Michigan Small Business Internet Marketing FAQ

How can I be sure my site is listed first on Google?

Showing up in the search results before your competitors plays a huge part of internet marketing for small businesses. However, be careful as guaranteeing #1 results on Google is a promise that no one can truthfully follow through on. In fact, anyone that guarantees 100% that you will be number 1 in the organic search, is not being completely honest, especially if they are promising this in a short amount of time. This because there is never a 100% guarantee when it comes to ranking number 1 on Google. There are a number of factors to consider such as how competitive your market is and what your competitors are doing.

There are a variety of techniques used for search engine optimization. One thing you can be sure of is, if you put forth the time and effort and work harder than your competition, you will outperform them on the search engines.

How long does it take to rank well on Google?

As mentioned above, your site’s ranking will depend on how niche your market is for your Michigan business, and how well your competitors are marketing their sites.

If you are in a real niche market, or if your competitors are not optimizing their websites, you may see results in less than one month.

On the other hand, if you have a brand new site, in an competitive market, and your competitors are blogging 3 times a week, ranking well on Google may be a gradual process and will require more time and effort for you to outperform the competition.

Sometimes the time and effort spent ranking for a competitive phrase isn’t worth the investment. You might be better off optimizing for less competitive key words or phrases to receive a better return on investment.

Which type of Internet Marketing is Better?…Social Media or Search Engine Optimization?

The answer is a both. In today’s online marketing, search and social media are becoming more and more connected. For starters, Google takes into consideration how others interact with your website content on social media. So for example, if you share content from your website on Facebook, and this content gets a significant amount of comments or likes, this shows Google that information from your website was enjoyed by others.

Additionally, social media can influence search results through social search. This means when you search for a service online, sites you are linked to in some way via social media, will be listed first in the Google results .

After I drive Traffic to my Website, How do I Convert Visitors to Customers?

One misconception Michigan business owners have is that internet marketing only involves bringing people to their website. However this is only half of marketing your small business online. The oher part is converting your online visitors into customers. This doesn’t mean that a visitor always has to purchase something. Conversion can be a response to any call to action, such as following you on Facebook or filling out a contact form.

So how do you ensure a response from your online visitors? Your layout should not only be pleasing aesthetically, but the placement of the information requires a lot of thought and planning to make sure the site is easy to navigate and call to action items are easy to find.