Phill Dossett is the strategy director at Engage, helping clients succeed by implementing clever digital tactics; including conversion optimised website development, advertising campaigns and marketing automation.
Generating high-quality leads is the lifeblood of any B2B business. Yet, 85% of B2B marketers say it’s their biggest challenge. The truth is, lead generation isn’t just about getting more names into your pipeline; it’s about finding the right prospects who are ready to engage and, ultimately, buy.
If you’re struggling to get a steady flow of qualified leads, you’re not alone. In this guide, we’ll break down the most effective B2B lead generation strategies—both outbound and inbound—that will help you create predictable growth and sustainable revenue.
Understanding B2B Lead Generation
B2B lead generation is the process of attracting potential business clients and nurturing them until they are ready to make a purchase. Unlike B2C, where impulse buying is common, B2B sales cycles are longer and require a strategic approach.
Successful B2B lead generation involves a mix of outbound and inbound tactics, leveraging technology, data, and automation to reach decision-makers at the right time. The goal? To build a system that consistently delivers high-quality leads that convert into revenue.
Outbound Lead Generation Strategies
Outbound marketing involves actively reaching out to potential leads rather than waiting for them to come to you. Here are some proven tactics:
1. Cold Email Outreach – But Make It Personal
Cold emails still work, but generic, mass-sent messages don’t. To improve response rates:
Personalise each email with the recipient’s name, company, and relevant details.
Use a compelling subject line to boost open rates.
Keep your message short and focused on their pain points.
Include a low-friction CTA (e.g., “Would it make sense to chat for 10 minutes?”).
2. LinkedIn Prospecting – Social Selling Done Right
LinkedIn is a goldmine for B2B lead generation. To maximise your success:
Optimise your LinkedIn profile to highlight your expertise.
Connect with decision-makers in your target industry.
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify high-potential prospects.
Start conversations through personalised connection requests and DMs.
3. Cold Calling – Still Effective, If Done Right
Yes, cold calling still works. But instead of a hard sell, try:
Researching your prospect beforehand to tailor your pitch.
Opening with a strong hook that addresses their specific pain point.
High-quality content helps position you as a trusted expert. Focus on:
Blog articles that address common industry challenges.
Case studies showcasing real-world success stories.
Whitepapers and eBooks offering in-depth insights.
Webinars and video content to engage different learning styles.
6. SEO – Get Found by High-Intent Buyers
SEO isn’t just about rankings; it’s about attracting the right traffic.
Conduct keyword research to find search terms potential buyers use.
Optimise your website for both on-page and technical SEO.
Create long-form, value-driven content that answers search queries.
Build backlinks from reputable industry websites.
7. Lead Magnets – Capture Contact Details
Offer something valuable in exchange for an email address, such as:
Free templates or toolkits.
Industry reports with exclusive insights.
Free trial offers or demos.
8. Email Nurture Sequences – Turn Leads into Buyers
Once a lead enters your funnel, don’t let them go cold. A well-structured email sequence can:
Deliver value through educational content.
Showcase case studies and testimonials.
Gently move them towards booking a sales call.
Leveraging Technology for Smarter Lead Generation
9. CRM & Marketing Automation
A good CRM (like HubSpot, Close, or Salesforce) ensures you track and manage leads effectively. Combine it with marketing automation tools to:
Score leads based on engagement.
Send automated follow-ups.
Segment your audience for personalised campaigns.
10. AI & Chatbots for Lead Qualification
AI-driven chatbots can qualify and route leads instantly. Use them to:
Answer common questions in real-time.
Capture leads outside business hours.
Book meetings directly in your calendar.
Optimising Your Lead Generation Funnel
Lead generation isn’t just about getting names into your pipeline—it’s about moving them towards conversion. A well-optimised funnel includes:
11. Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)
A/B test landing pages to increase conversions.
Use clear, compelling CTAs.
Simplify lead capture forms to reduce drop-off rates.
12. Multi-Touch Attribution – Measure What Works
Track and analyse how leads interact with your content before converting. This helps you:
Invest more in high-performing channels.
Identify weak points in your sales funnel.
Optimise your marketing spend effectively.
Common Lead Generation Mistakes to Avoid
Even the best strategies can fail if you make these mistakes:
Focusing on quantity over quality – A smaller pool of high-intent leads is better than a bloated list of uninterested contacts.
Ignoring follow-ups – Most leads don’t convert on the first touch. A structured follow-up process is crucial.
Neglecting website performance – A slow, poorly designed website will kill conversions before they even start.
Not leveraging social proof – Case studies, testimonials, and reviews build trust and accelerate decision-making.
Final Thoughts: Creating a Predictable Lead Generation Machine
The key to sustainable B2B lead generation is consistency. Whether through outbound strategies like cold outreach and paid ads or inbound tactics like SEO and content marketing, the best results come from an integrated approach.
Start by identifying which strategies align best with your target audience, test different approaches, and refine your process based on real data. With the right systems in place, you’ll create a repeatable, scalable lead generation engine that drives consistent revenue growth.
Ready to transform your lead generation strategy? Let’s talk.
Learn how to harness the power of inbound and outbound marketing to attract the right audience, generate quality leads, and drive consistent revenue growth for your business.
Marketing channels are like tools in a carpenter’s workshop. A hammer is perfect for driving nails, but try using it to tighten a screw, and you’ll be left with frustration and a mess. The same goes for marketing strategies – inbound and outbound each have their time, place, and purpose. Yet, in a world overflowing with options, many businesses find themselves asking: which tool should I pick, and when?
The debate between inbound and outbound marketing is a perennial tug-of-war, often driven by buzzwords, trends, or promises of quick wins. Inbound, with its allure of organic growth and customer trust, feels like the future. Outbound, bold and direct, seems to channel the urgency of now. But here’s the twist: they’re not competitors – they’re partners. Used thoughtfully, they complement each other, driving results that neither could achieve alone.
So, when do you roll out an attention-grabbing outbound campaign, and when do you let the quiet pull of inbound do its magic? The answer lies not in the channels themselves but in how well you understand your audience and your goals. Let’s dive into the essence of each approach, break down their strengths, and explore when and how to wield these tools for maximum impact. Because in the end, it’s not about inbound versus outbound; it’s about crafting a strategy that works.
What is Outbound Marketing?
Outbound marketing is a proactive approach where businesses take the initiative to reach out to potential customers with their message. It’s all about getting in front of your audience, often interrupting their current activity to capture their attention. This strategy includes tactics like cold emails, TV and radio ads, Google Display Ads, direct mail, and telemarketing.
Rather than waiting for prospects to discover you, outbound marketing casts a wide net, targeting specific demographics or behaviours to create awareness and spark interest. While it may not always attract customers who are actively searching, it excels at driving quick visibility, engaging new audiences, and generating immediate results when time is of the essence. It’s the marketing equivalent of knocking on doors – bold, direct, and effective when paired with the right message.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound marketing is a customer-focused approach that attracts potential buyers by offering valuable content and experiences tailored to their needs. Instead of interrupting audiences with ads or cold outreach, inbound marketing draws them in naturally, meeting them where they’re already searching for solutions.
It revolves around creating resources like blogs, videos, eBooks, and webinars, optimising your website for search engines, and nurturing leads through email campaigns and marketing automation. The goal is to build trust, provide solutions, and guide prospects along their buyer’s journey until they’re ready to engage with your business.
Think of inbound marketing as a magnet. It doesn’t shout for attention; it offers something useful, relevant, and engaging, positioning your business as a trusted partner rather than just another brand trying to sell. Over time, this approach cultivates loyalty, builds credibility, and delivers sustainable growth.
Interrupt to Engage: The Strength of Outbound
Outbound marketing involves actively reaching out to potential customers to deliver your message, often interrupting their current activities. Here are common examples of outbound marketing tactics:
Digital Advertising
Google Display Ads: Ads shown on websites, apps, and YouTube to targeted audiences.
Video Ads: Pre-roll or mid-roll ads on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.
Social Media Ads: Paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Native Advertising: Sponsored articles or ads that blend into content feeds on sites like news platforms.
Pop-Ups: Website-based ads that interrupt a user’s browsing.
Traditional Advertising
TV and Radio Commercials: Mass broadcasting to reach wide audiences.
Billboards and Outdoor Advertising: Large-scale visuals in public spaces.
Print Ads: Ads in newspapers, magazines, or other print media.
Cold Outreach
Cold Emails: Reaching out to prospects without prior contact.
Cold Calling: Direct phone calls to potential customers.
LinkedIn Messages: Unsolicited messages aimed at creating leads.
Direct Mail
Flyers, Brochures, and Catalogues: Physical materials sent to people’s homes or businesses.
Promotional Offers: Discount codes or coupons mailed to encourage purchase.
Event-Based Marketing
Trade Shows: Setting up booths or hosting demos to engage prospects.
Street Promotions: Sampling or demonstrations in public places.
Sponsorships: Placing your brand at events, sports teams, or conferences.
Other Tactics
Telemarketing: Reaching out to potential customers via phone campaigns.
Programmatic Advertising: Automated ad placement that targets users on third-party websites.
Influencer Marketing (in some contexts): Paying influencers to promote products to their audience.
Key Characteristics of Outbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is all about drawing potential customers to your business by offering them real value, rather than bombarding them with ads or messages they didn’t ask for. It’s built on a foundation of trust, education, and permission, which makes it a powerful way to build meaningful, long-term relationships with your audience. Instead of shouting for attention, inbound marketing focuses on creating solutions to the problems your ideal customers are already trying to solve.
At its core, inbound marketing is customer-centric. It’s designed to meet people where they are—whether they’re searching for answers on Google, scrolling through their social media feeds, or exploring options on your website. The goal isn’t just to capture attention but to deliver something useful, whether that’s an insightful blog post, a handy tool, or an inspiring case study. When done well, inbound marketing positions your business as a trusted expert that people want to engage with, even before they’re ready to make a purchase.
What sets inbound apart is its sustainability. By focusing on creating value, it builds a loyal audience that keeps coming back and recommending your brand to others. The emphasis on permission-based engagement—where your audience chooses to interact with your content—means you’re not just gaining leads; you’re earning their trust. Over time, this approach nurtures deeper connections that convert into loyal customers and brand advocates, making inbound marketing an investment in both your present and future success.
Interruptive: It aims to grab attention, whether the audience is actively seeking the product/service or not.
Broad Reach: Often targets a large audience, not always personalised.
Immediate Visibility: Can generate quick awareness, though not always engagement.
Value First, Sales Later: The Inbound Approach
Inbound marketing focuses on attracting potential customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to their needs. It pulls people in rather than pushing messages out. Here’s a breakdown of inbound marketing tactics:
Content Marketing
Blogs: Writing articles that address customer pain points, answer questions, and provide solutions.
eBooks and Whitepapers: In-depth resources offered in exchange for contact information.
Videos: Educational or entertaining videos hosted on YouTube or your website.
Infographics: Visually appealing content that simplifies complex data or concepts.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
On-Page SEO: Optimising website content with keywords, meta descriptions, and titles to rank higher in search engines.
Local SEO: Targeting location-specific search queries to attract nearby customers.
Backlinking: Earning links from credible websites to improve search engine rankings.
Technical SEO: Ensuring website speed, mobile usability, and site structure are optimised.
Social Media Marketing
Organic Social Posts: Sharing valuable and engaging content on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter to build an audience.
Community Engagement: Responding to comments, participating in discussions, and building a rapport with followers.
User-Generated Content: Encouraging and sharing content created by your audience, such as reviews or photos.
Email Marketing
Drip Campaigns: Sending personalised, automated emails based on a user’s behaviour.
Newsletters: Regular updates with tips, news, and offers for subscribers.
Lead Nurturing: Educating prospects through the sales funnel with helpful content.
Lead Magnets
Webinars: Hosting live or recorded sessions that offer valuable insights to attendees.
Free Tools and Calculators: Offering resources like budget planners, ROI calculators, or other tools that attract potential customers.
Templates and Checklists: Downloadable, ready-to-use documents.
Search Ads and Remarketing (Inbound Leaning)
Google Search Ads: Ads targeting users actively searching for specific products or services.
Remarketing Ads: Engaging users who have already visited your site or shown interest.
Website Optimisation
Conversion-Optimised Landing Pages: Pages designed to capture leads or encourage specific actions.
Clear Value Propositions: Messaging that highlights how you solve customer problems.
Interactive Content: Quizzes, surveys, and other tools that engage users.
Social Proof
Case Studies: Success stories that show how you’ve helped others.
Testimonials and Reviews: Authentic feedback from customers.
Portfolios: Showcasing past projects or achievements.
Marketing Automation
Nurture Campaigns: Automated workflows that guide leads through the buyer’s journey.
Chatbots: Providing immediate assistance to website visitors.
CRM Integration: Managing customer relationships to personalise marketing efforts.
Key Characteristics of Inbound Marketing
Outbound marketing is the art of taking your message directly to potential customers, often reaching them before they’ve even thought about your product or service. It’s proactive, bold, and designed to grab attention. Whether it’s a billboard on a busy street, a cold email in an inbox, or an ad popping up during a favourite show, outbound marketing puts your brand in front of an audience rather than waiting for them to find you.
The defining trait of outbound marketing is its interruptive nature. It thrives on reaching broad audiences quickly, making it ideal for creating immediate visibility and brand awareness. Outbound campaigns are often highly targeted, leveraging tools like demographic data, behavioural insights, and location-based advertising to deliver messages to the right people at the right time. While it doesn’t always attract people who are actively searching, it excels at sparking interest, generating curiosity, and planting the seed for future engagement.
What makes outbound marketing effective is its ability to scale rapidly. By casting a wide net, it ensures your message is seen by a diverse audience, including those who may not know they need your product yet. While it might not build relationships as gradually as inbound marketing, it offers a powerful way to drive awareness and immediate results. When combined with a clear value proposition and a compelling call to action, outbound marketing can be a fast track to new leads and a stronger market presence.
Permission-Based: Prospects opt in to engage with your content or brand.
Value-Driven: Focuses on solving problems and delivering useful insights.
Customer-Centric: Tailored to meet the needs of specific audiences.
Sustainable: Builds long-term relationships and loyalty.
Inbound marketing is about meeting potential customers where they are and providing solutions they’re actively seeking. Let me know if you’d like help blending inbound with outbound for a well-rounded strategy!
The Right Tool for the Job: Matching Strategy to Audience and Goals
The choice between inbound and outbound marketing isn’t about picking sides; it’s about clarity. What are you trying to achieve, and who are you trying to reach? Start there, because the most brilliant campaign in the world will fall flat if it’s not aligned with your audience’s needs or your business’s objectives.
If your goal is to generate immediate awareness or drive action in a short timeframe, outbound marketing is your go-to. It’s perfect for launching new products, running time-sensitive promotions, or entering new markets where your brand is still unknown. Outbound thrives in scenarios where you need to make the first move, capturing attention and putting your message in front of people who may not even realise they need your solution yet.
On the other hand, inbound marketing shines when your aim is to build trust, nurture long-term relationships, and create sustainable growth. It’s about meeting your audience where they are, answering the questions they’re already asking, and solving their problems with content that educates and inspires. Inbound works best when your audience is actively seeking solutions and you want to position your brand as the trusted partner in their journey.
The magic happens when you know your audience deeply – their pain points, behaviours, and decision-making process. Are they skimming social media for inspiration or scouring Google for specific answers? Are they more likely to respond to a direct offer or to engage with a story that unfolds over time? Answer these questions, and you’ll know whether it’s time for outbound’s boldness or inbound’s pull. Often, the answer isn’t one or the other but a thoughtful blend of both, working together to guide your audience from awareness to action.
Bringing It All Together: Crafting a Balanced Marketing Strategy
The debate between inbound and outbound marketing isn’t about choosing a winner – it’s about knowing when to play each card. Outbound campaigns grab attention, create urgency, and can open doors that otherwise remain closed. Inbound strategies nurture trust, provide lasting value, and turn curious strangers into loyal customers. The real power lies in how you combine the two.
The takeaway? Start with your audience. Understand where they are, what they need, and how they make decisions. Use outbound marketing to spark interest, create visibility, or re-engage dormant leads. Lean on inbound to build deeper relationships, offer meaningful value, and position your business as the answer to their challenges. When done right, these approaches aren’t opposing forces – they’re the ultimate tag team, working together to grow your business.
Marketing isn’t about shouting louder or crafting the perfect magnet to pull people in. It’s about creating a seamless journey that captures attention at the right time, delivers value at every stage, and builds a connection that lasts. So, pick your tools wisely, align them with your goals, and remember: the best marketing doesn’t just drive leads – it drives trust, action, and growth.
Every business, no matter how successful, can hit a growth plateau.
This can be incredibly frustrating, especially for established companies that have enjoyed steady growth in the past.
However, hitting a plateau doesn’t mean the end of growth – it’s an opportunity to reassess, innovate, and reinvigorate your marketing strategy.
At Engage, we believe in the power of a structured approach to break through these barriers, which is why our Growth Marketing Canvas is designed to address key areas of your business.
By focusing on refining your value proposition, optimising your sales funnel, leveraging automation, and more, you can reignite your growth engine.
Introducing our Growth Marketing Canvas
Our Growth Marketing Canvas is a strategic tool designed to help businesses identify and address key areas of their marketing strategy to drive growth. It covers three main areas:
Growth Pillars: Target & Strengthen
Marketing Funnel: Engage & Convert
Tech Stack: Report & Optimise
By using this canvas, we can systematically analyse your current marketing efforts, pinpoint areas for improvement, and implement targeted strategies to achieve measurable growth. The Growth Marketing Canvas ensures that every aspect of your marketing strategy is aligned with your business goals and continuously optimised for better performance.
With the Growth Marketing Canvas, we help you build a strong foundation, optimise your sales processes, and leverage technology to drive efficiency and insights.
Now, let’s dive into ten growth marketing hacks that, when applied within the framework of our Growth Marketing Canvas, can help you break through your growth plateau and achieve significant business growth.
1. Refine Your Value Proposition
Your value proposition is the cornerstone of your marketing efforts. I
f your growth has stalled, it might be time to revisit and refine what makes your business unique. Understanding your target audience’s pain points and desires deeply is crucial. This allows you to craft a value proposition that speaks directly to them, setting you apart from the competition.
Start by conducting customer interviews and surveys to gain deep insights into what your customers value most about your products or services. Look for patterns in their feedback to understand their primary pain points and desires. Use this information to tweak your value proposition, ensuring it clearly communicates the unique benefits and solutions your business offers.
Example: Suppose you run a software company that provides project management tools. Through customer feedback, you discover that users value time-saving features and seamless team collaboration the most. Your refined value proposition might highlight how your tool saves time and enhances team collaboration, making it indispensable for businesses looking to improve efficiency.
Benefit: Aligning your offerings more closely with customer needs enhances your appeal and relevance, making it easier to attract and retain customers.
2. Optimise Your Sales Funnel
A well-optimised sales funnel can significantly improve conversion rates, which is essential for breaking through a growth plateau.
The key is to identify bottlenecks in your current funnel and implement strategies to streamline the customer journey. This ensures potential customers move smoothly from awareness to decision, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Begin by using analytics tools to track user behaviour and identify drop-off points within your sales funnel. Are there specific pages where visitors frequently exit? Are there steps in your checkout process that seem to deter potential buyers?
Once you’ve identified these bottlenecks, you can take targeted actions to address them.
For example, if users are dropping off at the pricing page, consider whether your pricing information is clear and compelling. Perhaps you need to highlight the value and benefits more effectively, or maybe you need to simplify the pricing options. If the checkout process is causing abandonment, ensure it’s as streamlined and user-friendly as possible.
Example: An ecommerce company might find that a high percentage of visitors abandon their shopping carts. By analysing the funnel, they discover that a complicated checkout process is the culprit. Simplifying the checkout process and offering multiple payment options can reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions.
Benefit: Reducing friction in the sales process leads to higher conversion rates, turning more visitors into paying customers and driving revenue growth.
3. Leverage Marketing Automation
Automation can free up valuable time and ensure that no lead is left unattended. From email sequences to social media scheduling, marketing automation tools can keep your audience engaged without constant manual effort. The right automation strategy can streamline your marketing processes, allowing you to focus on high-level strategy and creative work.
Start by identifying repetitive marketing tasks that can be automated. This might include email marketing, social media posting, and lead nurturing sequences. Tools like ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, and SocialPilot offer robust automation features that can help manage these tasks efficiently.
Example: Consider an ecommerce business that regularly sends out promotional emails. By using email automation, they can set up a series of emails to be sent based on customer behaviour, such as browsing history or past purchases. This not only ensures timely and relevant communication but also frees up time for the marketing team to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Benefit: Maintains consistent communication with leads and customers, enhancing engagement and conversion while freeing up time for your team to focus on more strategic tasks.
4. Double Down on Content Marketing
Content is king, but quality content is the emperor.
Producing high-value content that addresses your audience’s pain points and positions your brand as an industry leader is crucial for breaking through growth plateaus. This not only helps in attracting new visitors but also in retaining existing customers by continuously providing them with value.
Develop a content calendar that outlines the topics you will cover over the next few months. Ensure these topics are relevant to your target audience and address their pain points. Incorporate a mix of blog posts, videos, infographics, and case studies to keep the content engaging.
Example: A B2B company might produce a series of blog posts and whitepapers that address common industry challenges and provide actionable solutions. By doing so, they establish themselves as a thought leader and resource for potential clients.
Benefit: Builds trust and authority, driving organic traffic and engagement. Quality content can significantly improve your search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
5. Enhance Your SEO Strategy
SEO is a long-term game, but the rewards are substantial. Ensuring your website and content are optimised for search engines can attract a steady stream of organic traffic. Given that organic search can be one of the most significant sources of traffic and leads, it’s critical to have a robust SEO strategy.
Conduct a comprehensive SEO audit to identify areas for improvement. Focus on both on-page SEO (such as keyword optimisation, meta descriptions, and internal linking) and off-page SEO (like backlink building and social signals). Tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and SEMrush can provide valuable insights and data to guide your SEO efforts.
Example: A technology company might discover through an SEO audit that their blog posts are not optimised for relevant keywords. By updating these posts with targeted keywords and improving their readability, they can boost their search rankings and attract more organic traffic.
Benefit: Increases organic search visibility, driving consistent and high-quality traffic to your site. This can lead to more leads and sales without the need for constant advertising spend.
6. Implement Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) focuses on targeting specific high-value accounts with personalised marketing efforts. This strategy can be particularly effective for B2B companies looking to land big clients. ABM aligns marketing and sales efforts to deliver a coordinated approach tailored to the needs of individual accounts.
Identify your key accounts that represent the highest value for your business. Develop personalised content and campaigns targeted specifically at these accounts. Coordinate with your sales team to ensure a seamless approach from initial contact through to closing the deal.
Example: A software company might identify a few large enterprises that would benefit significantly from their solutions. They could create personalised content, such as whitepapers and case studies, tailored to the specific challenges faced by these enterprises, and use targeted ads and direct mail to reach decision-makers within these companies.
Benefit: Enhances relevance and effectiveness of marketing efforts, leading to higher conversion rates and more significant deals.
7. Utilise Social Proof
Social proof, such as testimonials and case studies, can significantly influence potential customers. Showcase the success stories of your existing clients to build trust and credibility. Potential customers are more likely to trust your business if they see others have had positive experiences.
Collect and display customer testimonials and case studies prominently on your website and marketing materials. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on relevant platforms and share their success stories.
Example: A consulting firm could create a dedicated section on their website featuring detailed case studies that highlight how their services have helped clients achieve specific results. This not only builds credibility but also provides potential clients with concrete examples of the firm’s capabilities.
Benefit: Increases trust and encourages prospects to take action. Social proof can be a powerful motivator for potential customers who are on the fence about making a purchase or engaging with your services.
8. Invest in Video Marketing
Video content is incredibly engaging and can help convey your message more effectively. Use videos to showcase your products, share customer testimonials, or provide valuable information. Video marketing can capture attention quickly and is often more memorable than text-based content.
Create high-quality videos that address customer pain points and showcase your solutions. Use videos on your website, social media channels, and in email marketing campaigns. Consider different types of video content, such as explainer videos, product demonstrations, and customer testimonials.
Example: A fitness equipment company could create a series of workout videos demonstrating how to use their products effectively. These videos can be shared on social media and embedded on product pages, providing valuable content that engages potential customers.
Benefit: Boosts engagement and helps communicate complex information more easily. Video content can improve your website’s SEO and increase the time visitors spend on your site, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
9. Conduct A/B Testing
A/B testing allows you to experiment with different elements of your marketing campaigns to see what works best. This data-driven approach can lead to significant improvements in performance. By continuously testing and refining your strategies, you can optimise your marketing efforts for better results.
Identify key elements of your marketing campaigns that could be improved, such as email subject lines, landing page designs, and call-to-action buttons. Create variations of these elements and test them with different segments of your audience. Analyse the results to determine which version performs better.
Example: An online retailer might test two different email subject lines to see which one generates more opens and clicks. By continuously testing and refining their email campaigns, they can improve engagement and drive more sales.
Benefit: Optimises marketing efforts based on actual performance data, improving overall effectiveness. A/B testing helps you make informed decisions and ensures that your marketing strategies are always evolving and improving.
10. Sales Promotion – Offers and Incentives
Don’t underestimate the power of traditional sales promotions. Limited-time offers, discounts, and contests can drive immediate engagement and sales. While digital marketing strategies are crucial, traditional sales promotions can still play a significant role in your overall marketing plan.
Plan and execute sales promotions such as discounts, special offers, or contests. Use your website, email marketing, and social media channels to promote these offers. Ensure that the promotions are time-limited to create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate action.
Example: A fashion retailer might run a seasonal sale offering 20% off all items for a limited time. By promoting this offer through email marketing and social media, they can drive traffic to their website and increase sales during the promotion period.
Benefit: Generates excitement and urgency, driving quick sales and boosting engagement. Sales promotions can attract new customers and re-engage existing ones, providing a valuable boost to your revenue.
Conclusion
Breaking through a growth plateau requires a strategic approach and the right tools. By leveraging these growth marketing hacks and aligning them with Engage Digital’s Growth Marketing Canvas, you can revitalise your marketing efforts and drive significant growth.
By applying these strategies, your business will:
Increase Online Visibility: Enhanced SEO and content marketing strategies will make your business more discoverable online.
Generate High-Quality Leads: Targeted campaigns and a refined sales funnel will attract leads more likely to convert.
Improve Conversion Rates: Optimising your sales funnel and conducting A/B testing will turn more visitors into customers.
Boost Engagement: Marketing automation and high-quality content will keep your audience engaged and loyal.
Drive Sales: Sales promotions and personalised marketing efforts will directly contribute to increased sales.
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, Engage Digital is here to help. Let’s unlock your growth potential together.
The world has become digital, and your business is no exception. With the growth of digital marketing, businesses have been turning to conversion-based sites as a way to drive leads and sales. A conversion site helps you identify what actions your visitors take on your site so you can focus on driving those actions instead of selling visitors on things like products or services.
A conversion-based site is useful for many reasons beyond just driving conversions. For example, it also gives you an option when designing a layout that doesn’t require you to rely on plugins or third-party services. It lets you target your ads more effectively and create a design that will look great across devices, too.
Create a site for conversions
Creating a conversion-based site is great for driving conversions, but it isn’t always easy. You have many options to choose from when designing your site, and the amount of time and effort you put into your site will depend on what you want to achieve. It’s also important to think about how visitors will interact with your site.
It’s best if you consider a few things before starting your conversion-based site:
How will visitors interact with the website?
What are the goals of your business?
What will convert better?
Be clear about your goals
The first step to creating a conversion site is getting clear about your goals. Identify the actions you want your visitors to take and what you hope they will do once on your site. Make sure you have a clear idea of how you want people to engage with your content so that you can create the layout for your site that allows for those interactions.
Next, think about the most important features of your website and plan out what content should be displayed where. For example, if you’re selling products, think about where they should be placed and what order they should be in. If you’re selling services, then plan out which pieces of content are essential to the visitor’s experience and where they should appear on the page.
Use analytics to inform your decision-making
The top resource for finding success on a conversion-based site is analytics. Using the analytics, you can make informed decisions about what your visitors are doing and what actions to focus on.
Start by setting up goals in your analytics software so you know where you want to take your traffic. After that, set up conversion pixels on your website so you can track specific actions. When it comes to clicking ads or visiting certain pages, this will help you understand what’s working and what isn’t. It also gives you a chance to fine tune your site before investing in any other methods of driving leads or conversions.
Make sure you understand your visitors’ journeys
Understanding your visitors’ journeys is vital for a successful conversion-based site. From their first encounter with your website to their final purchase, you need to know what steps they take and how long it takes them to complete each step. This helps you target your ads so that your message will reach the people most likely to convert into customers.
There are several ways you can use analytics on your site to understand these journeys. For example, Google Analytics lets you see where visitors go on your site, when they come in contact with a certain page, and where they enter and exit the site. You can also use Google Search Console to see how many people have viewed different pages of your website over time and what keywords they searched for while visiting. If you have a blog or news section on your website, consider using Google Trends to find out which topics are trending right now.
AdWords is the key to success with PPC ads
One of the most important things to understand is that Google AdWords is a huge key in driving conversions. With AdWords, you can target your audience and set up your ads to have a specific call-to-action at the end. You’ll also see better conversion rates when you’re using PPC ads.
Some other tips for success with PPC: Embrace long-term goals and make sure you are willing to stay focused on them. Track your performance so you can make continuous adjustments.
#1: Use a conversion-based site
Making sure that your website has been designed with conversions in mind is an essential step toward creating a successful conversion site. In order to create this design, you need to know how visitors interact with the site and what actions they take throughout their journey through your website. This will help you identify what actions are most valuable for driving conversions on your site and focus more on those actions instead of selling visitors on things like products or services.
#2: Embrace long-term goals
When designing a conversion site, it’s important not to get too distracted by short-term goals. Instead, make sure that you understand where you want to be in the future and use that information as a way to guide your design efforts today. Don’t worry about getting everything done right away; rather, think long term so that once you reach those goals, all of your work will be worth it overall.
Test, test, test
Of course, to create a successful conversion site, you need to first test your idea. To find out what’s working and what isn’t on your site, use Google Analytics or another analytics tool to review where visitors go on your site. This will also help you identify any problems that might need to be fixed.
Another way to determine if your site is converting well is through data tracking. You can use a tool like Google Tag Manager to track specific actions visitors take on your site and how many people are taking those actions. If you see that people are not converting at the rate you want them too, you should re-evaluate why they aren’t converting and make adjustments accordingly.
Conclusion
Everything about your website – from the copy to the design – should focus on one thing: conversions.
Your conversion-based site should have a clear goal in mind and a site that targets a specific type of visitor. With the help of an analytics tool, like Google Analytics, you’ll be able to track what visitors are doing on your site and use that information to make decisions about where to invest your time and money.
Once you’ve created a conversion-based website, it’s time to get it in front of people. AdWords is the key to success with PPC ads.
Introduction to Digital Marketing
Digital marketing has become an essential component of business success in the modern era. It encompasses various online marketing techniques, including SEO, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and paid advertising. If you’re looking to enhance your digital marketing efforts, here are ten ways to get started.
Understand Your Target Audience
Creating Buyer Personas
Before diving into any marketing campaign, it’s crucial to understand who your target audience is. Create detailed buyer personas that outline the demographics, interests, and pain points of your ideal customers. This will help you tailor your messaging and marketing efforts to address their specific needs.
Conducting Market Research
Perform market research to gather insights into your target audience’s preferences and behavior. Analyse your competitors’ strategies and identify potential gaps in the market that your business can exploit. Use surveys, interviews, and social media listening tools to collect valuable data about your target audience.
Optimise Your Website for SEO
Conduct Keyword Research
To improve your website’s visibility in search engine results, perform keyword research to identify relevant terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find high-volume, low-competition keywords to target in your content.
On-Page Optimisation
Optimise your website’s content, meta tags, and URL structure to include targeted keywords. Ensure that your site has a logical hierarchy and uses proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) for improved readability and search engine indexing. Also, make sure your website is mobile-friendly, as this is a crucial factor in Google’s ranking algorithm.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO involves building your site’s authority through backlinks, social signals, and other external factors. Engage in guest blogging, influencer outreach, and social media marketing to earn high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. This will help improve your website’s credibility and search engine rankings.
Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
Types of Content
Content marketing is a powerful way to attract, engage, and convert visitors into customers. Develop a content marketing strategy that includes various types of content, such as blog posts, infographics, case studies, e-books, and webinars. Focus on creating valuable and informative content that addresses your target audience’s needs and challenges.
Content Distribution Channels
To maximize the reach of your content, use multiple distribution channels, including your website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and guest posting opportunities. Promote your content consistently and engage with your audience to drive traffic and build brand awareness.
Utilise Email Marketing
Building an Email List
Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital marketing channels for nurturing leads and retaining customers. Start by building a targeted email list using lead magnets, such as e-books, checklists, or discounts, in exchange for your audience’s contact information. Implement double opt-in methods to ensure that your subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.
Email Campaigns
Create engaging email campaigns that provide valuable content, promotions, and updates to your subscribers. Personalize your emails by addressing recipients by their name and segmenting your list based on factors like purchase history, location, and interests. Monitor your email campaign performance and continually optimise for higher open and click-through rates.
Leverage Social Media Marketing
Choosing the Right Platforms
Each social media platform attracts different audiences and serves unique purposes. Analyse your target audience’s preferences and choose platforms that align with your brand and objectives. For instance, LinkedIn is ideal for B2B marketing, while Instagram and Pinterest are better suited for visual content.
Engaging with Your Audience
Consistently share valuable content and engage with your audience by responding to comments, questions, and messages. Encourage user-generated content and run contests or giveaways to boost engagement rates. Use social listening tools to monitor your brand’s online reputation and gather insights for future marketing efforts.
Implement Video Marketing
Video Types and Formats
Video marketing is a powerful way to convey complex information in an easily digestible format. Experiment with various video types, such as explainer videos, product demos, webinars, and live streams. Use engaging visuals, clear audio, and concise messaging to capture your audience’s attention.
Video SEO
Optimise your videos for search engines by including targeted keywords in the title, description, and tags. Create eye-catching thumbnails and transcribe your videos to improve their accessibility and search engine visibility. Share your videos on social media platforms and embed them on your website to increase engagement and reach.
Use Paid Advertising
Google Ads
Google Ads offers a cost-effective way to reach potential customers through search, display, and video ads. Create targeted ad campaigns that focus on specific keywords, demographics, and interests. Monitor your ad performance and adjust bids, ad copy, and targeting to optimise your return on investment (ROI).
Social Media Advertising
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, offer various advertising options to reach your target audience. Use these platforms’ targeting features to display your ads to users based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics. Experiment with different ad formats, such as carousel ads, sponsored posts, and Stories, to find what works best for your brand.
Analyse and Measure Your Results
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
To evaluate the success of your digital marketing efforts, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business goals. Common KPIs include website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, and email open rates. Continuously track your KPIs to determine the effectiveness of your strategies and make data-driven decisions.
Analytics Tools
Utilize analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, SEMrush, and social media analytics, to measure your marketing performance. Analyse your data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement. Adjust your digital marketing strategies based on your findings to maximize your ROI and achieve your business objectives.
Stay Updated with Industry Trends
The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of your competition, keep up with the latest trends, tools, and best practices in the industry. Attend conferences, webinars, and workshops, and follow industry thought leaders on social media to stay informed about the latest developments.
Conclusion
Improving your digital marketing efforts involves understanding your target audience, optimising your website for SEO, developing a content marketing strategy, leveraging email marketing, utilising social media, implementing video marketing, using paid advertising, analysing and measuring your results, and staying updated with industry trends. By following these ten tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a more effective and successful digital marketing strategy for your business.
FAQs
Q: What is the most important factor for a successful digital marketing strategy?
A: There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, as it depends on your specific business goals and target audience. However, consistently creating high-quality, personalized content that resonates with your audience is key to driving engagement and conversions.
Q: How can small businesses compete with larger companies in the digital marketing space?
A: Small businesses can level the playing field by focusing on niche markets, building genuine relationships with their audience, and staying agile in adopting new marketing techniques.
Q: What are some common challenges faced by digital marketing agencies?
A: Some challenges include staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends, managing multiple clients and projects, and proving the ROI of their services to clients.
When it comes to building a website, the options can feel endless. In the past few years, we’ve seen an explosion in new design software and a surge of fresh ideas from the world of digital marketing. The result? A whole new generation of website builders that make it simpler than ever to create your own site.
These programs are not just for those with no technical know-how—they’re ideal for anyone who wants to build their first site or refresh an old one without hiring an expert designer. WordPress itself is an excellent example of how these builders can be used to create beautiful sites quickly and easily. With more than 60,000 plugins available and more than 200 themes on offer, there’s always something that will fit any taste or project. Here’s everything you need to know about using these tools as a WordPress site builder
What is a WordPress Website Builder?
Website builders, such as WordPress and Wix, are programs that can be used to create a website without requiring any technical know-how. These programs make it easy for anyone with a creative idea to create a site in a matter of minutes. In many cases, these websites can look more polished than those built by professional designers.
Many of the best website builders use HTML5 and CSS3. This is why you’ll find that they have an attractive interface and intuitive functionality—the design will stay modern even after years of updates. Website builders like these also allow you to quickly customize your site’s appearance with different fonts, colors, layouts, images, and other features all without having to learn code or hire someone who has knowledge in web design fields like graphic design or web development.
What’s the difference between a WordPress Website Builder?
A website builder is software that helps you design and build your website. There are a number of different programs out there, but WordPress is one of the most well-known options. A WordPress site builder integrates with WordPress to make designing a site effortless. It allows you to edit the theme of your site, add media, and manage pages on your site without needing to learn any coding skills or worry about hosting or domain names. It’s in this way that it can be used as a WordPress website builder.
You can also use these tools as a developer by using their program as a tool to create sites for clients or other projects that don’t require complex design solutions. You simply use the tools within the program you choose while working with client-provided files and save them on your computer when they’re ready for publishing.
As an example of how websites created with these tools function without any coding experience, consider Tumblr. By using Tumblr’s website builder, building your own blog has never been easier. With easy drag-and-drop interface, you have access to all the features that make Tumblr so popular—as well as some custom ones just for those who create their own blogs.
Why Use a WordPress Website Builder?
If you’ve been wanting to build your own website, but don’t want to take the time and money out of your budget for a professional web design service, a WordPress website builder can be a great option for you.
WordPress is an open-source content management system that’s been in use since 2003. It was originally designed as a blogging platform, but has grown quickly over the past decade and has become one of the most popular platforms on the internet.
With WordPress, anyone with some technical knowledge can learn how to create a professional-looking site at their own pace. Just by following a few tutorials, you could have your dream website up and running in no time! This means that if you have any ideas or simply want to refresh an existing site with new content—professional grade websites are accessible to all.
When it comes to building a website with WordPress, there are many options available. But the most important thing is understanding just what exactly makes this system so useful in creating great websites—it’s what sets it apart from other options like Squarespace or Weebly. The power of WordPress is its flexibility; with so many plugins and themes available, it’s possible for users to customize their sites into whatever they want them to be.
From design to delivery with WordPress website builders
When using a website builder, you will be able to spend more time on the creative process and less time worrying about technicalities. The design software will often take care of the coding for you, which frees up your time to focus on aspects like content and design.
You’ll also be able to easily update your site in the future. You won’t need to hire an expert designer or developer or worry about learning HTML and CSS—with a website builder, all the updates are done for you with just a few clicks. This makes it much easier for new changes to be made without having to pay someone else.
Finally, when using a website builder, there is no limit to what you can build. There are hundreds of ready-made themes that are available as well as thousands of plugins that offer innovative features and functions. This means that there is something available for any project idea you come up with without needing to start from scratch every time.
Pros of Using a WordPress Website Builder
The beauty of a WordPress website builder is that it’s not just for beginners. If you already know how to use WordPress, then you can use one of these tools to design your site quickly and easily. They also make it easy for those who don’t have any technical backgrounds to build a professional-looking site. For example, if you want to create an Instagram feed for your newsletter, there are web builders available that can be used in minutes to create beautiful galleries.
Another big benefit is the ability to create stunning websites without having to hire a designer or worry about the tech yourself. This allows you to focus on what matters most: your business’s mission and what makes your company unique. The builders also allow a whole new generation of entrepreneurs and small businesses the opportunity to create an online presence without breaking the bank or even hiring an expert designer.
Cons of Using a WordPress Website Builder
Using a WordPress website builder is not for everyone. It’s worth considering that you might have to give up some of the freedom and control that comes with creating a site from scratch. You might not even be able to totally customize the site without hiring designers or developers, which will make it harder for your business if you plan on selling products. If you choose to build your site using a WordPress website builder, you might find yourself with a basic site that doesn’t do much more than show off your content.
If you decide to create your own site from scratch, use these tips to improve the user experience:
Spending a little more upfront on design will help ensure your site looks professional and has a higher chance of converting visitors into customers.
Choose a unique name for your company and make sure it’s spelled right! (Note from Dan: Check spelling… seriously?)
Find people in the marketplace who can help you build out features that are unique to your business needs.
Final Words: Should You Use a WordPress Website Builder?
The answer to this question largely depends on the project you’re working on. For example, a website builder might be overkill if you want to build a fairly simple website with minimal customization and a basic layout. However, suppose you’re looking for something more in-depth and customizable with features like e-commerce, content management system (CMS), or mobile optimization. In that case, a WordPress website builder can help streamline the process and save money on design fees.
And by using WordPress as your site builder, you don’t have to worry about getting locked into any particular program. The WordPress software is open source and available to use for free. You also get access to thousands of other developers who are constantly adding new plugins that can help your site grow to meet your needs!
Starting an e-commerce business can be a challenging venture, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we’ll walk you through the 7 steps you need to take in order to launch your own e-commerce business. These will be the key concepts that will aid you as you build your start-up and help you set up your own shop sooner rather than later.
Before we get into the details, it’s important that you understand the ins and outs of launching an e-commerce business so that you don’t waste precious time and money. Read on to discover more about how starting an e-commerce business can help grow your brand, drive revenue, and create a steady income stream for your future.
What is an E-commerce Business?
E-commerce is the term for online shopping, similar to what you might find at a physical store. E-commerce businesses typically sell products or services and have a web page that can be found through search engines. These companies often enlist the help of a digital marketing agency in order to help them reach their target audience as efficiently as possible. If you’re wondering what it takes to start an e-commerce business, here are 7 key steps:
1) Understand Your Goals – First of all, it’s important that you understand your goals when starting an e-commerce business. Why do you want to start your own store? What is your target market? What are your main objectives? If you know these critical points before moving forward, you’ll be able to laser-focus your efforts on reaching those goals.
2) Research Your Target Audience – Once you know your goals, it’s time to research your target audience. You should also understand how they shop and what they like to buy so that you can create the perfect product for them. This will help maximize revenue and ensure that the most people see your product.
3) Create Product Ideas – Once you understand who would be interested in buying from your company, it’s time to figure out what kind of products would interest them the most and come up with product ideas based off of this information.
4) Plan Your Marketing Strategy – You need a plan if (note from Dan: the sentence ends here…?!)
How to Start an Ecommerce Business
Step 1: Create a business plan Before you launch your business, it’s important that you create a business plan. This will lay out all the key goals for your e-commerce business and what steps need to be taken in order to reach those goals. It’s also a great way to ensure that you are on the right track before spending any money or getting too far into the process.
Step 2: Develop a website Next, develop a website that is designed specifically for your e-commerce business. This will give your customers an idea of what they can expect when they shop with you. It’s important that this page is engaging and easy to use so that visitors stay on the site longer and purchase more products.
Step 3: Create social media accounts Social media is another key cog in online marketing for e-commerce businesses, but it is also one of the most difficult things to get started with. You need talented people who understand how to leverage these channels effectively if you want them to work for your company. Regardless of whether you hire someone or do it yourself, creating social media accounts will help you engage with potential customers on different platforms and build brand awareness in new ways.
Step 4: Set up shop on Shopify If you don’t have an established domain name, Shopify offers unlimited domains at no cost. With this service, setting up your start-up store won’t take much time at all! Plus (note from Dan: abruptly ends again!!!)
Step 1: Research and understand your market
The first step to starting an e-commerce business is doing your research. Find out what products and services are already in demand among your target audience. What’s the most popular item? What are their demographics? What are their tastes and preferences? Who are your competitors like? These questions help you get a better understanding of your market and which path you want to follow.
Next, figure out which other resources you need in order to launch your business. Do you need a website for your e-commerce store, or will you be using a platform such as Shopify or Bigcommerce? Do you need social media accounts, insurance, or storage space for products that will be sent from suppliers to buyers? For now, just focus on one step at a time without worrying about all the moving pieces.
Step 2: Build a solid foundation
Starting an e-commerce business is all about building a solid foundation. This includes setting up your website, coming up with a strong business name, and developing your brand identity. After you’ve figured out the basics, it’s time to start building your product line and getting the word out about your new venture. Keep in mind that at the beginning of your journey, you won’t make a lot of money. You’ll be investing quite a bit of time and effort into launching an e-commerce business before you see any return on investment (ROI). But remember: if you’re going to put in the work now, you could reap benefits down the road. It’s important to set realistic goals for yourself so that you can build momentum over time.
Step 3: Establish your brand voice and aesthetic
In order to stand out from the other e-commerce start-ups, you need to establish your brand voice and aesthetic. This means you have to be mindful of what people want, who your target audience is, and where they are located. If you are able to establish a strong brand message with a clear aesthetic, this will help increase revenue for your business. Your brand voice and aesthetic should also align with your brand values and mission statement so that there is no confusion in how you wish to portray yourself. If it doesn’t fit, then it won’t work!
Step 4: Design your site’s layout and platform
Designing your site’s layout and platform should be a top priority. You should think about how you want your store to look and function before beginning any coding or design work. For example, you might decide that you want your website to have a clean, minimalist aesthetic that uses white space and contrasting colours to draw the customer’s eye in, or you might want it to be bright and colourful with cartoon-like graphics.
You need to decide what kind of e-commerce experience you want your customers to have on your site. This will help determine the type of platform your site needs to use, such as an online store that lets customers browse products with a menu on one side and a checkout process on the other, or an e-commerce platform like Amazon where everything is on one screen.
After deciding what style you want for your website, create wireframes (or mockups) of how it will look when it’s finished. These mockups give designers a sense of what the final product will look like without having to build it from scratch. Once you have these approved by those in charge of designing your site, move into prototyping so that they can visualise the end product even better. Once you get all of this done, start building!
Step 5: Add products to your store
This is arguably the most important step in the process. It’s also the easiest. All you have to do is decide on a product, determine your price, and upload it to your store. Once that’s done, you can start driving traffic to your new e-commerce business. If you’re not sure where to start, try looking at items similar to what you want to sell and consider how they are priced.
You may be wondering how much money this will make for you when it comes to income. This all depends on how much time and effort you put into building your e-commerce business. But it’s safe to say that if you invest some time and energy into building up your website, social media presence, and learning about online marketing, then investing a little bit of money into creating products can be rewarding in the long run.
Step 6: Optimize your site for search and display ads
Next, you’ll have to decide what type of advertising campaigns you want to run on your website. You’ll need both search ads and display ads to generate revenue.
Display ads are banner advertisements, text links, or video advertisements that are shown on the web page. Because they are seen by customers who do not reach the site directly from a search engine result, they offer a high-quality CPC (cost-per-click) rate while providing a low CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions) cost. These ads show up more often than search ads on the same webpage because they can be targeted to specific audiences.
Search ad campaigns are very similar in nature to display ad campaigns but with one major difference: they appear in search engine results pages (SERPs). Since these particular ads are always visible on the SERP, they command a higher CPM cost than display ads.
Step 7: Track performance and make adjustments
Understanding the performance of your e-commerce business is vital. You will be able to see how well your business is performing and make adjustments if necessary. In order to track your performance, you’ll need to be able to track traffic, sales, inventory, and more. To learn more about tracking these metrics in Google Analytics or another tool tool of your choosing, check out our blog post on how to use Google Analytics for e-commerce.
As you continue to grow your business, we recommend that you set up a plan with key milestones that establish objectives for each quarter. These milestones should be specific and measurable goals that will provide you with insight into what worked and what didn’t work, allowing you to make changes as needed.
Ready? Let’s get started! (Note from Dan: Engage CTA needed here?)
Google is the king of search. It’s how people find information on the web, and as a result, Google has become the most important tool for businesses to find their audience. With Google’s search bar at the top of every user’s results page, it makes sense that Google dominates this market. In fact, they own over 90% of it!
And that’s not even taking into account their many other products such as Maps, YouTube, Android and Chrome Browser. For any business looking to get found online in today’s competitive marketplace, understanding how Google thinks is crucial.
Google knows what people are looking for, so if you can answer those questions with your content and keyword strategy—you have a better chance of showing up higher in searches. Below we’ll explain some strategies you can use to get more traffic from Google Search and rank higher for your keywords.
How to Rank on Google
There are a few ways to rank higher on Google. The first is to use their keyword planner tool, which is a free tool that allows users to input keywords and see how valuable they are. You can also use tools like SEMRush or Moz tools to get more accurate keyword data. Search engine marketing (SEM) is another great way you can achieve success by driving traffic back to your website.
Another strategy you can use is getting links from authoritative websites that Google values highly. This strategy improves the quality of your website’s backlink profile and gives you an edge in ranking for the keywords you’re targeting. As we’ve mentioned, having a well-rounded backlink profile will help you dominate online searches for your target keywords, which leads us to our last point!
One of the most important tips for ranking on Google is creating content that people want to read so that they’ll come back again and again with their search engine query. You need to make sure your content has good topic relevancy, it isn’t too long, and it’s updated regularly.
Finally, you need good site navigation so that visitors can easily find what they’re looking for quickly! If visitors don’t feel like they have time to explore your website because it’s too busy or complicated—they won’t stick around!
Google’s Core Results
First, it’s important to understand Google’s core results. If you want your website to rank on Google, you need to create content that improves the user experience, which is what Google looks for in all their search results. The goal of a search engine is to provide relevant information.
Google wants the most easy-to-find and relevant information they can find so they can improve the experience for their users. The easiest way to do this is by providing multiple answers and giving users more information than just one page or website.
One of the most important things to remember with Google’s core results is that they only show 10. In order for your site or business to be found, you need to be better than what 10? This doesn’t mean you should just spam your site trying tons of different keywords but rather focus on optimising for a few keywords that will get you the most traffic.
Google’s 3 Key Results Types
Google has 3 key results types. They are:
Direct Answer
Knowledge Graph
Knowledge Panes
Now, these 3 result types have different weights across the search engine, and Google also uses other signals to help determine what rank you’ll get in the search engine.
Direct Answers are the most closely related to your keyword, and they weigh heavily in your position on the search engine. In fact, they’re ranked by how many people search for them each month. So if you want to rank faster and more consistently, it’s important that you use your keyword in your content a lot and make sure it’s visible on the front page of Google Search.
Knowledge graphs are a new type of result that is appearing more frequently in searches now that we’re moving towards a knowledge-driven world where people will want answers from experts rather than just searching for keywords or information that might not be accurate or up-to-date. The advantage of using knowledge graphs is that you can show up when someone searches for something specific in relation to an expert guest on your website or blog, or social media account–which would then bring them back to your site to read more about their topic of interest!
Knowledge Panes are very similar to traditional websites with their own domain names, but instead of being called “www.” they’re called “knowledge.” They’re designed as a starting point for users who don’t know where else to search.
Google’s 4th result is its paid ads.
Google’s 4th result is its paid ads. Advertisers pay Google to be the top ad in their results, and it pays off! When you’re looking for a new venture, or are just launching an online advertising campaign, consider how much you’re willing to spend on your advertising. If you have a budget set aside, make sure to create a budget for your Google ads.
Your budget should include things like keywords that will generate traffic, target audience demographics to reach, and the maximum amount of impressions you’ll allow per day. This will give you more control over what gets shown in your ads and better chances of being seen by people searching for your keywords.
Tips for Ranking Higher in Google Search
Keyword Research – It’s important to know what people are searching for on Google. If you have a niche or industry that is competitive, then it can be difficult to rank #1. You need to identify your target keywords and know the search volume and competition levels.
Content Selection – Google looks at content heavily in their ranking algorithm. They do this to make sure they’re only showing people content that’s relevant and matches that person’s search terms. If you use SEO best practices, your website will be more likely to rank higher in Google Search results.
Internal Linking – Google ranks websites with high-quality content, so if your site has a lot of quality content, there’s a good chance it will rank higher in Google Search results. To increase your internal linking opportunities, consider linking out from all the pages on your site—not just specific pages that are relevant to your keyword research.
Page Optimisation – Page optimisation refers specifically to how well optimised each page is for search engines like Google. If you have optimised every page with keywords and other important information like “Related Searches,” then Google will give you points for optimising each page which increases your overall ranking power with the right amount of effort!
Title Tags – The title tag is the most important part of any webpage because Google uses it heavily in its ranking algorithm. So, if you want to get ranked higher on google searches, make sure your title tag includes the keywords you want people to search.
Rank high in Google for Local Demand
Google’s search algorithm has a lot of moving parts. As a result, Google uses many signals to determine the ranking of websites, sometimes even giving human beings the final say in what ranks where. One of the most important aspects that Google takes into account when determining rankings is relevance. In order to rank high for your keywords on Google, you need to be relevant to those searches.
What does this mean? Well, it means you want to make sure your content answers people’s questions about your products or services. You need to show the provider the information they are looking for. So if they type in ‘online marketing,’ you want to make your content as helpful as possible by providing valuable information and resources on how to get started with online marketing right away.
This strategy is especially useful for local businesses because people are searching locally first before looking nationally and internationally.
Rank higher in Google for Niche Demand
If you want to rank higher in Google for a specific keyword, you need to understand the needs of that niche. Consider what people are asking for, and then make sure that your content provides that answer. You can also try creating a list of potential keywords and then brainstorming ideas for how to optimise them.
Rank higher in Google for Brand/Keyword Demand
One way to rank higher in Google is by understanding the demand for your keywords. If there’s a lot of demand for your keyword, then you have more chance of ranking higher.
In this case, you would need to create content that answers the questions people are searching for in order to rank higher. This means you want to answer these questions with the best possible information and use powerful words that show up on page one for high-demand keywords. In addition, you can also include common misspellings and synonyms of your keywords as long as they fit into your on-page SEO efforts.
Another strategy to increase your chances of ranking in Google is by creating a blog. Blogs are becoming more and more popular with search engines because they help users find what they are looking for quickly and provide relevant information about topics they care about.
Additionally, blog posts typically get shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. And when it comes to rankings in Google, it’s important to remember that blogs tend to rank better than websites because people are looking for quick answers rather than large volumes of content.
Conclusion
A well-planned SEO strategy can provide your business with a steady stream of qualified leads. With proper SEO, your business will be able to rank on Google and get the most traffic possible. But success doesn’t come without effort. Here are some tips to help you get started.
The success of your website depends on the quality of traffic it receives. Therefore, mixing and matching the right digital strategies can generate substantial website traffic. While you might deliver the best message, product, and service, it would mean little until you attract your target crowd regularly and reliably. Learning how to increase your website traffic is one of the best ways to achieve these goals.
1. Prioritise Content Marketing
Content remains king. This concept applies to all types of online content, including visual, video, and written articles, because engaging content keeps site visitors coming back for more. While SEO strategies can improve your site’s searchability and align with the crawlers to raise SERP rankings (search engine results page), you should also tailor your content to your readers’ interests.
2. Leverage Paid Ads
Paid ads are some of the most effective ways of getting your site across to your target audience. First, you should thoroughly research your target demographic before deciding on a paid ad platform. Identifying your audience’s interests, locations, and ages can help you pinpoint their most frequented platforms and increase your chances of engagement.
Also, consider the type of ads applied in your campaigns. While video ads may seem highly popular, market research shows that 49% of people click on text ads, 31% on shopping ads, and only 16% on video ads.
Similarly, you should have a systematic tracking method for paid ad metrics to ensure that the money you spend goes to good use. Regularly checking your paid ad campaigns helps you evaluate their effectiveness and re-strategise if necessary to optimise their impact.
On-page SEO refers to your website’s attributes, including meta descriptions, tags, well-positioned headers populated with keywords, and short paragraphs. The effectiveness of your SEO campaigns largely depends on the on-page SEO components. Therefore, managing on-page SEO as a set of living documents that require constant tweaking for the best results is essential.
For instance, combining evergreen and seasonal keywords can help you reach a broader audience, especially during peak seasons like the summer holidays. Also, search engines like Google tend to revise their SEO practices, so keeping up with the latest updates helps drive more traffic to your website.
4. Develop Effective Link-Building Strategies
Links make up a considerable part of off-page SEO. Internal and external links are the two main types, and both can help you improve site traffic in different ways. Therefore, applying each kind to your website might be advantageous.
Internal links facilitate the site navigation process for your audience. For example, clicking on an internal link on your blog may take your reader to a deep service page (i.e., pages that take four or more clicks for access from a home page) and generate website traffic for that part of your site.
External links bridge your site content with other websites and work well with search engine crawlers as part of technical SEO. Google rates the equity or value of an external link differently from an internal one, prioritising them for ranking purposes. The search engine also determines the usefulness and credibility of your website by assessing the quality of your external links.
You might consider external links similar to a peer-review article’s citations, supporting its content’s authority and authenticity.
5. Optimise Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies for generating business revenue, with an estimated $36 for every $1 spent. This marketing type can be a real game-changer if you wish to generate website traffic from your target demographic, with a mailing list engaging and attracting constant traffic.
Periodic email newsletters can also help keep your audience interested in your offerings by providing exclusive tips, discounts, content, and tutorials that redirect your readers to your site.
An advanced mailer allows you to manage your mailing list easily and offers customisation features to give each email a personal touch, further driving engagement.
6. Keep Your Google Business Profile in Top Form
Your Google Business Profile represents your company’s online public image, and optimising it will help generate website traffic. For example, organic user searches on Google will turn up your Google Business profile, where potential site visitors will form their first impressions of your business.
While conventionally, site visitors and customers would navigate to your business home page to acquire more information, they will now turn to your Google Business Profile for the same purpose.
Consider including information that optimises your business reputation, such as high-resolution photos of your company and products, customer reviews, and valuable contact information such as operating hours and a link to your website, which directly generates website traffic.
Closing Thoughts on How to Increase Your Website Traffic
Having an easily navigatable site is only half of the battle won. You will need to provide the guiding lamps that lead your most valuable audience to your winning content. Engage Digital can help you discover the most effective methods and tools to connect with your target audience without the guesswork.
Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar business looking to expand online or a digital-first company that needs to re-do its brand, you can consider your website the welcome mat to your business.
If your website is outdated, difficult to navigate, or fails to get across your brand’s values, it can easily leave potential customers feeling disconnected. Meanwhile, if it feels cookie-cutter or forgettable, you’ll have nothing to leverage when it comes to building a lasting reputation and fostering customer loyalty.
For all of these reasons, hiring a professional web design agency is a worthy investment. The question is, how can you choose the right one? No matter your budget, timeline, or desired look, here’s some advice to point you in the right direction and help you select a qualified team of professionals that can bring your brand’s website to life.
1. Compare Web Design Companies’ Qualifications
When it comes time to select a web design agency, you have countless options. One of the quickest ways to narrow down your options to the best is to go through their websites. It’s a bad sign if a web design agency has a website that’s slow, outdated, inconsistent, or just doesn’t speak to you. In other words, this is a situation where you can judge a book by its cover.
After finding your favourite websites, take some time to read through the agency’s list of qualifications. Has it won any awards? Who’s on the team? Are they certified in any design software? While there are plenty of highly talented design agencies that aren’t award-winning, these things can certainly help prove an agency’s reputation and reliability up-front.
Most web design agencies will have a list of their team members so that you can see how long each individual has been in the business. You should also see when the agency was established by checking the “About” section. While you shouldn’t necessarily avoid young talent, experience is valuable.
Lastly, as you try to get a feel for what the agency does, make sure its team is familiar with search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). With countless factors impacting SEO—including speed and clean code—it’s important that your agency doesn’t unknowingly work against your website’s future rankings or performance.
2. Thumb Through the Web Design Company’s Portfolio
Every web design agency will have a website design portfolio where you can look through some examples of their past work. The best agencies may even have case studies where they’ve interviewed previous clients to have them talk about their experience working with the team.
Even just taking a few minutes to look through the screenshots or links that an agency shares can help you determine the quality of its work. Beyond noting whether or not the examples are up to your standards, you should also consider if any of them match your style.
If you’re going for something entirely different from an agency’s typical projects, the company may not be the right fit. With that said, don’t let a website portfolio on its own throw you off just because you have a different style in mind. If the website agency’s team do great work, it’s still worth reaching out to them to see what they’ll say.
3. Make Sure the Practical Details Line Up
Once you have a list of website agencies that have stayed in your favour after going through their website, team, and portfolio, it’s time to do your due diligence and make sure that working with them is a practical choice.
For example, if you’d prefer to work with an agency in person, you should limit your search to those with an office nearby. It’s up to you how far you’re willing to travel, but checking where the agency is located (or able to travel to) will help you quickly determine if an agency is still under consideration.
On the other hand, if you’re working with a web design agency remotely, location still matters. More specifically, you need to know which time zone the agency works in to make sure that scheduling meetings and progress checks won’t be an inconvenience. While many teams will try to work with your schedule, you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops every time you want to call in.
Beyond location and time zone, you might also consider the size of the agency’s team (smaller teams may not be able to take on a major enterprise project), its general timeline for projects, and its target clientele (which will impact how much the agency charges).
4. Find a Team That You Connect With
By far, one of the best things you can do when comparing the web design agencies you’re considering is schedule a time to actually talk with the team—either in person or over the phone. When you do, go ahead and give high marks to the team that you resonate with the best.
Aside from being friendly and clear in their communication, the best web design company will have a team who are happy to spend time explaining their services, getting to know your brand, and talking about how they would approach your project.
During this call, you should ask questions pertaining to:
The timeline and how long they would expect the project to take. In order to provide an accurate estimate, they’ll likely ask what information or pages you want to include, among other things.
The process for handling requests and revisions. How will the agency handle it if you change your mind about something during the project or if you don’t like how they executed something? Understanding if revisions are included, and to what extent, is critical to staying within budget and getting the results you want.
The estimated cost and what could change it. Additional customisations and more complex website features will certainly raise the original estimate. Consider if the web design company plans to charge a flat fee or hourly rate for the project, or some combination of the two.
There will be a lot to remember, so even if you think you can keep track of it all, make sure to take notes. This will make it much easier to compare your options after you talk to your favourite website companies.
5. Compare Estimates From Web Design Companies Side by Side
Following the consultation, you should request a written estimate from each web design company you speak to. Obviously, your budget will be a primary consideration, but you should also think back to which team you melded with the best. Working with people that are happy to listen to you and help build upon your ideas is crucial to a successful web design project that reflects the look you’re really going for.
In addition to great communication, consider the additional services any agency offered to you (for example, help with branding, logo design, or SEO) that you’re interested in. Also factor in the estimated timelines each agency gave you, as it might not be feasible to go with your first choice if the agency is going to take six months or more when the other options can get you a site within two or three.
Ultimately, the final decision is up to you, but by doing your due diligence, you can make sure that you don’t waste time and money with an agency that’s not able to execute your requests with the speed, quality, or reliability that you want.
Get Started by Requesting a Website Quote
Are you working on choosing a web design company? Asking the right questions is a critical step to finding the best fit for your brand. Aside from being communicative and creative, the agency’s team should be quick on their feet and dedicated to your satisfaction. For all of those things, you can turn to the team at Engage Digital. When you’re ready to take the first step, request a free website proposal from us, so you can move forward with your website project.
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