| most everyone knows, Google is the most popular | | | | Google as a large, popular, high -traffic Web site. |
| Internet search engine ever created. Besides being | | | | Is your current Web site consumer-driven or does it |
| the world's best search engine, Google is also a | | | | simply tout how great you are? Many smaller |
| calculator, an interactive mapping tool, and, in recent | | | | businesses make this mistake. They build Web sites |
| years, the most popular place for small to mid-sized | | | | based on what they want them to say/do, rather |
| businesses to advertise online. Why? Because they | | | | than on what their consumers want. Hire a |
| have devised an ingenious method of making online | | | | professional Web design firm whose core focus is |
| advertising extremely affordable and easily accessible | | | | designing effective, high-traffic, consumer-driven Web |
| to the small business community (defined here as | | | | sites. If you have done that, you've won half the |
| businesses with 500 employees or less). | | | | battle. |
| Google's unique advertising tool, Google Adwords, has | | | | If you're not sure if your Web site is a |
| taken the Internet by storm. It may be particularly | | | | "consumer-driven" site, fill out NuRelm's online Web |
| useful if your firm is in a traditional business where | | | | assessment form and one of our online marketing |
| your closest competitors are not early adopters of | | | | experts will give you free advice on how to make |
| Internet technology. Consider the following set of | | | | your site more consumer-driven. Sometimes it's as |
| questions to determine if Google Adwords could help | | | | simple as changing the wording or adding more text. |
| your business get more qualified sales leads: | | | | Small intiiatives that sometimes cost little or nothing |
| Is your firm in a traditional industry where you have | | | | to implement can make a significant difference in |
| the opportunity to be an "early adopter" of new | | | | your Web site's popularity/sales leads generated. |
| Internet technologies? Many traditional industries, like | | | | Is your Web site information -intensive? The day of |
| manufacturing and food services, for instance, are | | | | barking dogs, waving flags, and animated intro pages |
| notoriously late adopters of Internet technologies. | | | | is over. Now Internet savvy consumers are |
| There is still a significant percentage of firms in | | | | interested in one thing; up-to-date, useful, free |
| traditional sectors that barely have a Web presence | | | | information. If you give them the content they want |
| at all. Depending on your industry and your | | | | they will reward you with sales leads and referrals. |
| geographic reach (in terms of sales) you may still | | | | Does your site offer the right kind of information |
| have a window of opportunity where you can get | | | | (information your clients and prospects are most |
| the jump on your competitors. | | | | interested in)? Note: The right kind of information is |
| Are your closest competitors fully explioting their | | | | not necessarily detailed information about your |
| Internet marketing potential? If you're curious about | | | | specific industry or what you are trying to sell. |
| the number of incoming links you or your competitors | | | | Example: Even though NuRelm is primarily a Web site |
| have (links to your site from other sites), simply type | | | | software and services firm our clients and prospects |
| "link.yourwebaddress.com" into Google. Don't use the | | | | are extremely interested in not just how to launch an |
| quotes, and type in your actual Web address. If you | | | | attractive interactive Web site,,but in how to market |
| want to do a little corporate spying you can do the | | | | it once it is out there. Once we understood what |
| same for your competitors' sites. The link information | | | | most interested our clients/prospects we began |
| Google provides is part of the public domain and is | | | | offering a monthly online newsletter with detailed, |
| available to anyone who knows how to access it. | | | | timely information on online marketing. We also |
| Also, visit your competitors' Web sites. Compare | | | | launched our online marketing workshops. |
| theirs to yours. Are they better, worse, similar? Is | | | | NuRelm's newsletters and workshops are designed to |
| their content relevant and current? Is the site easy | | | | better address our clients' online marketing questions |
| to navigate? Is there some interactive feature/online | | | | and to help them get the most bang for the buck |
| client service you could offer that would help to set | | | | for their Internet dollar. Even though online marketing |
| you apart? | | | | is not NuRelm's core profit center we have extensive |
| If you think of something interactive you'd like to | | | | knowldege in this area. In order to build effective, |
| offer email us at and we'll give you a ballpark figure | | | | high-traffic Web sites, NuRelm staff members must |
| of what you can expect to pay. You may be | | | | keep up-to-date on the latest Internet marketing |
| surprised at the low cost of some interactive | | | | trends and technologies. You must KNOW YOUR |
| features, and they could make all the difference in | | | | CLIENTS and prospects and understand what is it |
| your Web traffic/sales leads generated. | | | | they want want, even if it means offering |
| Do you offer a specialized product or service? The | | | | information in a complimentary area that is not your |
| more specialized it is, the better you will do | | | | core profit center. |
| advertising with Google Adwords, or with any other | | | | Focus in on the area that most interests your target |
| form of online advertising, since there are already | | | | market. Do a telephone survey if you're not sure, or |
| less competitors out there. The Web is perfect for | | | | ask your clients when you go out on service calls, or |
| highly specialized products/services because you may | | | | send a mass email (although email blasts may get low |
| not have enough clients in one geographic region, but | | | | response rates if they're not done right - like offering |
| if you sell nationally or internationally, you may find | | | | to be entered in to some sort of drawing if they fill |
| that you have hit upon a very lucrative niche, since | | | | out the survey). |
| your target market will grow exponentially as your | | | | To summarize, your small traditional business will |
| geographic service region is expanded. | | | | thrive on the Web if you take the right steps. |
| Do you have an established relationship with nationally | | | | Bottom line: Know your target market well, give |
| internationally known firms that have a large, well | | | | them the information they want, and present it in a |
| respected position on the Internet? If you do and | | | | friendly, nonthreatening, easy-to find manner. Learning |
| you can get them to place a link to your company | | | | to market online in the most effective way is always |
| Web site from their Web site(s) this will significantly | | | | a challenge, but one well worth researching. If you |
| increase your general Google rankings, and place you | | | | consider the above points and you had positive |
| in a better position to take advantage of Google | | | | answers to most or all of the above questions, then |
| Adwords. The Google search engine algorithm now | | | | you should go to Google and learn more about |
| ranks you based on QUALITY of incoming links, | | | | Google Adwords. |
| rather than quantity. A "quality" link is defined by | | | | |