The Truth About Internet Advertising
Many people have heard bad stories about Internet advertising. But, as it is with everything in life, there’s an upside as well as a downside. The following article documents some of the most common misconceptions that people have heard concerning advertising on the internet
#1 – You need a computer to advertise on the Internet.
You need a computer to access the internet, to design and load the web site, to go online to see your home page, or if you want to make use of email to receive and respond to prospects. However, Internet advertising services are popping up everywhere and they can relieve you of the requirement to own a computer. Advertising services can create an ad or a home page for you that can be as basic or elaborate as your budget allows. But, it will be your responsibility to see that you get the best for your bucks. Do some research. You need to decide which service to use and who offers the best services with the best results.
#2 – It costs a huge amount of money to advertise on the Internet.
Maybe at one time it did, but it certainly doesn’t now. Or, at least, it shouldn’t. There are still some services out there that try to suck you dry, but it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg to place an ad or get a page on the Web. Be a smart shopper and look around. Compare prices and services, currently the average price ranges from $20 – $50 dollars per month.
#3 – If I place my ad or get a home page on the World Wide Web, 50 million people will see it.
Well, let’s break things down and take a look at this in further detail. There are an estimated 30 – 50 million Internet users on line and it’s growing at a breakneck speeds. However, you will not be seen by all of them. It’s just like running an ad in a magazine with 100,000 readers. Not all 100,000 people will see it. What it actually means is that you have a potential audience of 30 – 50 million. Also bear in mind that the actual number of people that see your site will greatly depend on where your site is located and how actively it is being promoted.
#4 – Search Engines guarantee that my web site can be found on the Internet.
Search Engines are one of the ways that prospects can find your site. There are roughly about 500 existing search engines, of them only a dozen are really any good. There are only about 12 search engines that are used by everybody everywhere, the rest are industry or region specific – so not as many people use them.
Also, there are many types of promotional sites other than search engines (directories, classified ads, free-for-all links, etc.). All in all, there is a list of about 5,000 of these type sites. The chances of a prospect finding the right search engine where you registered is highly unlikely.
For instance, if you have a Lafayette maritime lawyers site and you want to aim your ad at offshore workers or marine employees based not only in Lafayette, but also in all of Louisiana who have been injured in the Gulf of Mexico or the inland waterways of the state, placing ads in Google or any of the other big search engines would most likely be the best solution for a large all-over reach, if you can afford the expenditure. Listing your company in a Lawyer directory focused on maritime injuries is also a smart move as long as the anchor for the link is your url not an important keyword. Google will penalize directories that are paid and/ or use important keyword search terms in the links. If you use directory listings make sure the directory website shows up high on page 1 in the search for the keywords you are are addressing. Most folks don’t look at listings that are deeper than page 1 of a search.
So How To Successfully Advertise on the Internet?
The real trick is to get serious qualified prospects to click on your web page. If you are just getting unqualified people because you are promising something for free, you are wasting money. Your ads must be carefully written to attract the right people.
The Internet really does offer endless opportunity if you have a great web site. In all seriousness, paying professionals to help you with your advertising is a very good investment that will give you a very high return. Running ads that don’t work is just too expensive.