7 Steps To Increase Your Online Business

As a digital marketing agency, we’re often asked what the first thing a business should do to find online success (aside from building a website) and our answer is always the same – track everything. If you’ve been tracking activity then confirm the tracking is functional and methodologies are in place which are logical, cost-effective, and meet all applicable guidelines, regulations, and laws.

To be sure you’re on the right path we’ll begin at the very beginning with the proper installation of analytics software. If you have analytics installed already, it’ll pay to check your installation to ensure it is functioning properly.

As a Google Partner, we recommend using Google Analytics 4 as your analytics software. Over the years, we’ve found it to be the most robust option available that’s readily usable by those without a deep background in technology. Today, it’s recommended you set up a GA4 property to get all the benefits it offers over Universal Analytics (now deprecated). It’s just sound planning as eventually other less-supported options may be deprecated too.

Once you’ve properly set up your Google Analytics account and implemented the tracking code across the website you can begin to think about the goals you have for your website property. These goals are called Events in GA4. An event in analytics measures how well the site fulfills a specific, defined objective. Those fulfillment actions are called conversions and are vital to your business’ overall success. So, for example, every time your contact form is filled out (completed conversion action) your contact thank you page loads (event). Analytics keeps track of these conversions using events established in-system. Let’s take a look at what’s involved:

One of the most cost-effective ways a business utilizing digital marketing can keep tabs on their results is through the installation and proper usage of call tracking software with lead scoring capabilities. It’s the ideal way to stay on top of exactly what your website is doing for your business each and every day. Plus, it provides you with all the information you need to continually optimize your site’s performance. There are a variety of options for handling this, but we prefer two solutions above all the rest – CallRail and Google Forwarding Numbers. Let’s take a look at each to see what makes them so effective as digital marketing solutions:

Having a website was enough for many years because most devices sat on desktops and had robust processors allowing for full web browsing capability. Well, those days ended when mobile devices were born able to surf the web just as readily as their deskbound brethren. Now, your site needs to be fast on computers, tablets and mobile devices running at vastly different speeds. That takes understanding your site’s performance and optimizing it continually to get the best possible results from your digital marketing efforts.

Thankfully, there are a range of excellent tools you can use to keep track of your site’s performance – many of which are free of charge. That’s great news for any business owner but it comes with a downside too. You’re going to need to learn some new skills or partner with an agency that can assist you with the tougher optimizations required to rank well in any vertical. So, let’s break down some of the tools you can use and why their use is vital to your continued success:

Webmaster Tools are a key element in getting the most from your web efforts as they assist your site in speaking to and dealing with the algorithms search engines use to categorize and rank sites for specific search terms. It’s also how you communicate with the robots that index the web via the XML sitemap you submit through Search Console – either Google’s or Bings. It’s your ally in so many ways including helping you manage and maintain your most important web property. Let’s take a look at the steps involved:

After you’ve established your website with Webmaster Tools you’re going to want to test your site’s performance in terms of its speed and load times. These metrics are huge in the experience your visitors have. That means you can have the formula for turning lead into gold on your page, but no one will ever see it because they wouldn’t wait longer than three seconds for your pages to load. If the whole world is hurtling by faster and faster you’re risking being left behind with a site that’s even a little slow. You can be sure one of your competitors is fast and they’re the one in the lead.

Below we have provided you with a bevy of tools you can use to test your site for free. Some will produce only datasets you’ll have to decipher and put to use on your own while others give insight and next steps. All have value and should have a place in your toolkit.

Structured data is the standard way that websites communicate with the machines that power search engines. This data included on your site in the correct manner helps to inform the robots that index your website, so they do a better job of properly cataloging and presenting your data to relevant queries. In short, it’s the language your site uses to educate the machines that are responsible for displaying your site in search results. Without it, you’re never going to rank well for any single term – let alone those of importance in your vertical.

Below, we’ve included tools and links to resources that can assist you in getting more from your website’s structured data opportunities. Let’s take a look:

No matter what industry you’re competing in, and if you’re in business you’re most definitely competing, it pays dividends to understand your competition – what they’re doing, where they’re succeeding, and where your efforts overlap. Understanding who they are and what they offer will help you to define how your customers define “superior”. That word is all that matters in competition. Whoever is described as superior wins. It’s that easy. Getting insight into where they’re winning, where they’re considered “superior” can help you overtake them where it matters most.

There are several steps you can follow to get the most from your efforts into competitive analysis – not to mention some tools that may make it even easier for you to get what you need.

We’ve shared them all below to give you the tools to undertake your own analysis of your local, regional, national, or international competitors. We’re available to help should you need more than what’s available here:

When you think about digital marketing for growing an online business, all of the technology and flashy content really boils down to just one thing: improving user experience. Everything you do online is geared toward providing your site visitors with an exceptional experience – hopefully, significantly better than your competitors’ efforts. You’ve done all the technical backend work to get your site up to speed and you’ve checked your competitors’ efforts to see where your own are lagging behind. Now it’s time to put that information to good use by reviewing your sales funnel and optimizing your conversion pathways across your digital marketing efforts. This will include a thorough review of all your brand messaging, any ad copy, site content and email marketing materials used to facilitate sales of your goods and services.

We’ve broken this section out into three main areas of focus. Each of these is vital to getting the most from your digital marketing efforts and should be given regular attention to maintain position within your vertical. After all, setting it and forgetting it no longer works. You have to actively manage your digital processes to keep them profitable.

Review Sales Funnel: If you are in business then you know what a sales funnel is and we need not take time to explain it in detail. However, we will point out that you should review your sales funnel regularly to ascertain performance and any drop-offs that could prove to be more than blips on the radar. Blips can become trends before you know it so staying ahead of the data is vital to getting the most from your planning and implementations. The six areas of focus in your sales funnel are:

Conversion Optimization: There are as many conversion optimization techniques as there are marketers. That means you have to find the ones you feel offer your efforts the best opportunities at success. We recommend five steps to every client we work with that focus on areas we think are vital to effective digital strategy. These steps have been outlined briefly below and you can find additional information about any of them with a simple Google search. These aren’t well-guarded secrets, but steps each and every business owner should take to ensure they stay headed in the right direction. After all, conversions are the goal of everything you do.

Sales Copy Review: Though it can be considered a part of optimizing for conversions, we feel your sales copy is so important it deserved to be approached independently of the other steps outlined above. Every piece of copy you have should be reviewed regularly to gauge its performance over a given timeframe. Use what you’ve learned about your competitors’ efforts to inform your decisions and constantly strive to be better for your users – in your promotional materials, your ad copy and your website service/product pages. These are where your sales take place and where your attention should be at all times.

Nothing you do for your business is more important from a digital marketing perspective than the sales copy you present to your customers. It’s your voice in their digital ears and it should be as sweet as you can make it – no matter the venue where they encounter it online.

Building a marketing campaign without a budget is like flying blindfolded. You might stumble upon success, but it’s unpredictable and risky. Take control by mapping out your costs beforehand. Understanding what you need financially empowers you to deliver optimal results and avoid mid-flight crashes.

Think of your market spend as a detailed roadmap to your project’s victory. From staffing needs to web development, map out every expense before you set sail. The more you forecast, the more bumps you anticipate and the smoother your journey. This budget isn’t just numbers, it’s the foundation for your team’s success. So plan, prepare, and conquer every challenge together.

Determining the optimal budget for your marketing initiative can be a complex undertaking. To navigate this landscape effectively, we present two established methodologies. By carefully assessing your specific circumstances and objectives, you can identify the approach most likely to yield a precise and impactful financial plan for your operation.

You need to unlock your team’s hidden potential. Understanding their capabilities is the key to crafting a winning online strategy. Identify their strengths, assess workload capacity, and pinpoint gaps. This empowers you to procure the right additional services, maximize ROI, and build a budget that fuels success. Every team member is a valuable asset, so assign tasks that leverage their unique skills and watch your online efforts soar.

Don’t just outsource, co-create. By understanding your team’s limitations, you open the door to powerful partnerships. The right outsourcing partner will seamlessly fill those gaps, become an extension of your team and work together to maximize your online profits. Everyone wins and your business soars!

Now you’re ready to outsource smarter, not harder. Your team skills map is your guide to finding the perfect outsourcing partners. Compare full-service solutions to tailored vendor collaborations for each role. Negotiate for optimal price-skill combinations, build strong partnerships, and watch your budget blossom. Together, you can achieve cost-effective success for every initiative.

The world of outsourced marketing skills is vast and diverse, offering options for every budget and need. However, navigating this landscape requires careful consideration to avoid costly mistakes and disruptions.

Securing the right vendor is like finding the missing piece of your marketing budget puzzle. With a well-matched partner, you can confidently allocate resources to specific areas of interest, knowing your initiatives are in capable hands.

By making informed decisions and prioritizing the right qualities in your vendor selection, you can unlock the power of outsourcing to fuel your marketing success without breaking the bank. Remember, investing time upfront in thorough research saves you time, money, and frustration down the line.

You’ve analyzed your digital data, tracked online activity, benchmarked competitor strategies, and optimized your team structure. Now, it’s time for the data-driven marketing masterpiece. This guide outlines the essential elements, proven to fuel optimal results in any online venture. Implement them strategically, measure impact, and continuously optimize for sustained online dominance!

Tired of being lost in the search engine wilderness? SEO is like your website’s superhero suit, making it stand out in the online crowd. But ditch the shady shortcuts, embrace the power of good old-fashioned content and logical structure. It’s not the fastest route, but it’s the one that leaves you feeling good and keeps your website relevant for years to come.

Stuck in online obscurity? PPC is your shortcut to customer love! Platforms like Google Ads put your business right where potential customers are searching. Bid on what they care about, craft ads that resonate, and watch your leads turn into loyal fans. PPC is about building relationships, not just clicking buttons.

Maximize your local online reach with data-driven Local SEO. Claim your service area listings in Google, Bing, and Apple Maps. Optimize your profiles with relevant keywords and target specific demographics. Every interaction is a potential customer. Local SEO is an investment that delivers measurable results, no matter your business model.

Where are your customers hanging out online? Social media is your chance to connect! Embrace its power, but do it authentically. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, it’s about building relationships and offering real value. Need help navigating the landscape? Consider an expert. But start by claiming your free profiles and planning your content. Interlink your channels and be consistent – once you engage, you’re building a community. Be prepared to listen, learn and adapt to keep your audience coming back for more!

Think of email marketing as building relationships, not just sending emails. Your website signup is your chance to connect with interested customers. Offer valuable incentives and nurture their trust. Existing customers are your biggest fans, engage them with targeted campaigns. Third-party lists can introduce you to new audiences who might love your brand. It’s all about creating personalized experiences that resonate. Email marketing is about building a community, not just hitting inboxes. It’s a low-cost way to connect and grow, so give it a try!

All of our steps leading to this point have been concerned with preparing your business for successful online endeavors. Now, we’re ready to implement our marketing efforts to achieve those objectives. First, we need to identify the key players and their roles and ensure we have clear and attainable objectives in place. This is where a project manager makes all the difference.

A project manager is exactly what the title suggests. They’re the person responsible for a project, the team working on it and the pathway to meeting timelines and staying within budget restrictions. While project management is a job title, you don’t have to hire one specifically for your marketing projects. You can assign one of your team to fill this role; relying on your knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses to assist you.

All you need to be sure of is that the person you name has a working knowledge of your industry and that of the client (should there be one). After all, they’ll be working directly with your team and the client, or vendors, so ensuring they understand your business and the goals you have for the project are vital to achieving the results you’re after. No matter who it is, they must have the authority to make the big decisions your initiative will require. Nimbleness is the name of the game.

Your project manager’s first job will be to decide which responsibilities tied to your project or campaign will be handled in-house by your own team and what will be outsourced to outside teams. This is where your project manager’s knowledge of the industry and team will pay real dividends. They’ll know who to pair with what tasks, whose skillsets mesh best with others and who can be relied on to come through in a pinch. This is inside information only someone on your team would know so there are benefits to naming a team member as project manager – above and beyond the cost-savings.

Depending on your business model, you may already be familiar with an in-house and outsourced division of labor. It’s common in a great many industries and has been for longer than digital marketing has been in the picture. Imagine a roofing contractor who uses an accounting firm to handle its books. That’s outsourcing of a division of the business. The roofing teams handle the roofing while the accountants handle the taxes. It’s the same with digital marketing. You may have a tech team in-house and you may not. Your project manager will be responsible for assigning tasks to both your in-house team and the vendors who handle the outsourced workload.

For the purposes of this outline, we’ll assume outsourcing will be a part of your effort as it may be impossible for your business to afford a full-time IT professional on-staff, a web developer in-house and a team of marketing experts in a range of digital fields. Your project manager’s task will be to find the right fit for your available team members in your marketing operations planning.

Many companies will attempt to save money here by assigning tasks to in-house personnel that are outside of their skillset or comfort level. It’s important to remember that savings during planning can often turn into costs in the long run. Be sure that every assignment is within the team member’s realm of expertise. Or, barring that, they’re at least comfortable in the role they’re given. As a project manager, this is your primary responsibility.

Once your in-house team is in place, you’ll need to find the right outsourcing partners for all of the remaining work. This is where a project manager’s familiarity with their industry will once again come into play. They should understand the requirements remaining and see the best fit for each – especially when given the necessary time and resources for researching vendors. Time spent in planning will always pay off in results.

Having your team’s roles defined and all in-house responsibilities assigned, it’s time for the project manager to procure the necessary outsourcing to make the project possible. 90% of companies will require outside assistance to get any marketing operation underway, so this is by no means admitting you cannot do it alone. On the contrary, it’s realizing that the best results come from the best planning and implementation – no matter the endeavor. That means bringing in additional help to shore up any weaknesses found in your team. Outsourcing partners can do that admirably and at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house.

One factor to consider is whether or not it’s best to find one outsourcing partner to handle all of the additional work. This will require a full service agency like Lift Conversions but it will help by eliminating much of the interagency communication required to deliver optimal results and cutting down on the waiting times associated with that kind of spider-webbed communication. Having only one vendor means you only have one team to communicate with, one team to coordinate with and one team to rely on for your operation. It pays to lessen red tape – no matter the industry.