Every man and his dog are SEO Experts!

 It infuriates me when I see and hear of so-called SEO experts / Gurus offering internet related services when they have no runs on the board themselves. Don’t get me wrong – there are many reputable website designers and internet marketing companies, but the numbers are small in comparison to those offering such services.

It just amazes me how these so called experts can sleep at night knowing that it is unlikely that they will ever get a return on investment for their clients.

Investing in internet marketing is no different to traditional marketing in that you must measure your results. But hey – there is no point in even considering investing in a newspaper advertising campaign for example if the newspaper is not relevant to your target market or if it has little or no circulation.

All advertising, whether it is online advertising or offline, must bring a return on investment -otherwise you might as well keep your money in your pocket.

How do you avoid the mistake of going with the wrong online marketing company? Ask Questions!

1. How long have you been the business of Internet Marketing?
2. Ask for testimonials and more importantly be sure to speak with their referees.
3. Search for their services online. See if you can find their website using keywords or phrases that are relevant to the services on offer. If you cannot find them on page 1 of Google or Bing this should tell you something. For example, if it is a Sunshine coast internet marketing company you are looking for, search Google using ‘Sunshine coast internet marketing company’ or ‘Internet Marketing Sunshine Coast‘.

And above all, if they offer a guarantee of a number 1 ranking for a keyword, avoid them like the plague!

by Suncoast Internet Team2 Comments »

Also known as associate, referral and bounty programs, an affiliate program is a partnership with an online merchant in which the affiliate earns a commission for referring sales and/or leads to the merchant’s online store. Simply put, affiliate marketing is commission selling on the Internet. Commissions may be based on the purchase amount (Pay per Sale), a set value for each visit (Pay-per-click), or action such as registration or download (Pay per Lead).

Tens of thousands of merchants from sole proprietors and Mum and Pop operations to major corporations such as Sony and Dell have their own affiliate programs. From a merchant’s perspective, partnering with affiliates is an inexpensive marketing strategy to increase sales, drive traffic, generate qualified leads and extend brand reach. From an affiliate’s perspective, few other businesses online or off are as relatively inexpensive and simple to start and maintain.

1. You join an affiliate program and you are given a unique affiliate identification and access to your special links and marketing materials.
2. You place your affiliate links on your web site, or in your newsletter.
3. A visitor on your site clicks that link and buys a product, service or fills out a form at the merchant’s site.
4. You earn a commission for sales and/or leads generated through your links.

Read more about Affiliate Marketing

by Suncoast Internet Team1 Comment »