MLT Group - Creative Solutions - Industry News Column » Internet Marketing

5 Steps to Web Redesign Success

Admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:50:37 +0000

Your website is your hardest working marketing tool. Don’t let it just flounder in cyberspace; it needs constant nurturing and improvement. If you’ve ever spent time aimlessly wandering the web, you’ve undoubtedly found websites that look out of date, useless, and abandoned. Don’t let your website fall into that category!

If you’ve considered redesigning your website this year, here a few tips to help you maximize the benefit your online presence. Keep in mind that redesigning a website is about more than color changes. The project includes updating the navigation, fresh content, additional functionality, and more accurately reflecting your business image.

Understand What Your Site Visitors Are Doing Now

Using any web stats tracking program, start your own investigation into the minds of your current site visitors. How did they find your site? How long did they stay? What page did they leave the site from? How many contact forms/emails are you getting from the site now? Uncover what is and isn’t working now, and plan a strategy to maximize what works and eliminate what doesn’t. If you don’t know where to start this analysis, ask your marketing consultant for help.

Define Your Target Audience

Who are your customers and what are their needs? What problems can you solve for them? Start planning ways to capture their attention and give them reasons to repeatedly visitor your website.

Clarify Your Image

What branding are you currently using? The look and feel of all marketing should be consistent both online and offline.

Set Goals

You have a good reason for redesigning your website, now articulate those reasons and quantify the results you expect. If your site has been the same since 1996 and it’s time for a change, a goal could be projecting a modern image. It’s essential that both you and your web designer understand your reasoning and expectations.

Content, Content, Content

The best pictures and design in the world won’t do you any good without compelling content. People come to your site to learn about your offerings, make sure you’ve got accurate content that is easy to find. You know your business inside and out, so spend time writing about the benefits. The time you invest in this stage will pay off in the long run. Use this opportunity to build trust and credibility with your customers. Include timely blog posts and articles, and establish your company as more than an aggressive sales machine but as knowledgeable experts your customers can rely on.
Your website is without a doubt one of your company’s most important assets. Start 2010 right with a redesign and marketing strategy and maximize your marketing investment. For more information on planning a website redesign with a marketing strategy in mind, contact MLT Group today. 507-281-3490 or email sales@mltgroup.com

Are You Tired Of Losing Market Share to Your Competitors?

Admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:41:34 +0000

Then start utilizing the SEO techniques that the experts use to get top search engine results – and grow your business!

For nearly 10 years, MLT Group Advertising & Marketing has been implementing search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for several dozen businesses. We’ve used that time to refine the process into a science, producing #1 rankings for clients in some of the most competitive industries.

Since search engines are the number one information source consumers’ use to research products, a high search result ranking is crucial. And, by perfecting your search engine optimization strategies you can save money by cutting back on expensive and outdated advertising methods. The result is you’ll have more profit and spend less time worrying about your advertising. Imagine, qualified prospects visiting your website every day!

SEO costs a fraction of the price of phone book or newspaper advertising. Plus, you’ll probably generate twice as many new clients from your website than you would through a print advertisement.
If you’re ready to jump ahead of your competitors and dominate the search engines, contact MLT Group today. Mention that you read this article and we’ll give you a FREE SEO Analysis (a $200 value).
507-281-3490 or sales@mltgroup.com

Social Media Overview

Admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:19:08 +0000

Today businesses are adding social media to their marketing plans. Maybe you’re wondering why? Isn’t this for teenagers? A few of the benefits you can gain from using these communities include: reputation management, the ability to gain insight from your consumers, monitor “buzz” about your brand, become a thought leader among your peers and customers, and offering customer service/support.

Getting started with this new marketing medium can be time-consuming and overwhelming if you don’t know where to begin. Before you set up profiles for anything and everything, here are 6 major platforms that are worth considering.

Blogs
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube

Your website should also include RSS feeds and links to your social media profiles. It should be another resource for your customers that engages and informs them. The more ways you can touch your audience, the greater the opportunity to convert them into customers.

This is a big transition and it can be hard to handle alone. At MLT Group Advertising & Marketing we offer consulting services that help you cross the chasm. Call us today and we’ll be happy to guide you through the ever changing landscape of social media.

Please call 507-281-3490 or e-mail sales@mltgroup.com to learn how MLT Group can effectively assist with your needs. We offer a FREE 30-Minute Marketing Consultation, as well as free estimates.

Top 5 SEO Questions

Admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:05:33 +0000

Is SEO really that important?

81% of Internet users begin their buying process by using a search engine to look for information about a product or service (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2008). Optimizing your site for the keywords these potential customers are searching for greatly increases your chance of being found during, when your customers have recognized a need to buy your product.

We already have a strong brand, do we still need SEO?

Your current customers will find you by searching for your well recognized name. But prospective new customers search with more generic phrases. A loyal Nike customer will search for Nike. However, a new runner is more likely to search for “running shoes”. By ignoring targeted keywords, you’re ignoring lots of potential customers. SEO is one of the most cost-effective forms of customer acquisition.

Search engines already find us, why do we need SEO?

There is a big difference between arbitrary ranking in search engine listings, and ranking for focused keyword terms. More importantly, where are you ranking? SEO Researcher (www.seoresearcher.com) shows that the search results in the first position on Google get 56% of the clicks, and the top three sites get close to 70% of all the click-throughs. While no one can guarantee you a number one ranking, our SEO specialists will work hard to get your site ranked as high as possible.

Will we have to redesign our site?

Possibly. Some sites aren’t compatible with SEO processes. Sites that are full of Flash, for example, can’t be seen by search engines. Sites that were designed several years ago may also need an update. However, we are often able to provide effective SEO services to existing sites. We are pros in creating professional custom websites. Rest assured your marketing is in the hands of some of the area’s best experts.

Isn’t design and SEO expensive?

There will be an expense at the beginning, but the return on investment can be very large. Consider the above example of 56% of clicks for the number one result. If 10,000 people are performing a search for your keywords, that means 5,600 of them will visit your site. If 5,600 people visit your site and 280 of them buy your product (you’ll have to calculate your own conversion rate, I’m assuming an average 5% rate for this example) and the average customer spends $200 with your business, that first ranking is worth $56,000. Now consider the exponential potential for the various keywords relevant to your site.

Let our experienced staff help your business climb to the top of search engines, attract more customers, and earn more money.

Call today for a free consultation and review of your online marketing goals! 507-281-3490 or email: sales@mltgroup.com