80/20 Strategies for Web Marketing, Business Systems, & Personal Productivity
Search Engine Optimization, if done right, is no easy task. Like any other online marketing strategy, lots of time and subtle decision-making is involved in a high quality SEO Campaign. Still, for virtually any small business today, some form of online marketing is necessary – even vital to success. Search Marketing to obtain organic rankings is one of the best investments a small business operation can make.
In this post, I want to offer some quick-and-easy Internet Business Strategy ideas for those interested in a do-it-yourself solution. Keep in mind that I still believe the absolute best solution for a complete beginner is to find a consultant or a small firm to advise you on the tricky parts and to offer some initial guidance. But if you are savvy and eager, doing it yourself is a great way to go!
And though this post is targeted towards “small business online marketing” – I use that term very loosely. This information could apply equally to a new local restaurant or an e-commerce shop for golfing enthusiasts. But these tips are intended mostly for beginners.
I do want to be clear about one thing before we get started: All three of these tips are closely related to the SEO services we offer at our niche marketing websites. I don’t mean to be overly self-promotional in this article, but we offer these services and they are successful for an important reason – they work!
Let’s face it, great content is essential to any SEO strategy. You need high-quality content on your blog posts, website pages, press releases, social media campaigns, and everything else under the sun. This should come as no surprise – the same rule applies in the offline marketing world.
ACTION STEP: Depending on your budget and needs, find a professional copywriter and/or an article writing service to manage all of your writing needs. Unless you’re a strong writer *and* you have the time to do it all, this is absolutely essential. You should be able to find a quality writer for $25/hr or about $10-$20 per post/article. Our average rate at www.SeoArticleWritingPros.com and www.SeoBloggingPros.com is $10 per 400 word SEO’d post.
Now that we have the content writing element underway, it’s time to start putting some of that content to use. If you don’t already have a blog for your small business operation, it’s time to get one. This is the absolute best way to communicate with your customer/client base and to build trust behind your brand name.
ACTION STEP: Setup a blog on your domain or get a blog at WordPress.com free. The first option is much smarter but will likely require hiring someone to set everything up and give you the low-down on blogging. A standard blog setup with SEO elements already in place will run you about $500-$1000 depending on your needs.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Article submission is one of the best, easiest, cheapest, and most effective online marketing strategies around. Guess what? More writing is involved here too. Now you can see just how important Strategy #1 from above really is.
ACTION STEP: Get started on a free article directory like www.EzineArticles.com or hire an article marketing service to do it all for you. This is something you should be doing consistently and effectively. (To read more about this essential strategy, click here: article marketing) The cost for this step should be free unless you hire someone to do it – not a bad idea if you’re looking to outsource everything and get it on autopilot. Our service at www.ArticleMarketingSEO.com starts at $39 for a basic campaign, including article writing and Keyword Targeting/Optimization.
These three strategies are a great way to get things moving for your Small Business Search Engine Optimization Campaign. It may not seem like a lot, but by getting these three items together, you will see a major transformation in your online marketing results within months.
The reality is most of your competitors are not doing any of this. Even if they are doing some, their efforts are probably scattered and inconsistent. Start small and focus on following a simple schedule and scale-up from there. Jumping in with an overly ambitious plan can quickly become overwhelming. Long-term planning and regular effort is what really counts in Internet Business Strategy.
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I have recently implemented article marketing via Ezinearticle. I did not know how important this is but I’ve just heard that is is worth the effort. I’m truly glad I’ve did it because you have affirmed in this post its importance. I have submitted 8 of my blog articles and it was all approved. I was so happy, I though it will be rejected.
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