Can my website fill my order books? an do I need to continue advertising in other ways?

Yes, you can do 100% of your business online but you have to work at it.

The simplest way of explaining why is by comparing a web site with a traditional printed brochure.

Traditional marketing with printed brochures

For a printed brochure to be of any use to your business you need to put it somewhere that a maximum number of potential customers will find it. For most tourism businesses a tourist information centre is a good start. You will aslo no doubt advertise in magazines offering to send yuor printed brochure free on request. Naturally you advertise your brochure in publications related and relevant to your business - being sure to choose ones with the highest circulation.

Online marketing with a website

Selling your products online is much the same, as traditional ideals, you have to promote your site in places that will maximise the number of potential customers that will see it. It doesnt matter how much money you spend creating a web site, it is a bad investment if no one ever sees it! - we know; we see happening all the time. Expensive websites and no traffic! Whilst others enjoy phenomenal success, with a modest outlay.

Now, there are a number of options when it comes to online marketing, for example, on other popular websites, which though is often cost effective, is not the only way to get your website seen. By far the best investment you can make in getting your site seen is in getting your website properly optimised in order to make best use of all that FREE traffic from search engines. A good websites properly optimised will show high on the search results pages of the popular engines, and customers gained from these organic search engine listings will far exceed any other method of advertising. Search engine optimisation charges are not cheap BUT when done properly provide long term results.

We'll list here a few statements - we've heard them often enough for them to concern us...

• Search engines will find my site anyway - I don't need promotion
  False - yes they might see you but if its not optimised they will give your site little attention (low rank)
• My sites doing OK - I don't need promotion
  False - Ongoing search engine promotion and internet marketing is necessary.
• I know someone who can guarantee my site gets a No.1 position on Google and all the top search engines
  False - No one can guarantee anything. If your site gets to No. 1 it might not stay there - especially if the techniques used are unethical, or if the phrases used to gain the position are seldom searched for.
• Optimisation companies will get my site dropped from search engines.
  False - Some might - Ours won't! Don't be afraid to ask about optimisation and website promotion methods when you are considering investing in a search engine optimisation package.
• I can pay for a top ten listing on Google/Yahoo/MSN* (*Delete as Required)
  False - Just can't be done, sorry. Money can't buy you love or a guaranteed top ten listing.
  What we can guarantee though is that your website will have a much better chance of getting there after we have optimised it.

Telephone Andy for further information : 01456 486631