Effective online marketing

eSellArt · 05-06-09

Hi all,
I'm new to marketing online and was wondering if anybody could provide some advice on how to drive a bit of traffic to my site? naturally being a small business there are only so many hours in the day so i would like to spend my time effectively.
Any tips on order of importance would be useful. What i believe i need to do is:

List my business on web directories
Join some forums, discuss my issues / support the online business community
Maybe some well placed sponsored ads?

I'm sure there must be other things but at the moment i don't know my twitter from my twellow!

David.Pagotto · 07-06-09

Hello Adam,

Just to let you know your website does not work correctly in Internet Explorer. It works fine in Mozilla so I presume you are using a browser other than IE. A large percentage of people use IE so I would strongly suggest fixing it. You are using Joomla! 1.5 and there should not be any issues with IE display.

Here are some tips in regards to traffic:

1. On site SEO techniques (these are by far the most powerful in gaining SE ranking).

- Firstly I can see that you have packed about 50 keywords into your pages. As Below.

(Canvas prints, giclee canvas prints, canvas art prints, canvas print, canvas printing, large canvas print, framed canvas print, canvas print photo, printing on canvas, art Brisbane, print Brisbane, canvas art Brisbane, picture shop, picture shop Brisbane, framing shop Brisbane, art, pictures, photographs, prints, canvas, pop art, interior design, contemporary, modern, retro, cool, funky, chic, scenery, landscape, giclee prints, canvas art, large art, cheap art, modern art, abstract art, photo canvas, canvas pictures, photos on canvas, digital art, wall artwork, original art, décor ideas, artwork prints, childrens artwork, decorating ideas, baby shower ideas, wall decoration, picture of the day, wall mount pictures, photos to canvas, wall art, wall hangings, art to suit your decor, photos transferred to canvas, Australian art gallery, large art on canvas, pictures, pitures, picures, pitures, pictures, picturs, photos, pichers, picters, picyures, pitures)

You really need to slim these down to 8-12 concentrated key words. There is a google tool you can use to find key words, I would go for the keywords which are relevant without much competition.

- Update your page content regularly.

Off site techniques include gaining relevant back links, forums, web directories and a ppc campaign.

Please let me know if you need any specific help.

minlky · 11-07-09

finding your niche keywords and working with that is one of the best ways of doing this.

Targeting those keywords with a great mix of similar information on different pages helps your site to become well known for the terms you choose.

Candise · 17-08-09

For anyone involved in Internet Marketing or for anyone wishing to become involved, a quick rundown of these marketing tools may prove helpful. Here’s a brief list and a few pointers on how to effectively use these marketing tools.

1. Domain Name
Lets start at the very beginning. Your domain name should be considered your first Internet marketing tool. Pick it right and your domain name can also be your most effective marketing tool. Get it wrong and it may spell game over.

2. Keywords
Keywords, what surfers type into search engines to find what they’re looking for, are the real building blocks of the web. They are the single most important element in any online marketing venture. Pick the right keywords and you’re in business, pick the wrong keywords and again, it’s game over.

Therefore, you must have special keyword software or use some online sites or services to help you pick the right keywords. Many top marketers use WordTracker.com, GoodKeywords.com, or the new Keyword Elite by Brad Callen. A superior keyword research product will supply valuable information: number of searches made each month, amount of competition and the top sites targeting your keywords.

Remember, you must target the right keywords with your site or online marketing. Targeted keywords draw targeted traffic (customers) to your sites or products. The right keyword software or program will have a direct correlation to the success or failure of your online marketing efforts. So choose wisely!

3. Articles
Many marketers believe in and rely upon purely organic SEO techniques for marketing their sites. One simple method of organic SEO is writing and submitting keyword related articles around the topic of your website with links back to your site. As other sites display your articles you gain valuable one-way links back to your site. Search engines then follow all of these links and rank your site highly for the keywords in these articles. For this reason the modest article may prove to be the single most important marketing tool you have in your arsenal.

As your site becomes highly ranked for these keywords, other sites will want to link to your site in order to become optimized for those same keywords... article keyword marketing is one of the most effective Internet marketing tools at your disposal. Used properly if can position your site in the search engines and bring in all that highly prized targeted traffic.

Keep in mind, many Internet marketers have side-stepped the whole SEO optimization process by going directly to search engines and buying their traffic with PPC pay-per-click advertising. Overture and Google Adwords program are good examples of this method. Marketers bid on clicks to their site’s keywords and bring in targeted customers. In knowledgeable hands, PPC marketing is an extremely effective and lucrative marketing tool.

4. Lists
The backbone of any Internet marketing system is the list. It is another marketing tool you can’t do without. The list is simply a large database of contacts, people who have given you permission to email or contact them. These are subscribers who have opted-in to your ezine or newsletter. Most successful marketers keep countless different databases for each product or topic they’re targeting with their marketing.

Ezines or newsletters are vital Internet Marketing tools that no online business should ignore. It is essential you keep in contact/touch with your past and future customers. You must build an ongoing relationship and connection with your customers.

Besides your ezine or newsletter, many marketers also set up lists of affiliates to help promote and sell their products. Never underestimate the power of an affiliate system as an effective marketing tool. It is the stuff Empires are made of! Once a marketer has acquired a large list of loyal contacts or affiliates—the flood waters open up. Opportunities for JVs or Joint Ventures with other online marketers make for serious cash flow.

5. Blogs And RSS Feeds
Blogging and RSS feeds have become essential marketing tools for savvy online marketers. Online journals or blogs are all the rage, especially in the marketing field. These blogging systems such as WordPress are great content management tools that will quickly build a content-rich site, pulling in targeted traffic from the search engines.

Search engines are enamored with blogs and RSS feeds mainly because blogs provide fresh content, the main lifeblood of every good search engine. For this reason no site should be without a blog and RSS feed, it will keep your content regularly visited and indexed by the search engines. In addition, all that information and content is a perfect tool for drawing potential customers to your products and services.