If
You
Build It, Will They Come?
By:
Chris Behan - President, Socius Marketing, Inc.
Posted: 11-21-07
In
the late 90’s and early into this decade, the
web was flooded with the websites of companies thinking
they could simply put a website up, and sales and
sales leads would start pouring in immediately. Most
of us can remember a Super Bowl commercial a couple
years back, featuring an eager bunch of employees
watching the order ticker on their newly launched
website race from 0-5000+ orders in the time it takes
to run a 30-second commercial. However, the scenario
presented in that commercial has probably never occurred
in the history of the web.
The
fact of the matter is, marketing a website through
search engines has become extremely competitive. Large
and small companies alike are realizing the power
of search engine optimization not just to create online
sales, but for lead
generation, corporate branding,
product and geographic expansion, as well as adding
to the bottom line value of a
company. It will only become more competitive
as consumers gain more and more confidence online,
and the web becomes more integrated into our lives.
So
back to the question … If you build it , will
they come?
Yes
and No. Yes, if you work with a reputable company
that continually optimizes and adds new content to
your website, then search engine optimization can
be a windfall of both sales and sales leads. Many
of our customers have ended their agreements with
the Yellow Pages, ceased billboard advertising, and
in some cases, completely ended all of their traditional
marketing campaigns due to the success of their website.
And
no, if you have a small 10, 20, or 30 page website
that is as neglected as my neighbor’s lawn,
you should never expect your website to become an
integral part of your company.
In
short, you get out of it what you put into it. Do
nothing, get nothing. Do something, and it has the
potential to repay you 1,000 times over.
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