The use of search engines and the technology that powers them is constantly changing and evolving.
The same can be said for corporate websites.
Your website’s performance may be flawless one day.
Then something drastic happens that drastically reduces both traffic and conversion rates for your company.
As an entrepreneur and startup founder, Therefore your job is to create a product that solves a problem, monetize it, and generate revenue.
Hire the best people to ensure continued growth, correct?
You are not required to keep up with every advancement in the digital marketing industry.
You cannot, however, be so gullible as to believe that you do not need to know anything.
Here are the top five things you should know about the state of digital marketing in 2015.
Mobile optimization strategy
Mobile search has officially surpassed desktop search, consequently, marking the most recent significant shift in the digital landscape.
Because of Google’s recent algorithm update, we are all aware of the importance of making our websites mobile-friendly.
What happens if this is postponed?
Your business may suffer if users are dissatisfied and return to search results.
Mobile search is now one of Google’s ranking signals.
Google even stated on its Adwords blog that mobile search has surpassed desktop search in more than ten countries, including the United States and Japan.
Look around you; most people nowadays use their smartphones or pocket computer to complete their daily tasks.
They use their phones to find information about almost anything they want to know, do, or buy.
Consumers now expect a comprehensive and seamless website experience across all devices.
Because of Google’s intense focus on mobility, Larry Page encourages his engineers and product managers to work exclusively from their mobile devices for at least one day per week.
It stands to reason that a company that does not incorporate mobile search into its marketing strategy will eventually fall behind its more creative and adaptable competitors.
Mobile and responsively designed websites are not just for well-funded companies with a progressive attitude toward innovation and technology.
To stay on the cutting edge of technology, all businesses must have a mobile-friendly website in the future.
According to Forrester, by the end of 2015, 42% of all people worldwide will own a smartphone.
Startups that have shifted their focus to the mobile environment.
Uber is upending the market and putting pressure on competitors by utilizing cutting-edge technology and innovative ways to engage with and win over customers there.
Many businesses and industry leaders recognize that mobile will serve as a catalyst for a revolutionary digital transformation initiative.
It will commit enormous resources to developing new systems and processes to more successfully interact with customers on their mobile devices.
These funds will range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars.
SEO in Marketing
There are several common misconceptions in digital marketing, particularly regarding the term “search engine optimization” (SEO).
Unfortunately, there are several; for business owners, the two that come to mind are “SEO is a project” and “SEO is dead.”
Last year, Google’s algorithm received over 665 tweaks, modifications, and debuts.
Marshall Simmonds, is the principal SEO consultant for a number of major publishers.
The New York Times, stated last year at the search conference SMX Advanced that SEO is not a project and should never be viewed as such.
SEO may appear to be over, but it is never.
Companies that believe there is a start and end date will fail.
Consumers use online resources to research almost everything.
Far too many things change each year for startups and established businesses to avoid making full-time investments in SEO.
The need for interpretation and optimization will always exist, debunking the second myth that it is no longer required.
SEO has Changed
While SEO is not dead, it has changed significantly.
You can think of SEO experts as tax accountants who come around every year to help you understand the new tax laws and search updates, and Google as the IRS.
A few of these algorithm updates every few months will be so drastic that they will shake up the online community.
Determine winners and losers by pushing some businesses up and others significantly down in search results.
The vast majority of these algorithm updates occur without the industry’s knowledge.
Entrepreneurs and CEOs may not need to be fully aware of the potential and implications of each Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, or Pigeon algorithm change.
They should recognize the value of having someone on their team who is.
SEO is an extremely active practice. Rand Fishkin, is the founder of Moz, one of the fastest-growing marketing analytics software companies.
Discussed how much SEO has evolved in 2015 and how marketing strategies must adapt as well in a recent Slideshare presentation.
Pay Per Click advertising
Paid advertising was once thought to be the be-all and end-all of digital marketing strategies.
Today, however, PPC is less effective because persuading a potential customer to make a purchase requires more than just an advertisement.
Producing natural, helpful information can help you answer people’s questions.
Advertisements are usually more promotional than informative.
I’ve seen businesses spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on PPC while being unable to properly target or set up advertisements.
Or even track performance. Getting your brand and product recognized these days necessitates a variety of announcements.
Building Strategy in marketing
Relationship-building strategies, and brand-building techniques.
Large corporations understand that in order to engage customers with their brands.
They must embrace social media and communicate across multiple platforms.
But don’t cancel your Adwords account just yet.
Although useful, Adwords accounts for a small percentage of internet sales.
Engaging customers via the digital landscape can be accomplished in a variety of ways, and it takes time.
You must understand that digital marketing is more than just adding keywords to your website and is far from a one-size-fits-all solution.
Just as you would pay Google to run your advertising on their network.
Consider Pepsi and Coca-Cola, which each year run a number of marketing campaigns that each market a specific product in a variety of ways.
How do you get people to buy from you if you have a large Twitter following?
They may discover your website, but will they stay?
Do you have a strategy in place to guide website visitors through the sales funnel?
The intriguing aspect of it all is that you do not need to be an expert.
There are experts in this field who can provide you with far more tactics and campaigns than you can imagine.
In addition to sales ROI, digital marketing can increase the ROI of your brand.
Great Rewards Content = Great Content
Everywhere you look, you can find “how-to” blogs, product comparison blogs, expert blogs, infographics, tweets, status updates, photographs, pins, pictures, videos, memes, and GIFs.
You’ve read and seen everything, and you now understand how the internet works.
Visitors to your website arrive here.
These visitors will be so impressed with your content that they will share it with their friends and on the internet.
You have an unexpected increase in traffic and as a result, numerous requests for your services or product orders.
This is the ideal situation, and it is not completely out of reach.
After all, it’s all about the content, and creating unique and engaging content is critical to getting your company noticed online.
Digital marketing is synonymous with content marketing. You must have content to be present in the digital world.
Conversion rate optimization in marketing
Any startup company’s website should allow users to take action.
Signing up for something, completing a contact form, or making a purchase.
Conversion rate optimization is the art and science of increasing active engagement and goal completion among your website’s passive visitors (CRO).
The cost of conversion optimization is the hiring of a professional conversion optimization firm to assess and decide how to best optimize a website.
Conduct A/B split testing, and then make the necessary changes to CTA buttons, web copy, sign-up forms, and so on.
This is especially important if you run an eCommerce business.
With a 68 percent average cart abandonment rate, you should optimize your store and cart pages for conversions.
If you want to learn more about the fundamentals of conversion optimization, That is to say, read Sean Ellis’ beginners’ guide to conversion rate optimization.
If your company wants to increase web traffic and online exposure, I recommend experimenting with CRO.
Conclusion
Digital marketing strategies and technology are constantly evolving.
As they strive for the ideal pre-product market fit, early-stage startups and business owners should prioritize branding and digital marketing over product development.
Everything a client comes into contact with is the product.
Startups and media companies alike frequently lack a comprehensive understanding of this.
Writing blog posts, developing brand awareness for a product, and creating content as secondary experiences and components of a business is completely incorrect.
Many times, before a consumer has a chance to touch or use your product, they have already read about it in the media or on the internet.
If your company does not have both of these elements working together.
It may be difficult to raise awareness of your brand and its products.
