Australia now has over 14 million online users and according to recent research conducted by Ansearch, “each month over 8 million of these users hit one of the various search engines EVERY DAY.”

“And depending upon the source it is generally accepted that between 50-80% of all searches are commercial-in-nature.”

Compare these figures with Yellow (Pages) own published figures of over 7.7 million people using their printed directories to search for businesses EACH MONTH.

So why are you still spending a fortune on Yellow (Pages)?

Presenting these numbers heavily in favour of online search and with the growing trend for Australian consumers to shop more online makes a very strong argument for advertisers to move all or a good size of their print directory budget over to building their online presence and making sure its more search friendly by investing in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

And then there is the COST! Yellow (Pages) advises businesses to go for ‘SIZE, COLOUR & POSITION’ to be noticed, an advertising exercise that may well cost upwards of ten to twenty thousands dollars for a single ad.

And, if an advertiser needed to place ads in all or just a few of Yellow’s (Pages) 6 metropolitan and 49 regional print directories, then this becomes a very costly campaign that can neither be changed or easily measured.

Whereas a SEO campaign identifies where and what people are searching, places your website where people are looking, ability to target multiple audiences and locations and flexible enough to change focus, if required. Depending on the programs complexity and advertisers needs, an SEO campaign start from a few hundred dollars a month and it’s measurable.

Here at Sticky, 53.45% of all web traffic originates from organic Google searches, 16.68% come direct, 9% Sticky blogs, 3.41% Yahoo, 3.20% Twitter and 1.36% www.yellowpages.com.au (paid).

If you are not convinced of this argument then ask yourself. When did you last use a Yellow (Pages) print directory? When did you last have a product enquiry from someone using a Yellow (Pages) print directory? And how do you search for products or services?

Before you sign-off on the next Yellow (Pages) directory have a good look at the opportunities available to your business via online search. We’d be very happy to show you the number of searches done online around your industry each month and how easy it is to put your business near the top of these searches.

By the end of the 1990’s most businesses had a Web 1.0 website. They were basically glorified brochures and they cost a lot. Then in the mid 00’s Web 2.0 begin to emerge. Sites were more interactive, linking and sharing became de rigueur and the power of the Internet took on a whole new meaning amongst the smart online operators.

However, for much of the business world Web 1.0 sites are still being pumped out at an alarming rate. The boss realises he needs a website, or a new site, and then either the company IT person or contracted web designer dutifully bangs out a digital brochure. Build it and fill it with every detail about the company’s products or services and they will come.

No they won’t.

Your company doesn’t need a new website, it needs a great web strategy. Done well, businesses can derive an amazing number of benefits from its online presence. In fact, it’s arguable that you could build your entire marketing strategy around your web presence.

How? Let me explain.

You must immediately cease thinking of your online presence as a destination. That is merely part of its potential. A great web strategy allows you to find new customers, obtain information, broaden your geographic reach, streamline operations, improve customer relations, lower communication costs, generate PR and free publicity, look like an industry leader and…..have complete marketing measurability.

Find new customers
Excellent search engine optimisation (SEO) means that your site(s) will be found by more people who are making relevant searches around your industry. This can be as narrow or as broad as you desire. Whereas, most businesses are relying on potential customers to type in their URL or name in order to reach their site, good SEO delivers potential customers who are interested in what you have to offer but haven’t necessarily heard of you.

Obtain information
A proper web strategy can deliver a startling amount of invaluable information. Electronic newsletters can be tracked and measured in any number of ways. Site analytics can tell you wonderful information about who is visiting, what they are searching for and what they like on your site. Simple site prompts can have visitors leaving contact details.

Broaden geographic reach
This was part of the original promise of the Internet…..international businesses from the lounge room. Its still possible, but you must be realistic about the market you are trying to reach. Nonetheless, by concentrating on a niche rather than your broader industry you can become a leader in a much wider geographic market. Your online strategy can allow you to effectively network and market to that niche.

Streamline operations
The number of potential savings here can be staggering and too extensive to explain in one post. But needless to say, if your online presence is at the centre of your operations you can share information, market more efficiently, reduce travel costs, and complete projects in record time. This list goes on, as do the efficiencies.

Improve customer relations
When you start thinking of your online presence as an ongoing dialogue rather than an advertisement, you begin realising the potential to build goodwill amongst your people and customers. By creating an online resource for customers and potential customers you will have them visiting regularly and developing a better understanding of your services.

Lower communication costs
Spending a fortune on media and PR? The right web presence can reduce those costs quickly. If your search engine optimisation is right you will have a lot of relevant people visiting your site(s). If your site(s) are good you will have increased sales and enquiries. You can hit the right markets quickly and cost-effectively online and then measure the results immediately.

Generate PR
The PR industry is under serious threat from online. Why pay someone a fortune to send press releases to the media and hope for the best when you can reach the people you want with the right online communications? And then have those people extend your reach by linking and posting about your story! It can be so powerful. PR is short for public relations, and a good web strategy can be exceptionally effective for yours.

Free Publicity
The right web strategy can deliver free publicity in so many unexpected ways. Strike the right chord with your content and suddenly it can be spreading like a virus across the web. Mainstream media are now monitoring blogs and conversational sites for news, information and fresh perspectives. This can lead to interviews and profiles on TV, radio, press or even other online sites, raising your professional profile and credibility. Our own agency has benefited enormously from the free publicity our online presence has delivered.

Measurability
The Holy Grail for many marketers is measurability. So many forms of advertising and marketing see a lot of expenditure, which can be hard to measure in results. Online strategies can be measured in a number of ways and in amazing detail. Measure the traffic to your sites, the origin of the traffic, clicks through, search terms, electronic mailing hit rates and then, of course, sales. The level of sophisticated measurement can be staggering.

As you can see, your online presence has amazing potential. By changing your thinking from building a site as a destination to creating a total strategy, online can become the centrepiece of your marketing efforts.

If you’d like to know more about creating your ideal web strategy contact us here at Sticky.

Dolphcom was the very first website we built using the principles that have since become the GetSticky system.

Dolphcom owner Andrew Parker asked Sticky to design a new website for him to facilitate the growth of his business. The site had to be able to facilitate online inquiries, be easy to upload video to and perform substantially better in online searches.

We were excited when the Newcastle-based whale and dolphin swimming adventure company Dolphcom achieved immediate SEO success with the launch of their new website.

Dolphcom’s previous website, while visually attractive, was difficult to update and performed woefully in Google and Yahoo organic searches. Analysis of all key search terms revealed that Dolphcom did no better than the fourth page in most searches, and much lower in others.

Sticky designed a completely new website to suit Dolphcom’s criteria and then applied our search engine optimisation process to the site. Within 2 weeks of launching the new website, Dolphcom was ranking on the first page of Google and Yahoo searches for relevant search terms and web traffic had doubled.

Andrew’s recent trip to swim with the whales in Tonga can now be viewed on Dolphcom and plenty more sensational content is continually being added to the site.