You did it! You launched your website. Now, you have a decision to make. A website that brings you clients and revenue is an ongoing investment in time and dollars. Do you have the time and desire to tackle this? Or should you hire an expert?
Paid Search
Search will always be a key driver for website traffic. And when your site is new, paid search is the only way you are going to show up in search results. It is worth it to invest money in paid search. If your site generates revenue for you, be prepared to always have some level of paid search.
SEO
Beyond paid search, SEO is about more than identifying a handful of keywords and putting them all over your site. To find the right keywords, consider doing a competitive keyword analysis for your site and your competitors.
Site Content
Create original content for people, not search engines. Better content means your site is more likely to get search preference over sites only loaded with keywords. Engage your readers and offer solutions and answers. Show them how you are that solution.
Local Search
Finally, up your local search game. Take it off-line by attending local events and getting involved. Participate in the community by writing blog posts and sharing the love with other local businesses. This will help you get inbound links from local news, other businesses, or community sites. Combine these inbound links with paid search and you will see results through increased traffic.
Conquering everything explored here yourself might seem more cost effective, but that isn’t always the case. Know what you can handle, and what is better left to the experts. Paying someone to tackle search engine optimization, for example, could save you loads of time and money while bringing you better results. Be prepared to budget ongoing dollars to keeping your site updated, functioning and in front of your customers.
