pay a professional to do it again. Hire an experienced SEO expert that you can rely on and you will see real results.
Internet Marketing Mistake 2:
Getting your site optimized once and thinking you are done
Getting your site optimized is not like getting your car fixed, where you just drop the car off and come back a few days later to pick it up when it is finished.
Search Engine Optimization is more like changing your oil every $3,000 miles…it’s ongoing. Unless you want your engine to quit while you are driving, you maintain your vehicle about every 3 months. Similarly, if you want to keep your high search engine rankings this will take maintenance. Why? First, google is always adjusting their algorithms and as a result, the requirements for SEO techniques are constantly changing. And second, you are always in competition with other websites in your niche market. Just because you have a nice place on google today doesn’t mean you get to keep it forever. If your competitor works harder than you with their SEO strategies and Internet marketing, they will rank higher. It’s that simple.
Internet Marketing Mistake 3:
Getting your site optimized to generate traffic but your site looks terrible.
This is like inviting the whole neighborhood over for a bad party without food, drinks or entertainment. Just because you actually got people to come over doesn’t mean they will be entertained on their own and stay for a long time.
Internet marketing has 2 parts. The first part is generating traffic. The second part is keeping visitors on your site and converting them into customers. In addition to SEO techniques to drive traffic to your site, your website should be carefully planned and designed for an entertaining yet intuitive experience for your visitors.
Internet Marketing Mistake 4:
Not taking advantage of social media marketing
SEO and social media are not two separate entities anymore, they both play important parts in Internet marketing for your Michigan small business.
It is a common misconception that all search engine optimization takes place on page, for example, the use of keywords and phrases. Although on page SEO techniques are still crucial, off page SEO strategies are equally important for Internet marketing. Social media marketing can benefit your Michigan small business in 2 different ways. You can advertise directly through your social media sites by building relationships and keeping your followers aware of promotions and events. Additionally, by proving a link to your followers you can bring more traffic to your website, potentially increasing your search engine rankings even more.
Internet marketing for Michigan small businesses
Russ Cuthrell is a Michigan Internet Marketing and SEO Expert located in Shelby Township, Michigan. His company, Spyder Byte Media, helps clients like you with all of your Internet marketing needs and has helped hundreds if Michigan clients improve their search engine rankings and outrun the competition.