Across the Universe – 4 Tips For Extending the Reach of Your Online Business.
November 24, 2016 by Staff
Filed under Money/Business, Tech/Internet, Weekly Columns
(Akiit.com) Join me in a little experiment won’t you? Firstly what does your business do? The answer may be a myriad of things but refine it down to 4 words or less. Now type those words into Google. What do you see? Does your business appear on page 1? If not, don’t be too disheartened, after all you are competing with a worldwide market. Continue to humour me though and add your city to the end of that search. This time, if you don’t appear on page 1 it may be prudent to start being concerned.
It is easy to be tempted to cheat and massage your search words to focus on your particular business but the fact is that customers and clients won’t be doing that. They will most likely be using a generic set of words to locate you and since most of them will be searching for a local business you’d better be front and centre or you may as well not exist at all.
Consider this:
- Approximately 90% of consumers use search engines when shopping
- 91% of people don’t go past page 1 on their online searches
- 33% of those select the number 1 position company
All this adds up to the fact that if you don’t appear on page 1 then any budget you have spent on your website, all the valuable reviews and testimonials you may have accumulated, are worthless because nobody can see them.
Let’s do a quick review of some methods that you can use to turn around your online presence and gain that valuable pole position to showcase your business.
Virtually Worldwide
One method of easily gaining a global presence is by utilising the services of a Virtual Office. Imagine, using the above experiment, being able to place the words Paris, Tokyo or New York after your business name. Suddenly your business has gone from a small local concern to a global company able to boast high-end offices and facilities around the world! If that appeals to you then take a further look at all the benefits a remote office can offer. As a suggestion, check out this link which provides a comprehensive overview to begin with. http://www.servcorp.co.nz/en/virtual-offices/prices-locations/auckland/
Website Wizardry
So let’s imagine you now have a Virtual Office which has laid open the world to you. How can you take the best advantage of this global market? The next step is to have an exceptional website which is easily accessed not only on computers but also mobile devices like phones and iPads. 61% of respondents to a survey said they would not be likely to return to a website if they had trouble accessing it on a mobile device.
With that in mind it pays to call in some expertise to develop an easily navigable site which has user friendly features such as:
- Bright, interactive graphics
- Engaging, interesting content
- Safe, reliable payment methods for global online shopping
- Accurate, simple shipping calculators
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
You could expend a massive budget on the most whizz bang website but it would be all wasted if no-one sees it. This is where SEO comes into its own.
Some of the acronyms used when talking about online marketing, can be intimidating and can prevent business owners from dipping their toes into a world they find foreign and which contains a language they don’t understand. It can come as somewhat of a relief then to find that many of these acronyms mean quite simple things. SEO for example relates to raising a businesses online profile on a search engine so that it appears, if not first on the list, then at least on Page 1.
An experienced Digital Marketing Agency can be a boon in this area and have a bag full of tricks to help you rise above your competitors. Why not use them before they do?
URL Logic
When trying to reach a global market it makes sense to acquire an international .com web address as well as a local one. When the majority of people will use the default ‘.com’ extension as their go-to default, it is worth considering the advantage it would be to your business to adopt one.
Despite the comparative simplicity of opening up your goods or services to the global market, the majority of businesses are still lagging behind in this area. This can mean a huge untapped goldmine for you if you are willing to take advantage of it. Start by speaking to an expert and getting some guidance on what is best for your business. Then jump on in – the water’s fine!
Staff Writer; Jerry Jacobs