What is so special about internet marketing? Is it really a different animal with special rules unique to itself or is it just another way to go to market?
Any thoughtful marketer or ebiz wiz realizes that it’s both. The internet truly is a unique place to conduct business. Like any market place it has its unique rules, jargon and ways of going about its business. Internet marketing is also about people; communicating and meeting the needs of real people for goods, services, entertainment and information.
Today, the incredibly complex and rapidly changing world of search engine positioning dominates the thought and time of anyone trying to advance their agenda or bank balance online. My experience as an online seller for several years is that good, old-fashioned marketing has been too often sacrificed on the alter of page rank.
Marketers of any kind must never forget that they are talking to and trying to influence people. The search engine spiders don’t buy anything, they don’t even get an allowance. Taking the generally accepted principles of SEO as holy writ can cost you business and definitely take the fun out of doing business.
When I started my firm, Webfoot Leisure, I was in total ignorance of how the savvy e-marketer should name a site. It wasn’t until my original name was too deeply embedded to easily change that I learned that my site name and logo (a happy cartoon duck) were completely inappropriate and would make good page ranking more difficult. I needed keywords in the title, it had to reflect the metatag description etc. etc. I was crushed! I had thought long and hard about the name and logo and thought it was memorable, appropriate and flexible. I thought it was sound marketing!
Funny thing was, I found I was right! My customers remembered the site because it WAS different, the logo was attractive and it stood out. I even signed emails “Dr. Duck” and ran a help column in this disguise. This proves to be a real plus as most online shoppers visit 6-9 sites before purchasing. Remembering who’s who is a real challenge. Customers told me countless times that my site got orders because they could remember the name and logo. Breaking the SEO rules cut through clutter.
My point is not that SEO is worthless or off target. Quite the contrary, SEO is vital to success on the web. My argument is that SEO rules are not infallible. We’re making it up as we go and sometimes we get it wrong. When you’re evaluating any web strategy it’s a good idea to go back to Marketing 101 and see if what you’re considering really does make sense. The internet is about people. And people always have and always will respond to proven sales and marketing strategies. We forget them at our peril.
Rob "Dr. Duck" Coxworth founded and operates WebfootLeisure.com. an online retailer of swimming pools, supplies and equipment. A twenty -five year veteran of the swimmimng pool industry, Mr. Coxworth has enjoyed almost every minute of the challenge to build a successful retail site.
