Sure, it's an overused phrase, but I think Kevin Costner summed up the art and practice of SEO Copywriting (Search Engine Optimization Copywriting) and Internet Marketing quite well... except that he had it backwards.
Internet Business Strategy
It starts with a business strategy. What is your Internet Business?
Successful Internet businesses spend 20% of their time on the front end - driving new prospects to the web site and enrolling them onto their mailing lists - and 80% on the back end - selling a steady stream of innovative products and services to new and existing customers.
Your most lucrative business comes from repeat customers. Bring them in with a strong promise. Deliver on that promise, and they'll keep buying from you.
Your Internet strategy should include a plan for both the front end and the back end. And, if you're just focusing on the front end, you're missing out on your greatest profit potential.
So sit yourself down and let's have a chat about your business. What are your goals? Who are your customers? What do they want, and how will you deliver that and more?
And while you're delivering on your promise of a better life, improved health, or financial freedom, you are in constant communication with your customers! Communication and connection are the foundation and structure of a good Internet Marketing Strategy.
Internet Marketing Strategy and Plan
Therefore, it's in your best interest to have an Internet Marketing plan. Determine how you will entice visitors to your web site to get on your mailing list. Deliver a consistent and steady stream of value-added reports, articles and news. They will buy your products and services. Guaranteed.
Your Internet Marketing Plan consists of strategies and tactics to:
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Bring visitors to your web site
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Convert those visitors to prospects
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Build long-term relationships through value-added information marketing strategies
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Promise the world... and deliver on your promises
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Keep selling on the back end with new products and services
But your sales plan alone won't bring you the results you want. You are at the mercy of the search engines, and you'll either spend a gazillion dollars on Pay-Per-Click advertising, or you'll methodically optimize your site for the search engines.
Search Engine Optimization
But here's the catch. Search engine optimization isn't what your web designer says it is. Adding things like tags and keywords to your web page is only about 10% of the overall picture.
To get your web site to the top of the search engines, you'll need to:
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Optimize each web page for specific keywords
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Optimize the web site with page-to-page linking strategies
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Create valuable off-site references (links) to your web site
Off-site optimization or link strategies account for about 70% of your ranking with Google. But simple reciprocal links won't due. The search engines want to know that your site is an authority site that provides valuable, useful information to your visitors. They know this because other, related authority sites link back to you.
The right strategy can put you on the first page of a Google Search. But what happens once they get to your web site?
Optimized Web Copy
You want your visitor to receive value from his or her visit to your web site. Either they receive useful information, or they come away with a product or service that improves their lives.
The key is to write web copy that moves your visitor to action - an action that YOU determine, but they enact.
