Your web site marketing strategy is the essential factor that determines the success or failure of a business web site. This is true whether your web site is an extension of an offline business, or you run an completely online business. Web site marketing is unlike any marketing you may have done using other media. However, marketing your web site on the internet shares many common core marketing foundations that underlie your marketing efforts regardless of the media you use. I am a strong believer that for a small business, all marketing should be based on the old direct marketing mantra of attention, interest, desire, and action. In this article I am going to discuss those aspects in terms of how they crucial in marketing your web site on the internet.

Regardless of the media you choose, nothing will ever happen if you don’t attract the attention of prospective buyers. This is one of the very basic tenets of successful marketing. On the internet, this concept is evaluated by the traffic that you receive on your web site. But there are a lot of factors that affect how much traffic you get, and only part of it is the actual content of your web site. There are two ways you can get attention in any media: you can earn it or you can buy it.

All the major search engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc.) show up two different types of results when a customer uses them. The most relevant results based on the search algorithms used by the engine are called ‘free’ or ‘organic’ since they are the natural result of running a search. The second type of result are actually paid advertisements, and they can be very difficult to distinguish from the results that are actually relevant to you query. It is important to keep in mind that no matter how good the engine, the results are still hit or miss. It is a computer program sorting web pages based on mathematical formulae, not live people helping you select the best results, so as a person hoping to be indexed, you must be willing to put the time and effort into checking how you rank on the major engines and tuning your word choice to optimize that. If you can’t make it onto the first (or second at the very least) page of results, your traffic will drop dramatically! Most people don’t bother to wade through the hits on the pages after that. Even second-page ranking will hurt your ability to attract new users.

One of the most effective ways to increase internet traffic is buying some form of advertising. One of the most pervasive forms is banner advertising. Originally, these were very popular forms of advertising, but as they became more prevalent, their effectiveness waned. They can still be effective as long as you have a clear marketing strategy and are able to track your advertising statistics. Text advertisements are probably the most common form of internet advertising today. Google has paved the way, and if done correctly, your internet traffic can multiply quickly by using Google ads. MSN and Yahoo also offer text advertisements on their sites. One downside to text advertising is that the cost can add up fairly quickly, depending on how many hits you receive for your ad. Each time a searcher clicks on your text ad, the provider charges you a set amount. Another way to increase traffic to your site is to buy traffic from someone who has an e-mail contact list or has a lot of traffic on their site already.

Any approach to publicizing your website or portal must begin with the aim of grabbing attention of the web surfers and internet addicts. To grab attention, you must deliver your message to surfers on websites they frequently visit. You can publicize your website by doing the hard work yourself or by availing expert help, or a mix of both. Doing it yourself means you will have to commit your time, energy and money. It might sound daunting but ultimately proves to be cheaper as well. Availing expert help can get your results without eating your time. To set the cash registers ringing, it is suggested that you develop your own mix of both ways suited to your own needs and resources.

The entire purpose of your website is to attract quality leads who want and have the money to purchase your products and services.

So, the first thing you have to do is ask yourself, WHO?

Who is my ideal customer? Where does she live? Where does she hang out? What problem does she have that she’s looking for a solution to and willing to pay to fix?

Once you know this, you have the foundation to begin the design process.

First matter of business, your HEADLINE.

Your headline is the most important part of your site. You have only seconds to grab your prospect by the eyeballs and keep her attention so you need to have a headline that clearly states the solution or benefit you provide.

Make sure your headline is in the center, in the top fold of the page so your visitor doesn’t have to scroll down to find it. Also make sure it’s in a large font that stands out and instantly commands attention.

Next, include compelling salescopy that clearly communicates the benefits of your product and service. If you use your site to share the story of your life, you’ll lose your visitor in the blink of an eye. Instead, focus on her needs because that’s what she’s there for. What’s in it for her? If what you offer can make her look younger, be more popular, save her time, bring her money, eliminate backache, give her more time with family, get a promotion or give her a better night’s sleep — make it known in your copy.

Keep it clean and simple. If you bury your site with third party advertisements and non-related graphics, it looks more like a three-ring circus than a focused, professional business.

Steer clear of contrasting color schemes and designs, font colors and sizes. Also, keep your font in an easy-to-read color. White lettering on a dark background is hard on the eyes.

Video and audio are great added features as long as they’re relevant to your business and professionally done.

Create social proof. Include testimonials and make them verifiable.

“”John Q., Denver”" means little, but “”John Quigley, Vice-President, Tando Enterprises, Denver, Colorado”" and a photo of him, gives the reader the ability to check your credibility and proof that you’re a reputable business person.

List qualifications that are relevant to your business as well as accomplishments and experience. Offer a gift in exchange for a name and e-mail address. Very few web visitors buy on first blush, but are willing to give you their contact information in exchange for something of value.

Just make sure this sign-up form is easy to find and not buried within your copy or at the bottom of your page. Make it stand out by placing it in the top left or right corner of your site.

Once you have a name, you can begin a courtship through a newsletter or e-course. Send value-packed information that provides benefit and extend invitations to return to your site and take advantage of your more comprehensive packages and special offerings. Give your visitor clear instructions on what you want her to do.

Do you want her to sign-up for your newsletter? Download your special report? Request information on your daily special? Enroll in your club?

Tell the reader exactly what you want her to do. Give her a strong call to action and tell her specifically what steps to take.

If the visitor decides to make an immediate purchase, make sure the process is easy and seamless. Integrate a shopping cart and merchant account to handle the transaction. If there are too many hoops to jump through, your visitor will click away. Also make it very clear what to expect. How the product will be delivered and by when.

Create an exit pop.

Sometimes people just won’t have the time to read everything and might click away before giving you their contact info.

You can increase your chances of getting this information simply by adding an exit pop to your page. When visitors click away, they’ll receive a reminder that they can receive your newsletter or report as a gift. Thirty percent will sign-up.

And finally — take a look at other web sites. Find ones that grab your attention and make you want to pull out your wallet and buy. Pay attention to what they do that works and apply those elements to your site.

Your website can be your 24/7 sales team with these few right actions.