11.22.03
Top Ten Questions to Ask if You’re Marketing on the Internet
Here are ten important questions to ask yourself if you’re marketing on the Internet:
1. What’s the traffic like?
There are over 20,000 new domain registrations a day. In June, 2001, there were over 22.7 million .com domains. You do the math.
2. What’s in a name?
business.com sold for $7.5 million. assenontv.com, $5 million, altavista.com, $3.3 million, loans.com, $3 million, autos.com, $2.2 million, wallstreet.com, $1.03 million, forsalebyowner.com, $835,000, drugs.com, $823,456, cinema.com, $700,000, art.com, $450,000, engineering.org, $198,895, fruits.com, $160,000, and perfect.com, $94,000.
3. Hate pop-up windows?
So do we all. And if, so why do they work? Reports say they work. Quit responding to them and maybe they’ll go away. In the meantime, they work. Here’s how to code your own, free.
4. Want to see how your website ranks?
Go http://www.exactseek.com/srank.html. Studies show only 23% of searchers go to the second page of listings.
5. What about keywords?
Very important. Go to http://www.wordtracker.com/?wtcm4, and find out what keywords people are searching for. For instance, in my field, “emotional intelligence” ranks first, and then “emotional intelligence test.” I would never have used the word “test,” because it’s an “assessment.” Well, not to everyone who’s looking for it! This http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ will help you choose keyword terms.
6. When was the last time you redid your metatags?
Go http://www.exactseek.com/srank.html.
7. How did that other coach/bookstore/soap shop get Number 1 on the search engine?
Well, take a look at their metatags, for starters. Bring up their website, then go to the menu and click “View,” then “source.” There they are!
8. How’s the competition doing?
On many sites, you can enter their URL and then enter “stats” at the end, and there they’ll be. (I know, it’s kinda creepy.)
9. How can you get people to your website?
It remains the same – you can “push” with ads, or you can “pull” with marketing strategies such as eZines, writing articles, getting syndicated, or serving as “Ask the Expert.” If you don’t like to write, you can hire an article-writing service. This often works better, because the writer’s name is established on the Internet, and is a draw to publishers your name wouldn’t be.
10. Are you taking advantage of the exchange rate and time zones?
I received an email from a gentleman in India who’s computer proficient and bi-lingual, who will do virtual assistant work for US$6 an hour, and bills in increments. What are you paying your US virtual assistant? I was paying mine $30 an hour. And then there’s the time zone advantage. The work will be done before I ask for it … so to speak.
Susan Dunn, MA, Clinical Psychology, cEQc, The EQ Coach™. Coaching resources, tools and support for your personal and professional development.