Internet marketing begins with two very simple concepts: creating a website and making people notice that website. While it seems simple at first, this form of marketing becomes more complicated as your will to succeed in this business increases.
First, you need to create a website. Do not be discouraged; while you can go a long way in this business with knowledge of HTML, CSS and all those internet tools (which you are expected to learn if you really want to win over a large audience), it is okay to start out with only the basics: your computer, a working internet connection, and a website service, the common type of which today is a blogging service. There are many blogging services available on the internet, such as WordPress, Blogger and TypePad. These are user-friendly, require minimal or no programming skills, and allow you to publish your website through only a few clicks.
While it is ideal to start with a free service, especially for experimentation, a paid hosting service allows you full customization of your website.
While it is ideal to start with a free service, especially for experimentation, a paid hosting service allows you full customization of your website.
Once your website is online, it is time to get your target audience to view your content. You can start by informing your contacts (through phone or email) about the website and the products or services that you offer. The neighborhood and the workplace are perfect avenues for internet marketing. You can also start promoting your website by advertising on other sites on the internet. These are offered for free in some classifieds websites such as eBay Classifieds or Craigslist. You can also pay other websites to do the advertising for you by having them display banner ads or links to your website.
A more aggressive approach is hiring other people to "tweak" your website and make it more attractive to prospective customers. This is in the form of SEO (search engine optimization) services. In the simplest terms, SEO makes your website easy to find using search engines such as Google or Yahoo! by becoming keyword-friendly. You can also make your web design more user-friendly and pleasing to the eyes by hiring a professional to redesign it for you. Like a physical business establishment, a website has to be easy to find and needs to project an image of professionalism.
Whether you are a beginner or you have been involved in internet marketing for a long time, always remember that it is a form of investment and as such, certain risks are involved. There are many opportunities presented by the internet and as long as you do not give up, you will either succeed, or you will learn something.
