Getting ahead of the competition in the massive, immensely populated world online can seem like a daunting task. There are search engines galore, with tons of other hugely popular sites like Youtube and not to mention social media to navigate and make a name for yourself on. Most companies hire professional SEO agencies to boost their search results up the ranks but is it still worth doing in 2023?
Well… the answer is yes. It’s still going to be extremely difficult to deny that having up-to-date articles, video content or blogs on recent events, trending topics, and popular search terms will definitely get your video or article a huge amount of views. News on the internet flies at blazing speeds and you’ll always want to capitalise on the hottest topics. Strike when the iron’s hot, don’t be left out of the loop. But is there more to it?
Web Browsers
It is the window into the web that every computer, phone or tablet needs to look through at all of the content online. Therefore, the SEO optimization you apply to your website will always be something to consider. Despite the plethora of choices in browsers and other modes of communication such as social media, increasing your search engine visibility and hitting those targeted keywords in your digital vocabulary online makes it easier for your potential audience to find you.
However, SEO is not the only thing that will guarantee success. If your business is not related to many of the trending searches, you’ll need to spread word of your product or service through various other means. And there are a lot of them to choose from.
Here’s what we think the main ways of browsing the web looks like now and what the alternatives to SEO optimization would be and why they might be the avenues to suit you.
- Social Media
Getting on Facebook, Linkedin or Instagram opens your potential audience up to millions of viewers. Just capturing a fraction of these future followers can make you a success on one of these platforms. However, you’ll want to make your presence visible in as many channels as possible, so start tweeting on Twitter and flaunt your brand on Instagram. You’ll never know where your best audience is going to connect with you.
- Youtube
Youtube is the 2nd largest search engine after Google. Yes, it’s used by billions of people and enjoys some of the most viewed content and most hours spent on the site compared to other platforms.
Hours spent on website
| 01 | google.com | 213.2 billion hoursANNUAL BROWSING TIME |
| 02 | youtube.com | 142.6 billion hoursANNUAL BROWSING TIME |
| 03 | facebook.com | 44.6 billion hoursANNUAL BROWSING TIME |
| 04 | twitter.com | 13.4 billion hoursANNUAL BROWSING TIME |
This means that having your ad placed on Youtube guarantees more viewership than almost every other social media combined. Does this mean you need to have a channel with daily video content? Not really, you can just place paid ads on Youtube and achieve great results, but having your own brand aligned with some of the biggest Youtubers and influencers out there might have a force multiplier effect that will knock your socks off.
- Word of Mouth / Influencer Sponsorships
Sponsorships, especially on Youtube, are also popular on Instagram or other social media platforms where there are videos with individuals who garner huge followings. Sponsoring influencers can gain the attention of their massive audience and promote trust in your product or service. Bear in mind that getting the right influencer that is aligned with your brand or product is a key ingredient to having a successful word of mouth campaign but hey, it’s just like Nike sponsoring athletes, you go with the names that espouse your brand’s image. It’s as simple as that.
- Email marketing
Of course, not every brand or service is marketed to the general public or consumers. What if you have a business that serves retailers like a wholesaler, or supplier? What if your business model is smaller and more targeted? Well then, you must not underestimate the power of email marketing.
Email marketing is found to be the most effective of all the online marketing strategies, with the highest ROI and a 66% conversion rate on a total average. That’s insanely high. For every $1 spent, companies have seen a $40 or more return on investment, making it 40 times more effective than other social media advertising.
So why is email marketing so effective? Well there are a number of reasons:
- It’s personal – Emails are special because the user is more connected to you. Ads on any other media form can be overlooked and the viewer remains anonymous, but if you have a subscriber’s email address, well, now you have a direct line of communication with your history of messages staying in their inbox.
- It’s cheap – You spend hardly anything creating an email. There are no videos to produce, no graphics to design, it’s just a message. But it’s better to have something to offer and prove yourself a legitimate use of the reader’s time, or you’ll be relegated to the spam box. Still, if you have the opportunity to speak directly to a customer, the battle is already half won.
- It’s everywhere – There’s nothing as ubiquitous as an email address. Even if you don’t think of it as a channel like social media or google, remember that to sign up with a web browser, you’ll need to create an email account. Not everyone online has a Youtube account, but everyone online has an email address (or 3).
So once the customer visits your website, it’s essential to have a fast loading site for them to browse, and a clean UI that lets them navigate it smoothly to find everything they need. After that, all you have to do is guide them through to your website’s online store and secure the deal. You don’t need to have SEO to get your brand name out there. You just need to find the method that’s right for you. We at AnyMeta Sales Support can help!
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