Much of the world today lives on the Internet. And for a large portion of Internet users, search engines are one the primary tools they go to daily. In fact, 93% of online experiences start with using a search engine. Across the world, there are over 100 billion searches being done every month. That is why it’s recommended that business owners maximize their potential for online growing by using paid search marketing, search engine optimization, and social media.
Paid search marketing is advertising either within the sponsored listing of a search engine, such as Google or Bing, or a partner website through Pay Per Click (PPC). Having a sponsored listing so your business is linked on the first page is search results is vital because most users (75%, in fact) don’t scroll past the first page of results. Paid search is definitely a valuable tool to increase your business’ advertising. PPC consultants can assist you in using this tool to your company’s greatest advantage.
Search engine optimization is a very helpful tool to increase how frequently your business will appear in search results, thus increasing your customer base. It has also been proven to be a cost-effective method — an inbound lead from SEO costs less than 61% than an outbound lead, such as a cold call or direct mail. They also have an increased close rate. Their rate is 14.6%, and outbound leads have about a 1.7% close rate.
Social media is another vital component of growing your business online. Social media sites and blogs now reach eight out of 10 internet users in the United States, which accounts for 23% of total online time. Of millennials, one of social media’s largest group of users, 63% often look to social networks to stay update on their favorite brands. 51% of millennials say social opinions have some influence over their purchase decisions, and 46% report that they “count on social media” when making a purchase online. Using social media to advertise does not need to take a large amount of time, either. For example, 74% of brand marketers reported an increase in their website traffic after investing just six hours per week on social media. Also, 5% of marketers who had a presence on Twitter have generated a customer just because of that presence.
When you consider that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and 75% of users will not scroll past the first results page, a paid search is absolutely vital for visibility while standing out among competitors. With tools like paid search marketing, SEO, and social media, you have incredible opportunities to grow your business like never before.