Category: Search Engines, SEO

We’ve spoken about the importance of a strong and professional presence in the world of e-commerce as a crucial plan to growing your business even if you are already doing well in a brick and mortar storefront operation. Successful business owners are also aware of the importance of establishing a reliable and recognizable brand for their products/services. With the proliferation of e-commerce sites on the internet, developing and protecting one’s brand is even more crucial.

Your website is a potential customer’s first impression of who you are, whether or not your product/service is what they are looking for and ultimately if they are confident enough in your name (brand) to make a purchase before they leave your site. Your brand is also what sets you apart from the competition. Keep in mind that the stronger your presence is and the more confidence that consumers have in your brand, the more others will try to cash in on your hard work by using likenesses of your brand for their personal gains. Brand protection then becomes even more important than ever, since it is your hard earned reputation that is on the line.

Whether your business is considering following the trend of exclusive e-commerce transactions or you are looking to expand your client portfolio; having a professionally designed e-commerce website will be your first and most crucial step to success. While your company may be doing fine taking care of clients in a traditional brick and mortar facility, there are just as many, if not more, potential customers that either prefer to shop online or live too far to get to you.

Remember that in the world of internet shopping, all roads lead to you, and that is true whether you offer specific products or services. Regardless of what business your company specializes in, you are probably not the only one trying to sell the same or a similar product/service. In today’s market place, a virtual store cannot be more real; the sales are real, the customers are real and of course the money they spend is very real.  One of the advantages of expanding your business into the virtual world of e-commerce is that once you have your site set up, there is very little overhead to keep it running.

While there are many complex factors that go into making sure the right people land on your website, there are three key elements that will help ensure search engines will actually get the right people to you. Websites that have been designed by industry professionals will typically focus each page according to specific elements, products or services pertaining to your business. These are generally known as landing pages because depending on the words or phrases someone enters when searching for something, search engines will direct them to that specific page.

As a business, you want people to be directed to the page of your website that is directly related to the words or phrases they used in their search. For example, if your company sells kitchen appliances and also does repairs, you will most likely have a separate page for small appliances, large appliances and one for repair services. If someone who is looking to have their dishwasher repaired lands on the page of your website that deals with selling toaster ovens, chances are they will simply go to another site. This is where experienced copywriting plays a crucial role. Each page of your website must contain the right keywords and phrases that will direct users to the information they are looking for on their first attempt.

While business has always kept their bottom line in mind, budget constraints have given the term ROI (Return on Investment) a whole new meaning when it comes to assessing expenditures. Even today when having a strong internet presence is crucial in expanding one’s market share, costs of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) campaigns are being more closely monitored for their value.

An important phrase that is strongly being emphasized by SEO providers such as Metamend in relation to ROI is WordPlay. There are many complex factors that go into a successful SEO plan but trade professionals understand the importance of paying close attention to WordPlay when it comes to enhancing a company’s online presence. It simple terms, this means that greater focus must be put on the selection of which specific words/phrases will produce the best possible ROI along with strong branding opportunities. Of course this word/phrase selection must also meet the requirements of search engines since they are the ones that will determine how easily and quickly users will find your website.