Many people don't understand the bigger picture when it comes to marketing a site online. There are many aspects of marketing a site online. I would like to highlight a few of them here, so you can be informed. If you would like to set up a time to talk about marketing your website, you can email me.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is probably the first thing people think of when it comes to online marketing. Through SEO, you can generate more traffic for free by getting higher ranking in search engines. SEO is an important part of marketing a website, but is only a part of the larger picture. The best way to optimize your site for search engines is to ensure the code is formatted properly, and use well titled pages, with clean web address and links in the text. It is also important to have a blog, or constantly updated content.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

PPC is a great way to drive traffic to your site quickly and fast. With PPC, you only pay if they click, and you can control your users' experience much more than if they find your site from non-paid (organic) results. It is important to word PPC ads well, attracting only the right visitors. Since you are able to decide what page they will land on, your are able to structure your site to guide them through it, to help them find what they are looking for.

Traffic Vs. Marketing

There are lots of ways to drive traffic to your website. Marketing each site is different, and there are a lot of untapped ways of getting your name out. There are many ways to launch your brand online, and PPC and banner ads do little to contribute to building your brand. There are ways to build your brand online fairly quickly and create a buzz, but that simply can't happen with traditional marketing like PPC.

Social Marketing

Services like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are some of the best ways to start creating hype. The more you can get people talking about your business without asking them to, the faster you'll spread. You'll have to do the initial work, sure, but your goal should be to get the ball rolling in such a way that it becomes self perpetuating. This is possible through social marketing.

Relational Marketing

The internet makes communication fast and easy, and has be come a rather relational place. People want to feel a connection to people when browsing the internet. The more you can relate to your users, and help them relate to you, the more comfortable they will feel on your site. It is important that users feel related to on your site, or at least can find relational content if they want it. Many companies make the mistake of being so professional, they lose the warm touch that should accompany their message.

Creating Your Users' Experience

The above described methods are all ways of generating traffic for your site. While it is good to generate traffic, it is even more important what your users find once they land on your site. Your site should be easy to navigate, and should guide your users to what they are looking for. You want your users' experience on your website to be relaxing and easy. Not only will this help more traffic to buy your product or service, but it will make them want to tell others, making your site spread faster (and cheaper). Learn more about user centered design.