As we enter the post-Covid world with shops opening up, entertainment coming back and the chance to see friends and family again, everything will soon be back to normal. However, one thing that has changed is consumer behaviour. That’s why your web marketing matters now more than ever.
The internet is where most people look for businesses, products, or any other information they need. The majority of people no longer rely on phone books (even though companies still insist on printing them!). That’s why you need to be visible when someone searches for something you offer or something related to your business. However, not only do you want to be found, but you want to look good while doing so.
A well-designed website is important when it comes to forming a positive first impression with customers. In most cases, your site will be the first place they come in contact with you, especially if they found you through a search engine or a link given to them by a friend. In fact, they’re likely to visit your site before even visiting your store or approaching your staff.
However, even if your site is attractive, attracting customers means ranking high in search engines. There are many ways to increase the number of visitors to your profile, but much of it boils down to your marketing. In short, digital marketing is important to your business.
Working with algorithms
Google uses SEO to determine which sites are worthy of ranking highly on its search results page. But the tricky thing here is that they are constantly updating their algorithm (a process or set of rules to be followed) to help users find the information they need from the best and most relevant sources possible.
When it comes to optimising areas of your website, there are elements to look at, such as Core Web Vitals, Page Experience and Search engine optimisation (SEO).
One of the most important is Core Web Vitals which essentially provide metrics from user experiences that are analysed by Google. They indicate things like: Is the page loading quickly? What is the speed of the interactive feature? How fast does it stabilise? Basically, you need to know how visitors experience your site when they’re using mobile or desktop devices in terms of speed, how quickly they can interact with it, and so on.
All of these factors change based on your marketing strategy and is the core reason why web marketing should be getting your attention because improving your website will increase the Google ranking it has and therefore increases the number of website visits you get.
According to Google’s own research, pages with Core Web Vitals perform 24% better when it comes to visitor retention. So if you haven’t put time into improving your site’s Core Web Vitals, you really should.
Getting found on Google (et al)
High search engine rankings are correlated with high-end optimisation work and an appealing website, so if your site meets these criteria, you’ll be more likely to be found. If it doesn’t, you’re in trouble. Many marketers consider SEO to be an essential part of their work and according to this study, 50% of marketers believe that SEO is the most effective digital marketing strategy around.
As mentioned before, Core Web Vitals and SEO are just two reasons why web marketing has become so important. Even with the world going back to normal, consumer habits are trending towards doing things online – from getting groceries to more lavish purchases and anything in-between. And while it’s true that the type of business you run will dictate the specific digital marketing approach that may work for you, the fact is that whichever route you take, digital marketing is now a pretty fundamental part of running a business.
More ways to market
While putting time into Core Web Vitals and SEO will each improve the traffic to your website, there are other ways you can market online as well. Two of the most popular are social media and pay per click (PPC) marketing.
Going social
Social media marketing is the process of creating content specifically for platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok (or any others you feel might work best for your business), to drive engagement and brand awareness. The purpose of social media marketing is to connect with your customers and help them understand your brand better. There are never any guarantees, but in our experience, you’re likely to see incredible brand reach if you do social rights. To that end, you should pick your platforms carefully rather than scatter gunning; using the ones commonly frequented by your target audience and producing a sensible cadence of content to help you reach out to them at an effective rate.
The most popular social media networks are the ones where users spend vast amounts of their time, day and night (e.g. Facebook). If your business isn’t on social media, it should be. And if it is, you should learn how to take advantage of consumer habits so that you can generate some major results.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC is a great way to generate click-throughs to your website through search engine advertising, rather than ‘earning’ those clicks organically through SEO and optimised content.
With PPC, every time your ad is clicked, sending a visitor to your website, you pay the search engine a small fee. (The clue’s in the name, really!).
When your PPC campaign is well-designed and runs smoothly, that fee will seem insignificant since visits will be worth far more to you than what you paid. A £10 click may result in a £300 sale. In cases like that, PPC can be a no-brainer.
However, relying solely on PPC can be a risky move – and a financially draining one, since you’re essentially buying your way into your potential customers’ eyeline rather than earning it through building a credible site with optimised content and great word of mouth generated through social media. The buzz that comes from a brand earning success simply because people love what it does and how it goes about doing it simply cannot be underestimated.
Being authentic is powerful for consumers – especially in a post-pandemic world where online shopping is more popular than ever, new brands are breaking through each day, and customers are becoming ever more mindful of things like ethics and sustainability. All of these things and more show just why web marketing has become so important in 2021.
So… why is digital marketing important for your business?
More like ‘why isn’t it!’
Things were already heading that way before a year of enforced lockdowns, but Covid-19 has accelerated digital transformation in every sector. Digital has become the way consumers research and buy products and services – from anywhere, on multiple devices, whenever they feel like it.
In short, digital marketing matters now more than ever. If you want to compete amidst this new new normal, marketing your brand’s products and services online is arguably the most powerful and impactful thing you can do.
If you need help doing just that, or you’re simply looking for advice on how to take your business online in the first place, we can help.
Take a look at our Web, PPC, Social Media and SEO service pages to get a feel for how then get in touch with us to chat things through in person.
Further reading
Best Lockdown Marketing Campaigns
Social Media Support For Businesses During The Coronavirus Lockdown
