LESSON 1: GETTING STARTED
Before starting to market your website you need to make sure that your site is Search Engine Optimized and ready to market. If you are setting up a new website then this guide will help you make sure your site is set up propperly for maximum marketing potential. If you already have a website then it may need a little redesign to get it ready to market. Marketing a site that is not properly optimized will result in wasted effort.
START WITH A MARKETING CONCEPT
Before you design your website you will need a marketing concept. This will keep you focased on the sales goal of your website so that you only add elements to your site that support your goal. Lesson 3 will have a step-by-step guide to create your marketing strategy.
HELPING SEARCH ENGINES FIND YOU
Setting up your website with all the proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) elements will bring more potential customers to your website. It is well known that the majority of people who are searching for the location of a company are using the world wide web. When a potential client searches online for a product or service they use a search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing. Not all websites can be read & indexed by these search engines. You need to make your website as search engine friendly as possible so that your clients will find you online. Make sure that the "text" on your website is readable to Google and not in a "picture" form. Any words that are displayed on a "pic" will not be readable to the search engines and will not be indexed in a "Google" search.
CHOOSE YOUR DESIGN
What you see is not what you get. A web page is not a text and picture document. There is a lot of technical coding that goes on behind the scenes. You should learn these technical elements or enlist the help of a project manager to help you make a decision on the design of your website. The design should only be chosen to support your marketing concept. Web pages that are one big picture created by a graphic designer may not have any readable "words" on it. If you have an existing website with a lot of graphic design elements you should check to make sure that it is SEO optimized. Detailed instructions on how to design your website will included in lesson 4: Setting Up Your Website.
THE WEBSITE DEVELOPER
You should select a website developer who will be your web project manager. A project manager acts as your advocate to find the professionals you need to complete your project. You may need to enlist the following marketing people to complete your project: web designer, website dveloper, website manager, website hosting company, branding company, logo designer, graphic designer, overall marketing concept developer, website coder, data-base developer etc. Do not assume that your webmaster or marketing firm can do all of these jobs. Some website developers act as your project manager to decide what pros you will need and some web developers can do-it-all for you. Start with a web designer who knows website marketing and can be your project manager.
Your Marketing & Project Manager
Before Creating your Marketing Concept you will need to define your target market. An acurate definition of your product is essential for maximum sales potential. Learn how to describe your product so that it sells in Lesson 2.
GO ON TO LESSON 2:
FINDING YOUR TARGET MARKET
