A guide to digital marketing

What is Digital Marketing?

2020 was a year we will not forget anytime soon. It was the year we saw everyday life alter drastically, which in turn, saw a huge change in consumer behaviours. In an age where any information, product or service is just one click away, it makes sense that when our outside world was locked down, the digital world opened up to reach new heights. Latest statistics show that 2.05 billion people made purchases online in 2020, a staggering 7% increase from 2019. Naturally, many businesses want a slice of the action and have focused their attention on the digital sector as a solid future investment. 

So, you’ve invested in a swanky new website with all of the latest bells and whistles offering a great new service/product and…hang on a second, where’s the web traffic? Never fear, this is a common issue which has a simple remedy – digital marketing.

Is Digital Marketing Something Any Business Can Do?

Now, you might be thinking “isn’t digital marketing something just big businesses do?” and the answer is no. Digital marketing can be applied to a business of any size and can drastically improve the flow of traffic to your online platform. This in tow will aid customer experience resulting in a higher conversion rate. 

Although technology such as Google & other search engines have been in our lives for some time now as consumers, utilising these tools to aid your online business can be an overwhelming and confusing task. It’s hard to know how to get the most out of these online tools. Delving deeper into the inner workings of how to rank & reach your ideal customer can be an added task you hadn’t bargained for. This is why using a digital marketing specialist is the best way to get the results you want without the fuss. 

 

What is a Digital Marketer? 

Have you ever wondered why specific websites appear at the top of your search list on Google? This is because a digital marketer has optimised the website using a series of favorable specifications & keywords that Google approves of, to match the best quality website & most relevant content with your search query. A digital marketer will make sure that your website is in good health to compete in top 10 Google listings. The higher your website appears on a Google search page, the more web traffic you are likely to get.

 

What is Digital Marketing? 

The official definition of digital marketing is “use of the Internet to reach consumers.” This can be utilised in many different ways such as email, chat bots, content marketing, social media and so on. However, two of the main forms of digital marketing are Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Paid Advertisement (PPC). Whilst SEO is a more cost effective form of digital marketing, it can often take a longer time to get your website off the ground. Adversely, PPC can offer quicker results but at a higher and ongoing cost. Both options will help aid your online presence and often work well hand in hand. 

 

seoWhat is SEO in Digital Marketing?

Using a search engine to find what you’re looking for has become the gateway to modern life. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), in short, is the process of optimising your website to rank for specific keywords. As a result of the optimisation process, Google will show your site on the search engine results page (SERP’s) to encourage organic traffic to your website. 

The goal of a digital marketer is to make sure that the website they have optimised appears on Google’s 1st page in the top 10 search results for specific search queries. Ranking between 1-10 for a search query shows that your website has been successfully optimised over time.  

In order for Google to differentiate your content & offer the user the best result for their search query, your website will need to undergo the SEO processes of making improvements both on and off your site to help gain more exposure in the search engine results. Some factors that will affect your website ranking include: 

  • A secure and accessible website
  • Page speed
  • A mobile friendly version of your website
  • Domain Age, Authority & URL
  • Optimised quality content that is relevant to your site 
  • User experience 
  • Technical SEO
  • Internal linking 
  • Backlinking 

By incorporating all of the factors above into your site, Google will be able to determine whether your website content is both authentic & relevant to the consumers search query.

 

Is SEO a One Time Thing? 

The simple answer to this question is no. SEO is a never ending process due to Google’s annually changing algorithm. As technology develops so does the way, we as consumers, search for products, services & information. Thus, to cater to the rapid growth of technology in our everyday lives, Google alters the goal posts to make sure the top search results are of the highest quality & relevance to the specific user. 

Reaching & maintaining a strong SEO takes time & patience as Google will need to index each of your pages against its own algorithm to assess your sites relevance, quality & authority, but is definitely worth the wait. A good SEO will enhance organic traffic to your site, increase conversions & also solidify your website as a trustworthy brand. 

What’s New in SEO for 2021? 

As we welcome in the new year, we also welcome Google’s new 2021 SEO algorithm. Key things to improve in your SEO this year include site speed, mobile friendly sites, AI focused keywords, high quality & relevant site content, a clear & user friendly site map as well as cornerstone content to help aid customer experience. 

By developing these factors into your SEO strategy, your website will be in great health to compete for a top ranking spot on the SERPs page this year.

However, there are also other ways to encourage traffic to your site such as paid advertisement via Google Ads. Let’s have a closer look into this together! 

 

ppcWhat is Google Ads PPC in Digital Marketing?

PPC also known as pay-per-click is a mode of internet marketing whereby advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. The most popular form of PPC is search engine advertising. This is where you pay for your ads to appear at the top of the SERP’s page instead of organically growing your audience. Advertisers will digitally bid on keywords relevant to their product or service with the aim of getting their ad to show on a search engine. 

A digital marketer will create a keyword strategy and will manage your ad account to reach your end goal E.G. maximising conversions or maximising clicks etc. They will also help to increase your ad rank (the position which your ad will show on Google) by monitoring your cost per click (CPC) and by optimising the ads regularly to increase the ad strength & quality score. If an ad campaign is successful & engaging, Google will reduce your CPC, meaning that your budget will go further resulting in more traffic to your website at a lower cost. 

In order for an ad account to be successful, refining keywords, ad copy & bidding strategies is a vital and necessary task. Running A/B tests can also be a great method when looking to find the most effective way to market your brand using a paid ad. 

But What About Social Media? Is That Digital Marketing Too?

facebookCreating a great presence on social media is a strong way to generate a well integrated digital marketing strategy. Social media platforms allow you to reach your target consumers whilst being able to interact with them more effectively. Ways in which you can create a strong digital marketing presence on social media include: 

 

  • Audience Building – reaching out to potential customers and honing in on users who are interested in similar products or services that you supply
  • Content Curation – keeping your followers engaged & in the know about your services and new products 
  • Customer Service – Social media is a great way to offer customer service to your consumer base. It can be used for answering any queries your followers may have and enhance the customer journey when purchasing from you. 
  • Paid Advertising – directly reaching new customers through advertising on potential customers news feeds e.g. a promoted post or Facebook Ad etc.

 

The aim of social media marketing is to be informative yet personable. When integrated with a full digital marketing strategy, utilising social media marketing is a great way to reach your target consumer in a more personalised & direct manner. 

 

More Information About Paid Social Media 

Paid social media marketing is an additional form of PPC that is great to utilise in order to reach a broader consumer base. Digital marketers can use video, carousel advertising & visual imagery to advertise on users news feeds who match an intended business audience. The main forums used for social media PPC are Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat & TikTok, with Facebook being the leading advertising platform. 

If you would like to read more on social media advertising, why not check out our blog “How Do Facebook Ads Work” 

 

Digital Marketing … It All Makes Sense Now! 

Here at Fresh Pies we are passionate about all things digital and hope that this blog has helped you understand what digital marketing is, and how it is having a huge effect on consumer culture. 

Want to find out more? Why not contact us to see how our friendly team can help you with your digital marketing needs.