Blue Archer Blog

When a business or organization is planning its internet marketing campaign, the first step (as with any other plan) should be establishing goals. What do you want to get out of each of your efforts? What are your metrics for tracking these goals? Additionally, your goals should be specific to each component of internet marketing. A goal for your AdWords campaign might be to increase conversions or actual form submits on your website. The purpose of link building may be to increase the organic positioning of a keyword in Google. Some goals may seem more straightforward than others, and it is sometimes most difficult to establish a clear goal for social media.

In year's past, companies that had a "digital" marketing strategy were trailblazers. They were exploring new methods of marketing that might someday become standards, albeit supplemental ones. But in today's era of fragmented television markets and the bankruptcy and splintering of print advertising outlets, the internet has become something more than a supplemental marketing resource for many firms: it has become the best method of generating sales.

Internet Marketing, simply stated, involves the generation of user traffic to your website. Internet Marketing is dominated by two primary areas and tactics: Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) describes the practice of structuring your website in such a way that Google and other search engines rank your pages at the top of appropriate searches. This is achieved by utilizing a series of tools and best practices to determine the best keywords to include in your website's code and content, and then ensuring these keywords are properly integrated into your website.

I recently discovered a new Google Tool: Browser Size. This tool helps you understand how your website appears to different users, using different browsers. This is especially relevant to web design, but it also makes you think about the marketing goals of your website.  What do you want visitors to do when they come to your site? Are they seeing that option immediately or do they need to scroll to find that information presented on the page?

It's no secret that the internet marketing scene has witnessed an influx of new methods and tools in the past calendar year. Internet marketers will gladly tell you that "Content is King," and that blogging or Tweeting are essential efforts for businesses who want to strengthen their online presence. Often lost in the discussion is perhaps the marketing world's oldest utility: the press release.