Online Advertising – 5 Myths to Overcome

There are a lot of misconceptions about online advertising that can cost an unsuspecting individual to spend lots of money with nothing to show in return. A return on investment is the most important objective for line advertising and when you are aware of the myths and facts associated with online advertising, you’ll optimize the use of your advertising dollars.

Before you leap into the world of online advertising, there are a few things you should know. Understanding how the online advertising strategies work and where you can fall short will help you to make the wisest decisions and choices for your online business.

Myths and Facts

Myth #1: Online advertising allows you to relax, sit back, and watch the traffic flow.

Fact: Online advertising can bring a wealth of visitors and increase conversions on your website – but ONLY when you proactively and consistently evaluate its’ effectiveness. Creating banner ads, contextual advertisements, and other types of online advertising is the first step. But you can’t just sit back and wait. You must evaluate the effectiveness of your ad campaigns and identify what is working and what is not.

For example, if you’re not getting traffic from your banner ads, is there a problem with the graphics, text, or other components. Find out what is not working and make changes to make it work for you. Not every online advertising vehicle works well for every website, so finding what works for you makes solid business sense.

Myth #2: You can create your advertising using keywords today and you’ll have traffic flowing and sales mounting forever.

Fact: Keywords are an essential part of most any online marketing strategy. Keywords are essential for search engine advertising, contextual advertising, and all other types of online advertising. But keywords need to be continually evaluated and tested to ensure they are still effective.

Use the online tools available through the search engines to find out what people are searching for. Make sure you’re optimizing keywords for this purpose. And don’t forget that keywords evolve and change over time so keep your fresh and current.

What works today may or may not work tomorrow so make sure your keywords are still working for you!

Myth #3: Online advertising means no other type of promotion is necessary.

Fact: Online advertising is only ONE component of an effective online marketing strategy. There are many ways to promote your business and your brand. Ensuring the effective use of keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) should always be a top priority. Since over 80% of people who use search engines will only click on the top 3 results or the first page of SERPs, then you need to stay on top.

Article writing, participating in forums, and joining social networks are also ways to enhance your position online. You can use these opportunities to promote your products and advance your online advertising strategies.

Myth #4: Once your online advertising strategies have visitors coming to your website, your work is done.

Fact: Once people click on your ad, your work has just begun! Your website must offer them what they want and need. It must be easy to find what they are searching for and they should always land on the page that is most relevant to their search.

Making your website ‘sticky’ so people stay once they land on the page is important. People only have seconds to decide if they like a page or website, so make it engaging. Offer them deals they can’t afford to pass up and if possible, give them something that keeps them coming back. A free eBook, white papers, discount coupons, free newsletters, or something of value will keep them as long-term customers.

Don’t assume your online advertising is the end of the line when it comes to finding and keeping customers!

Myth #5: Although traffic is increasing but conversion rates are not increasing, my online advertising strategies are not working.

Fact: While this may be true, it is not necessarily the reason that your conversions are not increasing. Maybe your ads are engaging and compelling enough for visitors to come to your site. But maybe you’re not offering them what they want and need.

Is your ad misleading or irrelevant? Maybe your website is stale and boring or products are outdated. If you’re not maintaining a dynamic website with fresh, unique content and great product offerings, then customers won’t stay and they definitely won’t buy!

Make sure your website is dynamic, keyword rich, and full of fresh, unique content. Make sure your products are relevant to your keywords and you have something of value to offer. Test your pricing strategies and evaluate your competition to make sure you are competitive with what you have to offer. If your prices are higher, clearly articulate why they are higher quality, more effective, and offer increased value.

Don’t assume that no increase in conversion rates is attributable to your actual advertising strategy. Evaluate your overall marketing strategy, website design, and business objectives to truly identify what is working and what is not.

Rely on facts

Don’t rely on assumptions and myths to guide your online advertising efforts. Get the facts and use them to optimize the use of your advertising dollars. Take advantage of new mediums for advertising and keep up with what’s new. Optimize technology to make your work easier and your business more rewarding.