Maybe you want to improve the visibility of your website in search, build your social media influence, or bolster your online presence in general. You want to invest in digital marketing, but for whatever reason you aren’t interested in funding an entire SEO campaign at the moment. Can you spend money on one thing and see an improvement? What gives you the biggest bang for your buck? If you invest in one thing for digital marketing, what should it be?
Your online presence has lots of moving parts
For maximum success with digital marketing, you need a cohesive strategy that brings onsite and offsite SEO into harmony with your overall business plan. No single action will do as much for you as a complete SEO strategy, and those who put all their resources into one thing are likely to be dissatisfied in the long run.
Not only is there no single magic bullet that will do all the things you want to do for your business in one step, but the various planks of your strategy will tend to support one another:
Your social media supports your IRL networking, which brings people to your optimized site, which makes them more open to linkbuilding, which increases traffic, which jumpstarts your social media efforts, etc — the wheel keeps turning.
Still, there are times when you might be ready to do just one thing. Or to do just one thing first. There are individual areas that you can focus on.
Where to invest for digital marketing
On-site optimization
Improve your website, and you can expect to do better with all your online marketing efforts. Content is king, but good design and up to date code are also important.
Linkbuilding
Assuming that you have a good website, getting links for it will make the biggest difference to your search rankings and traffic. Start with local directories and bloggers, and then work your way out.
Blogging
Adding a blog to your website will increase your original content, improve rankings, and bring traffic. Once you’ve had it going for a few months, you can submit it to blog directories. Blogging is arguably the most cost-effective option for digital marketing.
Small changes can make a big difference
Too big? If you want a single thing that could really make a difference quickly, think about one of these:
- Make sure you have a clear call to action on your home page, along with contact information and social media buttons.
- Get listed on the Places or Business pages of Yahoo!, Google, and Bing. Put in enough time to make the listings appealing.
- Expand your FAQ section into a blog, one answer per post.
Revolutions, after all, are built on victories. Getting one piece of the puzzle solidly in place can inspire you to continue.
Digital marketing and SEO don’t have one-size-fits-all solutions. A detailed strategy document can help you identify the areas that need the most work and provide the information that you need to help you reach your goals.
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