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- Email: support@cgdesign.net
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“Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.”
Henry Ford
The world is a big place
The hardest part about building a website isn't the design and development process, it's making it known to the world. You could have the best site on the internet, but if no one knows about it then is it really doing any good?
Since the late 1980's, when the internet was just starting to become commercially available, the number of websites that exist has grown exponetially. With hundreds of pre-packaged website creation systems out there, there are literally thousands of new websites being created and launched every single day. Fortunately, there are some simple steps that you can take to make your site known, and ultimately drive the necessary traffic to succeed.
With everyone carrying smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, the majority of people get their news online. No one likes watching commercials on TV, and newspapers usually either end up in the trash or inside a box when something needs shipped. If you want to be where your customers are going to see you then you need to to advertise where they spend the majority of their time...online.
Example of real-time website statistics
The following are screenshots taken May 15, 2015 of one of our customer's website traffic statistics before and after using online advertising. Given the particular industry that they are in, the overall numbers are relatively small as compared to other industries. However, this is simply an example of what online advertising can do for you in whatever industry you are in.
In the first image, the numbers for the month of January indicates the approximate traffic that they were seeing on a regular basis without online advertising. After launching an online advertising campaign, the following months saw increases in all categories across the board, and continue to grow with each cycle. The second and third images show traffic for the first week of January 2015 (before advertising) compared to March 2015 (2 months into advertising). Again, their numbers have consistently increased on a regular basis.
**NOTE** - Traffic numbers for May 2015 only account for half of the month due to screenshots taken mid-cycle
Types of online advertising available
The following are some a few examples of various types of online advertising that we can assist you with. For more information regarding the specifics of each type, as well as other types available, please do not hesitate to use our contact page for a free consultation with one of our representatives.
Keyword advertising
One of the best ways to generate webstie traffic is by targeting the words that your users will be searching for. For instance, if you own a furniture store in Pittsburgh then your users should be able to type "Pittsburgh funiture stores" and see your website in the search results. Likewise, they should be able to type "where can I buy a leather couch" and your site should appear.
Keywords advertising allows you to set a monthly budget that you are willing to spend. The best part is that you are only charged when someone clicks on a link to your website. This allows you to know how effective your advertising is, rather than wondering if someone even saw your ad in the newspaper or on TV. You know for a fact that they saw you because they clicked on your link and were taken to your website.
When advertising using keywords, you have the ability to set the geographical region that you want to cover the most. This allows you to target the areas that people are most likely to be willing to travel to your location. If you are an online store, you can limit your advertising reach to the U.S. or specific countries
In-line video ads
Youtube is the #1 online video website, and the second largest search engine next to Google itself. And if you've ever watched a online video, whether on Youtube, MSNBC or other, you have undoubtedly watched an ad played beforehand. Such ads are known as in-line advertisements.
TV audiences are dwindling as people watch more of their video content online. The cost of these types of ads generally range from $.10 to $.30 per view. While it's a little more costly than keyword advertising, the plus is that you can reach a large number of people for a lot less than producing a TV commercial. And let's face it, with the growing number of DVR's being used, how many people even watch your commercial that you spent thousands of dollars to create?
In the case of Youtube ads specifically, advertisers can target viewers by age, gender, location or by what types of videos they like to watch. Generally, the more focused your target audience is (i.e. Pittsburgh women between the ages of 18 and 35), the more the overall ad will cost. However, if the return on your investment has the potential of being quite large then it would definitely be advertising money well spent.
Backlinks
When Google filed for the patents for their search engine technology we learned a valuable piece of information in order to effectively promote a website. By having other sites link back to yours, this greatly improves your ranking in the search engine results.
Backlinks are essentially an agreement that a website owner will place a link to your website on theirs. Some charge for this service, while others use it as a trade tool (you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours). Regardless, it is essential that you generate as many backlinks as possible. The key is that the more popular the site is, and the higher it is ranked, the higher your site will be ranked simply because of the backlink.
There are some backlinks that can be done quite easily for free. Social media sites are the most popular websites on the internet. By using social media you can increase the rankings of your site with minimal effort. Spend a few minutes a day posting short messages, and you'll see your website traffic start to increase.
Purchase ad space
The majority of websites offer some form of ad space for purchase on their site. These from small sections flanking the sides of the page to full size banners at the top of the site.
This type of ad space is generally easy to come by if you're willing to pay the price. Unfortunately there is no set range of pricing, but is rather determined by the owner of the site in which you would like to place your ad. Some have created affiliate networks, allowing you to promote your site across various sites at one time. And while this may seem to be a good way to spend your advertising dollars, finding those willing to include your ad in their lineup can be a challenging task.
However, with the right partner it can also prove to be a solid way to get your message out there and to drive traffic to your site. Before Youtube, social media and the various other forms of advertising, ad space was the predominant way generate website traffic.
In the end there are various ways to mount an effective advertising campaign, but it's going to take some time to figure out the best approach for you and your business.