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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I
need a Spotlight Page to purchase other ExploreWisconsin products and services?
We can work with you and your marketing and
technical team to help implement a variety of Internet
advertising and marketing tactics specifically developed to
target customers in a particular stage of the buying process.
Click here to see traffic history
and trends for your industry and others.
Think of the Spotlight Page as a "setup
cost" for determining how to place your business into the top of
the search engine results pages. ExploreWisconsin is all about
helping businesses sell their products and services to people
that are actively searching for those products and
services at leading search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN
and AOL. The best way to do this is to research the language and
search terms people use most when using the search engines, and
to build a web page from the ground up, using those terms in the
many different places search engines need to find them in order
to determine the relevance and ranking of that page.
Additionally, the page needs to be part of a linking structure,
with links going to and from pages of related content and
relevance, in order to help the search engines find and rank the
page. Not only does this search term research and linking
structure require considerable resources, the search engines are
constantly changing their criteria for ranking a page, which
further adds to the expense of generating the desired results.
SEO stands for “search engine
optimization”. It is one form of search engine marketing which
involves, simply put, developing Internet web pages designed to
generate maximum visibility in the search engines.
Properly implemented, SEO is BOTH
pro-consumer and pro-business. SEO is an invaluable tool that
aids consumers find, research and purchase goods and services.
Google in particular, can attribute their immense success to
developing Internet and search technologies designed to deliver
“relevant results” to Internet users. People use search engines,
and Google in particular, again and again because it helps them find
what they’re looking for.
When presented with search engine results,
people use both natural and paid listings to find, research and
purchase goods and services. SEO focuses on natural, or organic,
search engine listings that are most relevant to the searchers
inquiry, as opposed to “sponsored listings” which are almost
strictly commercial in nature, often going to the “highest
bidder”.
Search engine optimization (SEO) as a
subset of search engine marketing seeks to improve the number
and quality of visitors to a web site from "natural" ("organic"
or "algorithmic") search results (wikipedia).
Direct marketing has long been used to generate measurable results (in
the form of leads, sales or traffic) from an ad designed to target a
specific demographics, such as age, sex, education, income, etc. Regardless
of media, the problem has always been how to put your sales message in front
of your customer at the right time, i.e., when they're ready to buy.
Traditional media such as TV, radio and print
A "MicroSite" is a term used for a miniature website that is built to
achieve specific Internet goals and objectives, and to generate and send
specific traffic to an existing parent site without compromising or
interfering with the layout or content of an existing web site.
With its own marketing message and content optimized for the search
engines and specific target markets, a microsite can exist independently of
the parent website, while at the same time acting as an entry-way to the
main website. Additionally, unlike traditional media such as radio, TV and
print, a microsite's message is NOT subject to any timeline's, and can grow
to serve the specific needs for which it was created for many years to come,
or not!
Fortune 500 companies have long used microsites in this fashion, thereby
eliminating the cost and many other hassles associated with trying to create
and maintain one single site to "do it all".
MicroSites can also eliminate internal strife associated with the need to
test or experiment with new Internet marketing methods. Created through or
by the marketing department for specific marketing goals and objectives, a
MicroSite can eliminate "ownership" or "technology issues" that can surface
when an organization is faced with the prospect of changing an existing site
to support a specific business unit or promotion.
They can be short, sweet and very effective in generating leads or sales
of specific products and services, especially when optimized for the search
engines and specific target markets by search engine professionals.
I already have a web
site. Why should I even consider paying for Internet web
pages that are not on my own site?
That would depend on why your web site was
built in the first place, to advertise or sell your products, or
to provide post-sale support and service?
If your web site was built to advertise or
sell your products, then its absolutely essential to make sure
its being seen by the people you built it for: your customers.
Can they find it if they’re looking for it? How do you drive
traffic to your site? How do you make sure that the traffic you get
is relevant, from people that are specifically looking for your
products and services? Does your site provide an easy, secure
method of conducting online transactions?
If your web site was built to reduce costs
associated with servicing your customers, is it again easy to
find, easy to navigate, and, most importantly, is it helpful in
eliminating or at least reducing costly customer service calls?
ExploreWisconsin.com Spotlight Pages and MicroSites are
very effective tools for testing or implementing new Internet Marketing
techniques and methods. Why deal with the cost and internal aggravation of
how to integrate something new with your existing web site? Spotlight Pages
and MicroSites generate fast results in the top of the major search engines,
and traffic from people that are actively looking for what you
have to offer! And they can take that traffic right to your existing site!!
Work with some of Wisconsin's top search engine professionals to find the
most effective ways to help your customers find you.
A set of marketing methods to increase the
visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs) (wikipedia).
The three main methods of SEM are:
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Search engine optimization attempts
to improve rankings for relevant keywords in search results
by improving a web site's structure and content
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Pay per click advertising uses
sponsored search engine listings to drive traffic to a web
site. The advertiser bids for search terms, and the search
engine ranks ads based on a competitive auction as well as
other factors.
-
Paid inclusion can provide a
guarantee that the website is included in the search
engine's natural listings. However, as of 2006 the leading
search engine, Google, does not offer this service.
Advertising: to announce or praise (a
product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication
in order to induce people to buy or use it
Internet Marketing: Internet technologies
used to facilitate the transfer of goods from the producer or
seller to the consumer or buyer, particularly with respect to
advertising, selling and customer service.
That depends on the stage of the buying
process at which you want to engage your customers.
Advertisers have long used the aida model
of advertising to help consumers and businesses “come together”
at various stages of the buying process. AIDA refers to:
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Awareness
The buying process for the consumer starts with a
need fill or problem to solve. This can be anything from
where to find a good Italian recipe or Chinese restaurant,
to how to decorate their home, where to find a job, or where
to find a cheap used car. The Internet has given people a
whole new way to search for these solutions, and a
businesses’ challenge at this stage is to help make the
consumer aware of the products and services offered that can
provide a satisfactory and desired solution.
If selling in a very competitive environment, just making
your business stand out from the competition is a huge
challenge in itself.
And of course, you have to do a whole lot more than just
make your customer aware of your products and services if
you want them to buy from you, UNLESS you fill a unique
need, with little competition to provide the same products
and services.
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Interest
Once you have your customers attention, s/he needs
to understand how your products and services meet their
needs. The consumer also needs a reason for buying from
you as opposed to your competition. In addition to meeting
their needs or solving their problems, consumers also want
to know the advantages of doing business with you as opposed
to your competitor.
This is sometimes referred to as your “selling proposition”,
and if you cannot give your customers a reason to buy from
you, make no mistake about it: they will
buy from your competitor!
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Desire
Unfortunately, some, if not most, consumers need
more than “logic” before they will part with their hard
earned money! You have to appeal to them emotionally as
well. You need to make them want your product, and you need
to persuade them that your product will provide a wanted
benefit, that it willl save them time, save them money, help
them invest in their future, and a host of other things that
can influence their decision.
You need to help them feel secure and
confident that your products can best meet
their needs …
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Action
… then you need to make it “crystal clear” what they
need to do … the action they need to take … in order to
enjoy the benefits your products offer.
Dictionary.com defines lexicon as the
vocabulary of a particular language, field, social class,
person, etc.
American Heritage Dictionary defines
lexicon as a stock of terms used in a particular profession,
subject, or style; a vocabulary: the lexicon of surrealist art.
Leximetrics is a statistical measurement
and analysis of vocabulary and word usage, particularly as it
applies to Internet Search Engines, and the search terms
consumers use on the Internet search to research and purchase
products and services.
Leximetrics is used to determine which
search phrases your customers use most when researching,
analyzing, purchasing or troubleshooting products
and services on the Internet. It is very important to realize
that consumers use very different search words depending on
where they are in the buying process. For SEO to be
effective, different pages must be specifically designed to
target the language consumers are using at a particular stage of
the buying process. |
