Simple Strategies to Grow Your Business Online

Simple Strategies to Grow Your Business Online

There are countless ways to market your business online. From SEO, pay-per-click, social media and email, there are several options. Some are more effective than others, and it really depends on what you are selling and how you are selling it.

There are articles online from self-proclaimed experts that claim to have the end-all answer as far as what works. The truth is that what works for one business isn’t going to necessarily work for everyone.

There are some very simple strategies that will apply to every business looking to grow online. Here are a few that you should pay attention to, as they can greatly improve the results your business experiences online.

Diversify Your Marketing Channels

The saying, “Never put all of your eggs in one basket,” is one that everyone needs to take seriously when it comes to online marketing. Some businesses will experience amazing organic traffic through SEO, but one day a Google update might cut that traffic source off completely.

Then what? “If you are diversified you will survive, as you can just scale up the other traffic sources, but if you put all of your effort in SEO you will be left scrambling to find a solution. Test all available options and be as diverse as possible,” suggests Dr. Brett Moore, DDS, Smile Design Dentistry.

You always want to be prepared for the worst. While Facebook ads might be producing great results for your business now, what happens if the CPA is doubled or tripled? Would you still be able to operate profitably? Probably not, so it’s important to have several streams of traffic.

Understand How to Analyze All Available Data

There is so much data available to you, but many business owners simply don’t know how to properly analyze it. There are plenty of blog articles out there that break down how to look at data and make adjustments for improvements.

“At the very least you need to understand how to go into your Google Analytics account and see where your traffic is coming from, and how to segment it into valuable visitors that convert and then traffic that is essentially useless,” says Jonathan Rolande of House Buy Fast.

All of the top social media platforms have their own analytical data you can tap into, as do all email marketing software. Look at as much data as possible, as it allows you to make adjustments that lead to more sales and business growth.

Focus on Paid and Organic Traffic

The draw of search engine optimization is the thought of “free traffic,” but there really isn’t any such thing as free traffic. SEO costs a lot of money to do correctly, and while yes, when done right it attracts visitors, it requires constant tweaking and improvements in order to sustain those traffic levels.

“Organic traffic is great, and should be a part of everyone’s marketing strategy, but don’t forget paid options, like Facebook ads and PPC. You can even test certain keywords using pay-per-click and then target the ones that convert the best in your SEO campaign,” offers Tony Fountain, CEO of NOW Entertainment.

We talked about diversification above, and these are the two types of traffic your diversification strategy should include, along with email marketing. Then, within each you need to break it down even further, into different social media platforms, etc.

Set Micro-Goals

Every business is going to have hefty goals when it comes to their online marketing results, but it’s very difficult to reach them without having a clear path to reach those goals.

“You can’t have the goal of ranking number one for a specific keyword without a solid plan,” says Jeff Djevdet of Speed Property Buyers. “You need to have a link building plan, content creation map, and an outreach strategy, all set as micro-goals. They all work together to help you reach your big goal.”

Setting micro-goals also allow you to see small progress, which is motivational and keeps you on track. When you are able to see your hard work pay off it fuels your fire to keep pushing.