Things we should all revisit for 2011 - Internet Marketing Practises
Happy New Year to you all, am hoping you have all had a great start to the year. I have been scratching my head the last few days wondering what would be the best way to start my blog for 2011, so decided on giving out some advise on internet marketing and remainder to all of is on some of the basics of the industry.
Being an internet marketer for many years, I am continually amazed by the less than professional and even ethical practises I see, being undertaken by other so called “professionals” in my industry. So I have compiled this list of the top 11 problems I come across. Please take note – and even print this off and use it as a checklist for your internet professional, to ensure you get the services you deserve.
1. Websites that do not consider the internet. Still, too many graphic designers and web developers are creating websites that do not interact with the internet. And by this, I mean they can never be found in the search engines because they are just not structured correctly. Ensure your website developer has a clear understanding of what the search engines need from a website and if they give you a vague or unclear message here, find a different developer. These guys will build you something that may look nice, it just will not add any benefit to your business.
2. Websites that make it hard for people to contact you. Make sure your developer puts your contact details on every page of your website, either top right or top left. I am amazed by the number of website where potential clients have to search for contact details. Every click required to find your phone number or email address is a barrier to you making a sale. Review some of the developer’s recent client website. If contact details are not on every page, the tip is the developer knows little about internet sales and marketing.
3. Developers who sell you a website, yet maintain ownership of things like the domain registration. In my experience, only the “dodgy” and un-trustworthy operators do this. They register a domain for you and hold onto it. Domains expire and must be renewed. If your internet professional has not given you the ownership rights of your domain, what happens when it expires? Either he will charge you an exorbitant amount to renew it, or if you no longer use their services, he may even deliberately let it expire so your website disappears. This is not a joke, a major internet operator recently and vindictively did this to a client of mine – the simple answer is, maintain ownership of your internet property.
4. Developers who do not give you all your account logins or passwords. They do this to make it difficult for you to leave their services. The only possible reason I can think that this situation exists, is that they know their services are sub-standard and many of their clients do leave. The answer – get password for a. your domain; b. your hosting or CPANEL account; c. FTP; d. full admin rights to any administration panel you have been sold.
5. Marketers who do not re-invest their profits into their own skills. Too often I see really bad or old advice given, especially in the Search Engine Optimisation services area. The reason for this is internet marketing is fast moving. Professionals in this arena need to invest thousands each year, in professional development to keep up. Things like link swapping and reciprocal linking are just bad techniques now yet internet marketers still promote these old, ineffective methods. Ask your internet marketer how much he reinvests into his own development and what was the last self development course he undertook.
6. Web developers who use their clients websites to promote their own businesses. This is a big one in this industry. Often I see web developers or online marketers who riddle their clients websites with links back to their own, promoting their own business. Industry standard is for developers to leave a small link in the footnote of your website. If your developer has done more than this (IE. if they have embedded links back to their site in the text of your site, or written blog posts about themselves) it is too much. Each link in the text of your website is a way for your clients to leave your website and not give you business. Your developer should be preventing this, not creating this. Before you sign up – review some of their existing client’s websites. Ensure any links to their sites are contained in the footnote and are discrete. If there is more than this, they are more interested in promoting their own business than marketing yours – get rid of them.
7. Vindictive operators who make it difficult to leave their services. Some make it very hard for you to leave their services, making you waste time you should be spending making money, trying to sort out their contractual mess. You should be able to get out of any ongoing web development or internet marketing contract easily, with a minimum of fuss. You do not need a reason, if you want to leave a service provider, you should be able to. Make sure your contracts do not tie you in. Ensure there is an easy way to get out of your contracts.
8. Vindictive operators who do not pass on your information to your next service provider. See point 3 above – get all your logins and passwords up front and take control of this. If you have all your information up front, there is nothing your service provider can do when it’s time to move on.
9. Many web developers and internet markets seem to test their strategies on their clients websites and end up getting their clients website banned from Google. This is unacceptable. They should know their stuff and only apply proven and safe strategies. To avoid this type of issue, do some Google research on the business’s and business owner’s names. Once you scroll past the usual self promotion that will come up, you will be amazed at some of the things you will find. Angry ex-customers blog posting or writing negative reviews, clients suing them, some internet marketers just can’t seem to keep out of the courts. This should raise alarm bells.
10. Vague strategies on value add. If your web developer says to you “You have to wait for 6 months or so for Google to find your website before you can expect any sales”, say to them “you’ll have to wait for 6 months before the sales generated from your work, pays for your work”. An internet professional should know what it takes to get your website making you money fast and should have a clear strategy to achieve that. Why else are you getting a website built?
11. Lack of Reporting/Accountability. Everything on the internet can be measured and tracked. As such, your website developer should be able to set up a system where you can measure traffic (visitors) as well as leads (inquiries) and therefore sales. Internet marketers should have specific reporting proving the value they are adding to your business. Ask them what reporting they give you as part of their package. No reporting mean no accountability. The reporting should be specific and well defined. It should prove the money they are charging you is less than the money they are making you, or saving you. This way, you know they are adding value.
I hope this is useful information and will help you revisit your marketing strategies for 2011, do not hesitate to get in touch if you need to discuss any of the above further.
Happy New Year!!


