SEARCH ENGINE POSITIONING

The term search engine positioning can be used in two different ways. The first is to describe the
ordering process of indexed websites being ranked by a search engine Algorithm in response to a
Query. The second refers to the use of Search Engine Optimization to achieve a higher search
engine Position.

THE NEED FOR A DOMAIN NAME

The algorithms used by Google, Bing or other search engines are based on a large number of
criteria. Some are specific to each page (on-page), others to the aspects of the page such as the
links that point to it (off-page) and the last concern the entire site (on-site). Among all these
criteria, the «reputation» of the site in the broad sense of the term is probably the most important
- even if there is no official way of measuring it. That reputation is associated with the site as a
whole: it starts at zero when the site is created and progresses as and when it manages to make
itself known on the web. To identify a site, the search engines start with its address. If it changes,
the owner runs the risk of having its reputation drop back to zero. It is not mandatory to have
your own domain name to edit a website: for example you can be hosted on a blogging platform.
But what happens if it changes domain name? You just have to hope that the migration is
technically well done... And what will happen if you need to change your address because the
platform disappears or its terms not longer satisfy you (such as the use of advertising for your
competitors)? In cases such as these you may lose the most important part of the reputation of
your site. From an SEO perspective, therefore, it is highly recommended to have your own
domain name. No serious website project should be launched without a domain name (and web
hosting to operate it).

THE IMPACT OF A DOMAIN NAME ON SEO

Is it better to have a domain name consisting of keywords (to be better positioned on the
corresponding queries) or which is the same as your brand (or a mixture of both)? Although
things have changed a little, it is advisable to focus on branding.

Certainly, having a keyword-based domain name can help for SEO purposes, but:
 • It only helps for the few queries related to these words, but most certainly not for any of
the other queries. When you know the range of ideas Internet users employ to express
themselves when they use search engines (the long tail principle), you quickly understand
that keywords are not that interesting.
• If the domain name of the site is a keyword, it is therefore not your brand. How are you
going to promote it? If you have to use another site, it is not very effective for your
communication campaigns...
• If the domain name is a keyword, it is very limiting. What will you do if you want to
expand to other themes or geographical locations? The issue of the number of domain
names is discussed below.
• Google has officially introduced an algorithm to penalize poor EMD (EMD = Exact
Match Domain, a domain name consisting solely of keywords). The purpose for Google
is to penalize sites with no quality content, and giving priority to advertisements.

Incidentally, the impact of keywords in the domain name is essentially indirect: most of the links
to the site using the celebrated keywords as anchor (i.e. clickable) text. Since anchor text is a
major element of SEO ranking, having keywords is indirectly beneficial. In this case, it is better
to separate the words (with a hyphen): it is more efficient because the search engine locate the
words better than when they are stuck together.

WEBSITE MARKETING STARTEGY

Website marketing is the process of promoting your website on the Internet. It is one of the
online marketing channels you can use as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. The
main goal of a website marketing campaign is to get more visits to your website

Following are the web marketing strategies

  Include Reviews on Product Pages

I can’t overstate the importance of reviews. 84% of people trust online reviews as much as they
trust their friends. That means we either really trust reviews or we all have really bad friends…
I’m going to assume it’s the former.

As if that’s not significant enough, 88% of users incorporate reviews into their buying decision.
You can’t afford to skip out on reviews.
There are a lot of plugins for WordPress and Shopify apps that make it easy to upload customer
reviews (which can include pictures and videos) to your product pages. Yotpo and Pixlee are
both excellent services that can help with this.

 Use Content Marketing

For many ecommerce businesses, content marketing means blogging, but also can include using
lead magnets like ebooks to bring customers to your site and encourage them to purchase or sign-
up for your email list.

Content marketing is free if you do it yourself, though you can also hire content marketers to
develop your strategy for you or to write the posts entirely.
Remember that your blog shouldn’t be about the new products you have. Instead, if you’re an
ecommerce company wanting to promote a new line of fitness apparel, write a post talking about
the different qualities that people should look for in clothing when they’re doing different types
of exercises.

You’d be amazed how many people Google things like “what should I wear to yoga” or “what
kind of clothes should I wear kickboxing?” Not only are people looking for answers, they’re also
ready to buy these clothes.

You can learn more about content marketing for ecommerce businesses here.

 Market on Social Media

Social media marketing is entirely free (unless you outsource it) and it’s an excellent way to
build and nurture relationships with customers. It can also help you connect with new users
thanks to sharing, Facebook recommendations and algorithms that share what your friends are up
to.

In my opinion, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are the three key social media platforms that
ecommerce businesses should be focusing on, though Twitter is a close fourth.

When it comes to social media marketing for ecommerce, make sure that you’re focusing on
customer relationships more than just endlessly and exclusively promoting your own products.
You also want to answer questions fast to avoid abandoned carts.

 Google AdWords

With Google AdWords, you target specific keywords, effectively bidding to show up in relevant
searches. Ads are displayed above search results, giving you an edge.
AdWords can help you connect with users who are actively searching for certain products or
services, meaning they’re further along in the research or buying cycle, making AdWords a
valuable system to invest in.

There’s a lot of strategy that comes into play when it comes to Google AdWords, so consulting
an expert agency (like us!) can help make sure your money is well allocated to yield high returns.

 Facebook & Instagram Ads

Facebook and Instagram Ads operate under the same interface, so we’re lumping them in
together here.
These ads work differently than AdWords. Instead of targeting users by search intent and
showing them ads when they’re looking for you, you target users based on different qualities like
age, interest, and location to introduce them to your product. It’s inbound marketing at it’s finest,
and it’s a great way to create demand and introduce users to your products.

Ready to get started with Facebook Ads? Check out our 101 guide here.
  Develop an App with Push Notifications

Having apps just for your business that customers download is a fantastic way to make sure that
you’re staying at the forefront of their minds. Just think about how often users are on their
phones, looking for something to do.

Whether your app makes the shopping experience easier with one-click purchases or customized
recommendations, or it serves a different purpose (like offering style advice based on local
weather), make sure that you develop push notifications to bring users’ attention right back to
you. These can pop up on phones and smart devices like Apple watches, keeping users engaged
on a regular basis.

Market Segmentation
Market segmentation is a process of dividing the market of potential customers into smaller and
more defined segments on the basis of certain shared characteristics like demographics, interests,
needs, or location.
The member of these groups share similar characteristics and usually have one or more than one
aspect common among them which makes it easier for the marketer to craft marketing
communication messages for the entire group.

There are many reasons as to why market segmentation is done. One of the major reasons
marketers segment market is because they can create a custom marketing mix for each segment
and cater them accordingly.
Bases Of Market Segmentation
Segmenting is dividing a group into subgroups according to some set bases. These bases range
from age, gender, etc. to psychographic factors like attitude, interest, values, etc.

Gender
Gender is one of the most simple yet important bases of market segmentation. The interests,
needs and wants of males and females differ at many levels. Thus, marketers focus on different
marketing and communication strategies for both. This type of segmentation is usually seen in
the case of cosmetics, clothing, and jewellery industry, etc.

Age Group
Segmenting market according to the age group of the audience is a great strategy for
personalized marketing. Most of the products in the market are not universal to be used by all the
age groups. Hence, by segmenting the market according to the target age group, marketers create
better marketing and communication strategies and get better conversion rates.

Income
Income decides the purchasing power of the target audience. It is also one of the key factors to
decide whether to market the product as a need, want or a luxury. Marketers usually segment the
market into three different groups considering their income. These are
 High Income Group
 Mid Income Group
 Low Income Group
This division also varies according to the product, its use, and the area the business is operating
in.
Place
The place where the target audience lives affect the buying decision the most. A person living in
the mountains will have less or no demand for ice cream than the person living in a desert.

Also Read:  Market Validation - 6 Steps To Validate Your Business Idea

Occupation
Occupation, just like income, influences the purchase decision of the audience. A need for
an entrepreneur might be a luxury for a government sector employee. There are even many
products which cater to an audience engaged in a specific occupation.
Usage
Product usage also acts as a segmenting basis. A user can be labelled as heavy, medium or light
user of a product. The audience can also be segmented on the basis of their awareness of the
product.

Lifestyle
Other than physical factors, marketers also segment the market on the basis of lifestyle. Lifestyle
includes subsets like marital status, interests, hobbies, religion, values, and other psychographic
factors which affect the decision making of an individual.

Types of Market Segmentation

 A. Geographic Segmentation
Geographic segmentation divides the market on the basis of geography. This type of market
segmentation is important for marketers as people belonging to different regions may have
different requirements. For example, water might be scarce in some regions which inflates the
demand for bottled water but, at the same time, it might be in abundance in other regions where
the demand for the same is very less.

People belonging to different regions may have different reasons to use the same product as well.
Geographic segmentation helps marketer draft personalized marketing campaigns for everyone.

B. Demographic Segmentation
Demographic segmentation divides the market on the basis of demographic variables like age,
gender, marital status, family size, income, religion, race, occupation, nationality, etc. This is one
of the most common segmentation practice among marketers. Demographic segmentation is seen
almost in every industry like automobiles, beauty products, mobile phones, apparels, etc and is
set on a premise that the customers’ buying behaviour is hugely influenced by their
demographics.

C. Behavioural Segmentation
The market is also segmented based on audience’s behaviour, usage, preference, choices and
decision making. The segments are usually divided based on their knowledge of the product and
usage of the product. It is believed that the knowledge of the product and its use affect the
buying decision of an individual. The audience can be segmented into –

 Those who know about the product,

 Those who don’t know about the product,
 Ex-users,
 Potential users,
 Current Users,
 First time users, etc.
People can be labelled as brand loyal, brand-neutral, or competitor loyal. They can also be
labelled according to their usage. For example, a sports person may prefer an energy drink as
elementary (heavy user) and a not so sporty person may buy it just because he likes the taste
(light/medium user).

D. Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographic Segmentation divides the audience on the basis of their personality, lifestyle and
attitude. This segmentation process works on a premise that consumer buying behaviour can be
influenced by his personality and lifestyle. Personality is the combination of characteristics that
form an individual’s distinctive character and includes habits, traits, attitude, temperament, etc.
Lifestyle is how a person lives his life.

Personality and lifestyle influence the buying decision and habits of a person to a great extent. A
person having a lavish lifestyle may consider having an air conditioner in every room as a need,
whereas a person living in the same city but having a conservative lifestyle may consider it as a
luxury.

Internet Advertisment

Internet advertising is a set of tools for delivering promotional messages to people worldwide,
using the Internet as a global marketing platform.

Following are the examples of internet advertisment.

 Google Search Ads

 AdWords Ads
 PPC Ads
 Bing Ads
 Facebook Ads
 Twitter Ads
 Tumblr Ads
 Banner Ads
 Google Display Ads
 Retargeting Ads
  Reddit Ads
 Mobile Ads
 In-Game Ads
 AdMob Ads
 Email Ads
 Gmail Ads
 Video Ads
 YouTube Ads
 Pinterest Ads
 Instagram Ads
 Vine Ads

E-mail marketing

For many years this form of advertising has dominated the Internet and is no annoying, intrusive
and ineffective: mass email advertisements.

In fact, we receive sooooo many email per day that we’ve become kind of immune to the
advertising and don’t need more than two seconds to send it straight to the Spam folder.

E-mail marketing has nothing to do with this but rather goes much further and can be considered
a fundamental piece of your digital marketing strategy.

E-mail marketing would cover an entire article (probably more) but for this, were talking about
advertising and are referring to camouflaging promotions and advertisements within every day,
friendly and valuable messages that the user won’t want to delete.

It’s a tolerable and friendly form of advertising, and you should definitely use it but consider it as
part of your digital marketing strategy not as a form of advertising.

Apple, for example, is one of the companies who tend to use it frequently in order to share their
promotions without the users seeing it as only an advertisement -they even add a “buy” button
directly in the email
 Technology-enabled customer relationship management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an enterprise-wide business strategy directed at
attracting, retaining and effectively serving customers to grow up their value over the long term.
Because customers differ in their preferences and purchasing habit, and their mobility is
enhanced by increasing availability of information, firms invest in technologies that help them
gain detailed understanding of their customers, allowing them to know how to respond to
customer needs and market products and services more effectively. While the modern CRM
strategy is intensive in the use of analytical technologies, the Nigeria supermarket industry still at
the first stage of its development phase have largely interacted with customers through personal
interaction partly due to the low level of competition for customers, high cost of investment in
analytical CRM infrastructure and lack of dynamic capability to integrate technology, people and
processes.