Bonus - 15 Internet Marketing Checklists
We have covered a lot of information in this book. So I thought it might be worthwhile to summarize some of the key lessons from the book in checklist format. Here are some Internet marketing checklists to reinforce what you've learned from the book.
And don't forget you can get all of these checklists in PDF format just by downloading the whole book (for free). Click the "download" link above to get yours.
Task #1 - How to Launch a Business Blog
In this book, we talked about the many benefits a blog can bring to your business, such as search engine visibility, authoritative positioning, interactivity, lead generation and more. Here's how to get a business blog up and running quickly and easily.
Steps Involved:
1. First, review the different blogging programs available. The big three are WordPress (www.wordpress.org), Blogger (www.blogger.com) and TypePad (www.typepad.com).
2. Conduct a free trial-run of the different programs to see which one you like best.
3. Determine where you are going to put your blog online. Will it be on a domain by itself, or will it be an extension of your main website.
4. Install the blog program onto your web host, or have somebody do it for you.
5. Customize a blog template until you have a unique and professional design. If you need help, you can post the project at Elance.com.
6. Determine the "angle" of your business blog. What will you write about? How will you provide informative content that relates to your products and services?
7. Start writing one blog post per week, just to get the hang of things.
8. Publish more frequently as you become more skilled with blogging.
Task #2 - How to Promote Your Business Blog
So now you have your business blog up and running, and you've been posting content to it on a regular basis. What's the next step? You need to promote your blog, of course!
Steps Involved:
1. Send out a press release about your new blog. Highlight the value it provides, the unique angle, etc. If you can afford it, use a major PR distribution service like PR Newswire. Otherwise, use online channels like PRWeb.com.
2. Notify industry publications and journalists about your blog. You know all of those industry publications you read? Well, they are all opportunities to get the word out about your new blog.
3. Send an email blast to your current customers. Again, you need to focus on the value of your business blog, this time from the perspective of your customers.
4. Tell your business colleagues about your new blog, and explain why it's useful.
5. Publish some articles online with links to your blog. Start with a handful of articles through websites like EzineArticles.com and GoArticles.com.
6. Sign up for professional networking websites such as LinkedIn.com. Be active about connecting with others in your field, and tell them about your blog.
7. Submit your blog to blog directories listed in the Resources section of the book.
Task #3 - How to Create Endless Blogging Material
By setting up some Google Alerts, for key topics related to your blog, you will get a daily or weekly stream of news and updates on that subject. It's an endless stream of blogging ideas and material.
Steps Involved:
1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts.
2. Enter the phrase / topic you would like to monitor. I recommend starting with only two or three general phrases related to your business.
3. For "Type," just leave it set to comprehensive. This will provide the most coverage (and the most material) by sending alerts about press releases, website updates, blog posts and more.
4. Select the frequency with which you'd like to receive the emails. I recommend setting it to daily. You can always delete the daily emails, if you're not ready to blog.
5. Enter your email address. Double-check the address for typos.
6. Google Alerts will send you a confirmation email.
7. Click the confirmation link in the email and you're all set.
8. You can cancel the alerts any time from a link provided in each alert email.
Task #4 - How to Increase Your Search Engine Ranking
We spent a lot of time on search engine visibility in this book. In reality, most of search engine optimization (SEO) revolves around keyword-rich content and link popularity. Here are some ways to acquire both of these things.
Steps Involved:
1. Build your website around key phrases that your target audience is actually using (see next checklist for instructions).
2. Write at least one page of website content for each of your key phrases / topics / products or services.
3. Create a high-quality, informative and interesting website. This will make people more inclined to link to your site, which will in turn boost your search engine rankings.
4. Submit your website to web directories (covered in a subsequent checklist).
5. Publish new content on a regular basis. A blog is a great way to do this.
6. Publish articles on other websites to increase direct traffic and link popularity.
7. Make sure your website is well organized with proper navigation to all key sections. This will help search engines find all of your pages.
8. Create and upload an XML sitemap in a Google- and Yahoo-approved format to help them find all of your pages. You can quickly and easily create an XML sitemap (for free) by visiting: http://www.xml-sitemaps.com.
9. If you need professional help with SEO, you can reach me through my SEO services website at www.austinseoguy.com.
Task #5 - How to Build a List of Key Phrases
Before you do any other task related to search engine visibility or SEO, you need to create a list of key phrases that your ideal audience is actively searching for online. Here's how to go about it.
Steps Involved:
1. Sign up with a keyword research service such as KeywordDiscovery.com or WordTracker.com. WordTracker offers a free version of their tool at: http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
2. Get out a piece of scratch paper and start writing down all of the ways people might refer to your products and services. This is your starting point for research.
3. Begin entering each phrase into the keyword research tool to see how often that phrase gets searched, and also to find related phrases that get decent search volume.
4. Create a three-column spreadsheet or document and begin listing the phrases of importance (in column 1) and the number of searches performed (in column 2). You can leave column 3 blank for now.
5. As you begin expanding your website with new content, and publishing content onto your blog, go back to the spreadsheet and mark off (in the third column) each phrase that you have covered with new content.
6. Basically, you are building a list of phrases that your audience is actively seeking online, and then you are building content around those phrases.
Task #6 - How to Submit Your Website to Directories
If you recall from the book, listing your website with high-quality web directories is another way to boost your search engine rankings over time. Some of the more popular web directories can provide direct traffic as well. Here's how to go about the process.
Steps Involved:
1. First, create a tracking sheet so you can keep track of which directories you've submitted your site to. This could be a simple Word document or Excel spreadsheet.
2. Start with the list of web directories I've provided in the Resources section of this book, or visit this list: http://www.avivadirectory.com/strongest-directories/
3. Read the directory's submission guidelines. You don't want to waste your time or money submitting if you don't meet their guidelines for some reason.
4. Find the category / sub-category that is most relevant to your website.
5. Submit your website by following instructions provided by the directory.
6. If given the option to link to sub-pages of your site in addition to the home page ("deep links"), take it.
7. If given the option for a permanent, lifetime placement (as opposed to annual fees), take that option too!
8. Update your tracking sheet each time you submit to avoid repetition / confusion.
9. Start with a dozen or so, and then submit your site to a couple new ones every month thereafter. More link popularity equals better search engine rankings.
Task #7 - How to Create Quality Web Content
Website content is the building block of online success. From search engine rankings to onsite conversions, everything comes from the website content you create. Here's how to create quality web content.
Steps Involved:
1. Start by identifying a topic based on your list of key phrases (previous checklist). These are the topics your prospective customers want to know about, so it only makes sense to build your website content around them.
2. Outline before you write. This will make the process easier and keep your web pages focused and logical.
3. Start off your long pages with an introduction. This allows people to quickly skim the subject matter to see if it's what they want.
4. Forget about search engines for now. Start by writing quality content designed to help people in some way. Educate your readers, or entertain them. Or both! But in the beginning, focus on people first. You can optimize for search engines later on.
5. Organize your content ruthlessly. The more content you add to your site, the more you will need to focus on organization. You can get off on the right foot by thinking ahead. How will you organize your content and your web pages as the website grows?
6. Format content for the web. Reading online is harder than reading a book or newspaper. If you make it easier for people to read your website content, they'll be more inclined to read it. Keep paragraphs short (no longer than this one), and break up your copy with bullet points and sub-headers.
7. Write purposeful web content. In other words, before you write a new page of content, ask yourself what the purpose is. To pre-sell your newsletter? To educate visitors about a new product? To demonstrate your company's expertise on a particular subject? Every bit of content on your website should have a purpose.
Task #8 - How to Create Search-Engine-Friendly Web Pages
Always write your first draft of web content with people in mind, and people only. Once you have achieved that, you can go back through to ensure the content is optimized for search engine visibility. Here's how to make your web pages more visible.
Steps Involved:
1. First, make sure you've completed your key phrase research and you now have a list of key phrases relevant to your business (previous checklist).
2. Segment your website content so that you have web pages built around your most important search phrases — one page of content per key phrase, if possible. This is good for website usability, organization and search engine ranking.
3. Integrate your key phrase within the title element of your web page. This was explained in detail back in the SEO chapter of the book.
4. Start each page with a header that also uses your key phrase (and explains what the page is about). It's okay for the title element and page header to be the same, if it makes sense to do so. Or they could be slight variations of the same phrase.
5. Create a short introductory paragraph for each web page, explaining what the reader will find on that page. Integrate your key phrases within this paragraph, but in a natural way.
6. Unless the web page is inside an ordering process (where there's little room for content), try to create pages with at least 300 words of text. This will give you ample opportunity to spread your key phrases throughout.
7. Use variations of your key phrase throughout the web page. Don't repeat the same phrase verbatim.
8. Link to your new web page from other areas of your website, as needed. When possible, use keywords within these hyperlinks: Check out our purple widget tutorial.
Task #9 - How to Publish Articles Online
Publishing articles online (on websites other than your own) is a great way to expand your web presence. This strategy can help you drive more traffic to your website, boost your search engine rankings, position yourself as an authority, and more. Here's how to do it.
Steps Involved:
1. Choose a topic based on your products, services, key phrases, etc.
2. Choose a working title for your article.
3. Create a simple outline for the article.
4. Write the article. Shoot for 300 - 500 words, and make it a helpful article. Think "How to" topics and "7 Steps to Better [blank]" ... that kind of thing.
5. Write the author's note with a call-to-action and hyperlink back to your website.
6. Review and proofread the article.
7. Publish the article through one or more article distribution website. I recommend starting with EzineArticles.com. You can find more article sites in the Resources section of the book.
8. Repeat the process over time. The more articles published, the better.
9. Use a search engine (and some creativity) to find other places to publish your work. You can search for your key phrase / topic combined with the words "submit article."
Task #10 - How to Publish a Press Release Online
Like articles, online press releases are another way to publish your way to a stronger web presence. Here are the basic steps in preparing and submitting a press release online.
Steps Involved:
1. The most important thing here is to have something newsworthy to talk about in the first place. New products, new websites, big events ... these things are newsworthy. Hiring a new receptionist is not news. You get the idea.
2. Write your press release, paying particular attention to the headline and the first paragraph.
3. Create the kind of headline that captures people's attention (with being factual at the same time). Feature the most important aspect of your story in the headline.
4. Create a summary of your news release, in addition to the headline. Most press release services will require this. The summary can be an expansion of the headline.
5. Use the first paragraph of the release to answer all of the key questions - who, what, when, where and why.
6. Be sure to integrate your key phrases within the headline, the summary, the first paragraph, and spread naturally throughout the body of the release.
7. If you can afford to, use a major news service like PR Newswire. Alternately, you can use more affordable services like PRWeb.com, PRLeap.com and others.
Task #11 - How to Increase Your Onsite Conversions
Website conversions take place whenever somebody goes from being "just a website visitor" to something else — a subscriber, a buyer, etc. Here's how to increase your conversion rates across your website.
Steps Involved:
1. This all starts with having a desirable product or service. If you don't have that, nothing you do on your website will make much difference. If you have a desirable product or service, follow the other steps on this list.
2. Define your conversion goals in advance. Outline the actions you want people to take on your website, and make sure everyone involved in the process understands those conversion points.
3. Improve your website's usability any way you can. This has a direct impact on conversion rates.
4. State the value of each conversion action. Tell people why they should perform a certain act and what they will get out of it.
5. Increase the interactivity of your website. See next checklist.
6. Overcome the natural skepticism of your website visitors by having photos and bios of key personnel, testimonials, certifications and awards, etc.
7. Use highly visible calls to action. Use buttons in addition to text links in places where you want action to take place. Make your conversion areas prominent.
Task #12 - How to Make Your Website More Interactive
Static websites are pretty boring. People will be more inclined to stay on your website if you let them interact in some way. This can help increase your website conversion rates. Here are some ways to add interactivity to your website.
Steps Involved:
1. Publish a blog and allow readers to comment on it. Don't just allow it ... encourage it.
2. Educate your blog reader's about the blog's RSS feed, how they can use it, what the value is, etc.
3. Use an "RSS-to-email" program like Zookoda (or one of the others mentioned in this book) so your blog readers can subscribe to the RSS feed by way of an email address.
4. If you have the audience and the web traffic for it, launch a Q&A discussion forum on your website. You install a program like VBulletin or phpBB to do most of the work.
5. If you have customer service folks, put a chat feature on your website so visitors can "click to chat" with customer service. This can be a great way to at least capture a name, email address or phone number before people leave.
6. Similarly, you can create an FAQ / Knowledge Base section of your website where visitors can submit their questions (and read previous Q&A with your staff).
7. See the Resources section for a list of tools to help with chat, FAQ, forums, etc.
Task #13 - How to Outsource Web Marketing Tasks
We have covered a lot of web marketing strategies in this book, and I know there might be some things you just don't have time to do. Here are some ways to fill in the gaps by outsourcing various tasks.
Steps Involved:
1. Start by looking within your organization. You might not be inclined or able to perform certain tasks, but there might be somebody else on your team perfectly suited for it. You might be surprised by someone's "hidden talents." You'll never know until you start a discussion on the subject.
2. Make a list of the web marketing strategies you cannot handle in-house. Prioritize them by importance. Put the ones you want to really focus on at the top of the list. Getting things on paper is the first step to finding the right talent.
3. Sign up with Elance.com, if you're not already a member. You can find some truly talented folks on that website, and you can hire them on a project-by-project basis.
4. If you need some local help, post a project description on Craigslist.org (or local job-board websites) and see what kind of talent turns up.
5. Is there a college or university in your area? These can be an excellent source of writing and creative talent. Most major colleges even teach these kinds of subject in their technical communications and marketing programs.
6. If you think you'll have an ongoing need for a certain type of work, such as blogging or SEO, it's probably best to hire a consultant who can work with you over the long haul. I'm willing to bet there's somebody in your area that can help with just about any web-related task. Use Google to see what you can come up with.
Task #14 - How to Outperform Larger Competitors Online
The last 160 pages or so have shown you ways to outperform your larger competitors online. After all, it's the entire premise of the book! But I'd like to leave you with a few points on how you can use the Internet as the Great Equalizer.
Steps Involved:
1. The first and most important step is to believe — to truly believe — that you can achieve great things online, regardless of the size of your business. Online, it doesn't matter how many people you have on staff or what size budget you have. It only matters how effectively you go about the strategies in this book.
2. Be more active online than your competitors. Start thinking about the Internet like a publisher, or get somebody on staff to perform that role.
3. "Spread" yourself over the web by using the techniques outlined in this book. Don't just rely on your website alone. Use blogging, article marketing, press releases, etc.
4. Be persistent. It takes time to develop a strong web presence, but it's worth the effort. Things tend to snowball after a while, and that's when the fun really begins!
5. Don't try to outspend your bigger competitors. That's a recipe for failure and disappointment. Instead, find ways to outsmart them online. Use the strategies in this book, and you'll be well on your way.
6. Designate a company web "guru." You might not have the budget for it right now, but if you're serious about web marketing you should have somebody on staff who owns that aspect of your business. After all, many of your future customers can be found online.
Task #15 - How to Advance Your Web Marketing Education
Web marketing is like anything else in business. You have to continuously educate yourself on the process in order to improve over time. This is key to outperforming your competitors online. Here are some ways you can expand your knowledge over time.
Steps Involved:
1. Read blogs. You can find a helpful blog on any topic covered in this book. In fact, you can find a lot of blogs on web marketing topics. The great thing about blogs is that they always provide current information. Here are some Internet marketing blogs worth a look:
- http://www.clicknewz.com
- http://www.flyteblog.com
- http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/
- http://www.austinseoguy.com/seo-tips/ (my own blog)
2. Visit marketing forums. You can learn a lot from other web marketers in these forums, though you do have to take all advice with a grain of salt. Check out the Digital Point forums (http://forums.digitalpoint.com) and the forums at NetBusinessTalk.com. These are just two of many related forums online.
3. Seminars, workshops and conferences can be useful, but they also tend to be expensive. If you can afford a particular training conference, and it covers the skill you want to learn, it might be just the thing.
4. Pursue online training. These days, there are quite a few online courses that teach web marketing techniques. Some are structured courses offered by schools. Some are less formal training sessions, such as online SEO training offered by SEO firms.
5. Find a mentor. Do you have a friend or colleague who is savvy about some aspect of web marketing? Maybe that person blogs on a regular basis, or perhaps he or she is an expert with pay-per-click marketing. Seek their input and guidance. You can't beat one-to-one instructions when it comes to Internet marketing.
6. Trial and error works well, too. Most of what I know about web marketing came from firsthand experience. Sure, I made plenty of mistakes along the way. But I learned from all of them, and that's how I got where I am today. Don't be afraid to jump in and try something new!