Development of websites as sales’ tool

This is the second article in the series about the business development online. In the first article we looked at factors disturb to create business in the right manner, but this time we will examine the structural scheme that gives a chance to website to become a sales’ tool.

The processes are analysed from the perspective how to become a leader and dominate in the information field. Many big enterprises with millions in turnover still show a very weak performance in the online environment that gives you a chance to conquer a free niche and secure a guaranteed, big extra income many years in advance.

Consequently the business success online is determined by the ability to obtain the flow of target audience to website and its conversion into clients – by making a purchase (online shop) or showing interest in buying goods/services by sending e-mail, calling or communicating via contact form.

If you do not have flow, then you do not have business online. Probably your understanding about obtaining flow limits with

a. Online advertisement banner

A big, glimmering banner in some of the most visited Latvian portals, for example, inbox.lv or delfi.lv. Not only it is very expensive, but obtained flow is short-term (for advertisement period) and its quality is weak. The majority of visitors would impulsively decide to look at the offer and then, in the same impulsive manner, they would leave your website.

b. Profile in business catalogues

Business profile, for example, zl.lv or 1188.lv. The struggle for the information position in the top 3 places cost thousands. In the annual report, it is visible that the information about the company has been given seemingly thousand times. There is one nuance – those who can read Google Analytics data clearly see that you have received insignificant flow, but those who have installed e-commerce benefit trace know that there have actually been only a few conversions.

The medal has also other side. The flow itself does not secure business results. It is secured by conversion. The conversion is a synergy of technical possibilities (presentation of information) and the brand power. The company’s activities online is only a projection or mirror of your offline activities. One cannot hope for fantastic results in sales without corresponding offline cover – quality of goods/services, pleasant service environment, excellent service, etc.

However, by working in right manner internet is a medium with the highest segmentation possibility; namely, the work is mainly with target audience. It allows achieving the best ROI rate among media.

Let’s have a look at the possible sources of target audience’s flow or income.

1. Paid flow of target audience

Paid search gives a possibility to receive immediately the flow from target audience. Search engine advertisement platforms secure a precise presentation of ads according to the visitors’ search. By using cookies and Google partner network, it is possible to continue to offer ads.

Google Adwords is the most well-known online paid search platform in the world. The main payment criteria are allocated advertisements, correspondence of landing site to the search, and CTR (click-through-rate) index (search rate vs click rate). We have to note, that compliance of flow is determined by Google algorithm, as a result there are some rubbish that have to be removed constantly (not corresponding or negative key words).

When extending business internationally, it is important to acquire the paid flow from Yandex (Russian speaking area), Bing (USA, etc.), Baidu (China) and so on.

It is impossible to examine the paid flow without website optimization (p.4.) as it would not be profitable. Our e-commerce flow tracking statistics show that direct investment return is weak, therefore I have to sadden a whole bunch of this separate service buyers. In this category you can find, for example, Infomedia clients in whose website offered comparison between SEO and Adwords in favour of Adwords is a deceptive sales trick.

Although Google advertisements resemble search results, people identify them now better. In the comparison with SEO, direct conversion results will be weaker. As you have read before, thepaid flow is only one of 10 main channels that influence person’s final decision for making purchase.

However, the aim of advertisement is to secure a huge number of exposure, in order to promote the brand recognition. It will promote the SEO conversionrate, as long you are easily found in the information field (for example, Google first page).

2. Referral flow

These are links in other web resources to company’s website. These are textual links or links below pictures (banners, logos, etc.). These are divided into links that are useful and that are not useful for the promotion of Google ratings, but all will secure extra flow of visitors. They are created naturally (people refer to qualitatively created content) or artificially (SEO (p.4.) as paid banners, articles, comments, and profiles in business catalogues as purposefully placed advertisement, etc.

3. Content creation

Qualitative content is an excellent source of flow. Its added value in conversion will show in long-term by obtaining loyalty credit from certain volume of visitors.

We can divide into 2 content directions for obtaining flow:

1. Maintenance of news and blog section where are created company and sector’ news and the sector leader opinion is published. You should promote certain persons (1-2) for whom the status of Google identified author is obtained for all created content with greater added value – in the Google search results besides the link photo and Google+ followers are shown. It increases the content recognition and visitation (CTR).
   

   This content must be processed technically, one must artificially create links, divert flow from social profiles (receiving social gratitude signals (likes, shares, etc.), so as a result of integrated work would obtain maximally high content positions in Google, that, in return, would give additional target audience natural flow (SEO).

2. Information field becomes social. It includes the biggest social networks in the world. The profiles in social networks allow reaching easily wider number of persons. Each entrepreneur hopes on viral effect of their prepared news – enormously fast spread within unlimited number of users. In Latvia, in the standard cases are created profiles on Twitter, Draugiem.lv, Facebook, Google+ and Youtube.
   

   In the social profiles, in the form of short messages (text or text + prepared suitable pictures) with a reference to extended source (website) you must inform followers about local and international sector and company news. It allows addressing the target audience, because only it is interested in the extended layout of information (and your profile followers are already part of it).

   The advertisements on social networks are crucial for development – content exposures and promotion of following the profile on Draugiem.lv, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Not taking into account segmentation possibilities, the correspondence to target audience is smaller than to direct information field searches, therefore I enlist these advertisements here.

4. SEO

SEO’saim is a promotion of referral, content and natural (Google and other search engines) target audience flow, anincrease in conversation (creation of distance credibility), and an increase in stay time of website visitors as one of the Google quality assessment indicators in the determination of content positions.

The planning and activities of SEO occurs according tothe average indicators of statistical data that allow rather precisely determining the characteristics of information search and use of the majority of persons. It allows avoiding from the discussion about clients’ and specialists’ subjective opinions that usually takes a lot of energy. It includes also any perception of graphical design.

The technical activities include:

1. Website optimization – textual, graphical constant (daily) improvement (the changes of texts and graphical elements, in order to achieve a good information perception and (website) usability) according to the newest research and correct preparation of metadata according to the Google information reading standards.
   

   In relation to these works, it is necessary to involve graphic designer and programmer. Our company include these works into SEO service with a united monthly fee. As a result of these works, the administrative panel is constantly improved that allows changing easily the structure of website, monitoring by receiving different types of reports (for example, leads (interest for purchase), registration of purchases, payments, monitoring of comments, questionnaires’ reports, etc.);

2. The creation of artificial links outside website (referral flow – p.2.);

3. The coordination of qualitative content – the identification of searched themes online and according content creation (p.3).

5. E-mail marketing

Beautiful, precisely targeted campaigns can give a very good ROI. Therefore is necessary to have a source for gathering clients’ e-mails, for whose use is given direct or indirect permission – any kind of contact forms.

With e-marketing you can work separately from other flow types; however, it has all the same elements – title, address, graphical elements, landing sites, etc. The biggest regional e-mail marketing service Mailigen just started to offer A/B test opportunities for the most important elements.

As you can see, online marketing requires a complex approach. When you have learned about the online business structure, you might be interested in the article by my colleague Ignats about investment return (ROI) in online marketing.