In the United States today, it can be difficult for the average citizen to find steady employment after the financial crisis of 2008. In many areas of the nation, the unemployment rate remains over 12%, while the national average has yet to fall under 9% since before 2007. The job market is not the only area where American citizens are suffering, for the real estate industry was also decimated by the housing market bubble burst of 2007, which systematically lowered each property value in the United States by at least 30% by 2009. These unfortunate circumstances have effectively attacked Americans on all fronts, increasing the number of foreclosures and bankruptcies by an incredible amount. If Americans are unable to hold a steady job for a long period of time, it is very easy for their debt obligations to become overwhelming and threaten the stability of their entire family unit.
However, rather than sit around and wait for the job market to recuperate, as economists and financial experts claim that it will, many Americans are choosing to take matters into their own hands by starting their own business. Starting a business by selling products or services online can be very lucrative for those that carefully plan out their ventures and place an emphasis on internet market and web design. Although it is easy for any human being with a computer to start an online business, it is challenging to turn this home based business into a steady income. In order to attract buyers and create repeat customers, online business owners will need to effectively market their business with search engine optimization and Google Maps optimization.
Google Maps optimization will allow any online business owner to have their retail locations listed prominently in Google Maps search results. Therefore, whenever a consumer performs a search in Google for “web design Salt Lake City, UT,” the online business owner that has used Google Maps optimization services will have their website listed as one of the top 5 results on this page. This will allow online business owners of every industry to capitalize on the millions and millions of Google searches that are performed every single day. However, other than Google Maps optimization, online business owners should also consider search engine optimization. Search engine optimization, or SEO, focuses on the non-local based searches that are performed in search engines of all sorts, such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.
This internet marketing tactic is the most successful for websites in all industries and markets, because according to the latest e-commerce statistic, websites receive over 60% of their total traffic from search engine queries. Thus, the first way that a consumer will find a given website is by searching for a related search term in Google. However, without performing an in-depth analysis on these specific keyword phrases that are used, the online business owner will not be able to increase their Google rankings for these keywords!
This is why many new online business owners are advised to seek the help of an internet marketing firm that will be able to perform these tasks for them, while the business owner can focus on creating new products, forming strategic partnerships with other like businesses, and increasing their customer service standards. Although internet marketing is the most sure way to draw potential customers to an e-commerce shop, online business owners can also benefit from social media marketing through sites like Twitter and Facebook. Through these sites, business owners can build a community around their brand, announce new products or services, stay in direct contact with their customers, and ultimately increase profits by driving more traffic to their website.
