Existing high street shops are increasingly moving their operations online to increase and widen their custom. Start up businesses also benefit greatly from having the freedom to market their products nationwide via the Internet, and reduce their overheads. Much of the UK population is now online, so there is a large market for online shop’s which can successful promote their businesses to potential customers and clients. Niche sellers have also benefited greatly, as their products become accessible to a larger number of customers throughout the UK. This article aims to deliver to a handful of tips for promoting an online shop.
Include your domain on existing marketing material
Your domain name (e.g. www.mydomainname.co.uk) should be short and precise. For existing businesses it would be usual for the business name to be used, as people may try to guess your domain name via your trading name, or may search for your trading name in search engines. Salisbury Tracker Parts Ltd would therefore find a domain such as www.salisburytrackerparts.co.uk fruitful.
A domain name does not take up much space on most marketing items, and is a powerful resource to point potential customers towards. Staff t-shirts, pens, letter heads, vans etc would be ideal mediums to include the domain name.
Add your web site to relevant online directories
Many towns and cities have their own local online directories. Some are run by recognised organisations, others by online entrepreneurs who may look to charge for inclusion. Look for quality directories which are ideally ran by local groups, or for a specific trade directory. A health food shop in Salisbury may seek out a quality local business directory, as well as a wider health based directory.
There are many free online directories which may be worth a visit, most of which will be found with a simple online search. A word of caution however; be careful trading links with any online directory. Some directories ask for a link to be added to your web site which links thorough to their web site in order for inclusion into their directory. We would advise avoid such directories.
Social networking
FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter and MySpace offer great mediums for attracting relevant traffic to your online shop. FaceBook, Twitter and MySpace allow you to keep in contact with your followers, keeping them up to date with news and offers in real time. Members of the social networking web sites will be attracted to your profile if you manage to be compelling, therefore increasing your business’s online presence and enhancing your branding.
YouTube can be a very powerful tool for some online traders. A video can pack a vast amount of information into a short space of time, and include demonstrations of items. A shop in Salisbury selling fitness bands could, for example, create a handful of short videos which illustrate how to perform some exercises. People will naturally be looking for exercise instructions online (especially on YouTube as videos are easier to follow), so you have direct access to your potential customers. Your domain name can be included within the video with the use of basic video editing, or could be displayed within your YouTube description box.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
Search engine optimisation is all about performing better organically in search engines. It is possible to rank higher for certain keywords and phrases, therefore increasing web site traffic and sales. SEO is not a quick process by any means, although many web sites will notice quick results from even basic optimisation.
Many customers search for items via search engines, so a web site ranked on the first page of the results would much more likely take that persons custom than a web site on the third page. Web sites ranked in the top three results for a given search phrase benefit greatly, and are also perceived as being more trustworthy than those ranked lower down in the results. For long term online success, SEO is an important process.
WebbedFeetUK Ltd can help
WebbedFeetUK Ltd has been established since 2001, and since that time has developed many online e-commerce shopping solutions for our clients throughout UK and Europe. We are professional web site designers based in Salisbury, and can develop bespoke online shops so you can begin taking secure payments online, and also help you with any promotional aspect of your online business. We have a wealth of experience and knowledge in search engine optimisation and social networking.
For a collection of our previous work, please see our portfolio page. If you would like to discuss things further, please do not hesitate to contact us.