HOW DIGITAL MARKETING WORKS- STEP BY STEP

Digital marketing is the means of marketing goods and services on the Internet. Many businesses in South Africa have had to adopt digital marketing to stay competitive in the industry. A presence online is essential in accumulating new customers and opportunities. This article will discuss how digital marketing should be approached step-by-step.

STEP 1

WEBSITE CREATION

The first step of digital marketing is to create a website. Websites are ‘sales representatives’ of your business. This is the most important step as high-quality websites will create trust and drive sales, while poor-quality websites will chase away your potential customers. Poor-quality websites will waste your company’s budget, make sure you build a professional website before you decide to market it with Pay-Per-Click campaigns.

A. DOMAIN NAME

The domain name is the name of your website, and you can buy domain names from Domain Registrars. If your business is established in South Africa, you should purchase a domain name with the extension ‘co.za’. Purchase a ‘.com’ if you decide to market your products worldwide.

RECOMMENDED DOMAIN REGISTRARS

My Top recommendation for purchasing domains in South Africa is https://www.registerdomain.co.za. Register domains provides the most affordable domains and offer two-factor authentication to protect your account and domains. Two-factor authentication prevents cyber criminals from accessing your account and stealing your domains.

B. HOSTING

Select a reputable hosting company to host your website. Poor hosting services can lead to downtime on your website and missed opportunities. Poor hosting also leads to lower search engine rankings and wasted money on Pay-Per-Click campaigns. If you aren’t sure about hosting, ask your web designer, he/she may have web design packages that include hosting.

HERE ARE OUR RECOMMENDED HOSTING COMPANIES:

https://www.accuwebhosting.com/

https://www.webspacebar.co.za/

C. CONTENT WRITING

One of the key elements of web design is content writing. Hire professional writers for your website or do the content writing yourself. Google favors big websites with lots of web pages and information. Your Home Page should have 1000 words (at least) of content, with headings, subheadings, icons, and images. Websites that offer little information are regarded as content-thin websites. Content-thin websites do not perform well on Google, and neither do one-page websites.

WE RECOMMEND HIRING PROFESSIONAL WRITERS FROM THESE SITES:

https://webflow.com/hire/web-design/za

https://hireprofessionalwriters.com

HIRE PROFESSIONAL TO BUILD YOUR SITE

Hire a reputable web designer to construct your website. Go to Google and check the “Reviews” of the web design company you plan on using. Here are several questions you should ask your web designer:

1. Do your services include Hosting?

2. Do your services include a Free SSL Certificate?

3. Please can I see your portfolio?

4. Are emails included and how many email accounts can I create?

5. How much do you charge for updates?

6. Can I make updates myself or do I require coding knowledge?

7. Are your websites mobile-friendly?

8. Do your services include virus and malware protection?

9. What date will the website be ready?

10. Do I have to supply the content, or is it included?

WE RECOMMEND HIRING WEB DESIGNERS FROM THIS SITE:

https://webflow.com/hire/web-design/za

BUILD THE WEBSITE YOURSELF

If you have a limited budget, you could build the website yourself. We strongly suggest you use the Wix website builder. https://www.wix.com. Wix provides an easy-to-use platform that allows inexperienced web designers to build websites using templates. Wix incorporates domains, hosting, and security into one platform. Wix eliminates the hassle of paying multiple service providers by offering an All-In-One solution for website creation. You could also hire Wix developers to build for you: https://www.wix.com/marketplace/hire/web-developer.

STEP 2

MARKETING

Now that you have your website up and running, it’s time to decide which platform you would like to market your site. There are many forms of marketing, but we recommend using Google as it targets people who are already interested in your products and services. Google delivers high-quality leads, and every business should have a presence on its search engine.

GOOGLE MARKETING SERVICES

A. SEO

B. GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

C. PPC

SEO

SEO is the means of implementing On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO on your website. To appear on Page 1 of Google for targeted keywords, you have to use BOTH these strategies.

ON-PAGE SEO

On-page SEO is the means of updating the content on your website to inform Google of which keywords are important to your business. These On-Page SEO updates can include:

1. Adding more Pages to your website.

2. Adding Article writing to your website.

3. Adding Images to your website.

4. Updating your Meta Data.

5. Installing an XML Sitemap.

6. Improving the structure of your site.

7. Improving the download speeds of your site.

8. Make your site responsive and mobile-friendly.

9. Adding an SSL Certificate

OFF-PAGE SEO

Off-page SEO is the means of increasing exposure by promoting your website on relevant websites.  High-quality websites have the following attributes:

1. High Domain Authority (Do not link to websites with a DA of 20 or below)

2. High Page Authority

3. Low Spam Scores

4. Industry Relevant

5. Local Sites

SEO RECOMMENDATIONS

SEO does not deliver instant results; it takes time to drive leads and sales. The time depends on the competition. Low competitive markets can take between 3-6 months to appear on Page 1 of Google. Competitive markets take 1-3 years to reach Page 1 of Google. SEO is recommended for businesses with good budgets. Businesses with limited budgets should focus on Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns first.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

Google My Business allows businesses with physical stores to promote their services and products locally. Google My Business shows 3 business listings with their basic information such as Physical Address, Website Address, and contact options. Applying for Google My Business has the potential to reach Page 1 of Google for important keywords in your area/city/suburb.

APPLY FOR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

1. Go to this website address: https://www.google.com/intl/en_za/business/

2. Add your business information with complete accuracy

3. Verify your account by the following ways:

• By Postcard

• By Phone Call

• By Email

• By Video

• With Google Search Console

Google will send you a 6-digit code to enter into your account to verify your Google My Business account.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS RECOMMENDATIONS

Avoid verifying your account by Postcard as it takes several weeks for the postcard to arrive, and the post office in South Africa has proven to be unreliable in the past. The easiest way to confirm your business listing is by using a local landline number, mobile numbers do not work.

PAY-PER-CLICK (PPC)

PPC campaigns drive instant traffic to a website. PPC campaigns allow marketers to construct adverts and reach a targeted audience online. Each time an individual clicks on the advert, the marketer will have to pay for the click. The click amount varies according to the platform and competition.

Google platform charges higher click rates than Facebook or Instagram platforms. Google PPC can vary between R1- and R500, depending on the level of competition. Here are popular PPC platforms to market your website:

SEARCH ENGINE ADS

Search engines drive the most targeted and valuable traffic. Marketing on search engines is a ‘must’ for any business in South Africa. The 2 most popular search engines include Google and Bing.

GOOGLE ADS

It’s recommended you hire a qualified Google Ads specialist to do your marketing. Alternatively, you can use Google Ads Express, which allows inexperienced marketers to set up a campaign comfortably. However, a Google Ads specialist has more control over a campaign and will be able to deliver better quality leads and results.

BING ADS

Bing has a similar interface to Google with an express option for inexperienced marketers. Bing doesn’t receive as much traffic as Google but provides much lower Pay-per-Click prices. Bing allows you to receive more traffic with a lower spend.

SOCIAL MEDIA ADS

Social media ads allow marketers to target an audience based on their characteristics and interests. Social media PPC isn’t as expensive as search engines and performs well in specific industries such as the travel industry.

FACEBOOK ADVERTISING

Facebook allows marketers to show ads to people based on their behavior, interests, and demographics. Popular industries on Facebook Include:

• Health and Wellness

• Online Learning Courses

• Real Estate

• Travel and Tourism

• Automotive Services

• Financial Services

• Technology and Software

INSTAGRAM ADVERTISING

Instagram is like Facebook, but it’s more visually appealing and reaches a younger and broader audience. Popular industries on Instagram Include:

• Fashion and Apparel

• Home Décor and Interior Design

• Health and Beauty

• Luxury Goods

• Travel and Tourism

• Entertainment services

• Technology and Gadgets

LINKEDIN

LinkedIn is a social media network dedicated to business-to-business services. Companies can make connections and establish partnerships on LinkedIn. Popular industries on LinkedIn Include:

• Recruitment

• Counselling

• Education

• Marketing

• Advertising

• Finance and Accounting

• Technology and Gadgets

OTHER POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS

Use paid advertising on Social Media Networks: Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, Quora, and Twitch.

SHOPPING ADS

Shopping Ads were created for businesses that solely sell products and goods. They can be used to drive people to your online store or, drive people to your physical store, it’s the perfect solution for increasing product sales:

• Google Shopping Ads

• Amazon Sponsored Goods

GOOGLE SHOPPING ADS

Google Shopping Ads is the perfect solution for businesses looking to sell products online and drive people to their physical stores in South Africa. They are displayed at the Top of Google with a Title, Image, and Price. Google Shopping Ads have high conversion rates which means the percentage of people who take action, after a click, is high compared to plain text ads.

AMAZON SPONSORED PRODUCTS

Amazon has opened its doors in South Africa recently. Businesses now can market their products on Amazon Sponsored products. Amazon Ads is similar to Google Ads with PPC (Pay-Per-Click) systems, keyword selection, control of ads, and daily spending. For more information about selling on Amazon, please visit the link below:

https://sell.amazon.com/global-selling/south-africa

VIDEO ADS

Video Ads are a great marketing tool to increase brand awareness and promote sales. Video ads reach audiences on a personal level with a powerful message. No form of marketing has the same influence as Video marketing. Here are the 2 most popular Video Marketing Platforms:

• YouTube

• Tik Tok

YOUTUBE

YouTube is the most popular video marketing platform in the world. YouTube videos have the potential to go viral and reach millions of people. You can either find success with videos organically, or with paid ads. Using paid ads for YouTube is affordable and you only pay once a user watches a video for longer than 30 seconds or interacts with your video.

TIK TOK

TikTok is a free video-sharing platform that allows marketers to create short videos with ease. At the moment, it is the fastest-growing Social Media Platform in the world. Marketing on TikTok would be a wise investment now as the prices and competition are still low in South Africa.

STEP 3

ANALYTICS

Its important to track website visitors and their behaviour on your site. Understanding how your audience engages with your website is crucial to make improvements for better results in the future. Google have provided 2 Free Tools to track website statistics and provide insights to the health and condition of your site. These 2 tools are:

• Google Analytics

• Google Search Console

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

Google Analytics provides valuable information about your audience and their behavior on your website.

TRACK THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WITH GOOGLE ANALYTICS

• The amount of users who landed on your website (Real Time/Daily/Weekly/Monthly)

• The Device the users used when they found your site (mobile/laptop/tablet)

• The Physical Location of the users (Country/ City)

• The average amount of time the user spent on your site (seconds/minutes/hours)

• The number of pages the user visited (Home/About Us/Contact Us)

• It compares the number of New Users with Returning Users.

• It tracks important actions that happen on your site.(Conversion Tracking)

• It’s integrated into Google Ads for AI to target more relevant customers (GT4)

GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE

Google search console provides information regarding your search engine ranking positions. It highlights important issues that are preventing your website from ranking high on search engines.

TRACK THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE

• Indexing tells you when Google indexed your website, and if there were any issues during the indexing process.

• Search Performance informs you of your average ranking positions, the number of clicks, impressions, and clickthrough rates your website received.

• Crawl Status informs web owners of any crawl issues with their site. Many web designers forget to update the robots.txt file, which prevents Google from indexing certain pages.

• Security Issues notifies web owners of any viruses or malware that has entered their site.

• Mobile usability provides insights into how well your website performs on mobile devices.

• Sitemap submissions allow you to submit an XML sitemap to Google for faster and better indexing.

• Backlink data provides the number of websites that link to your website. It helps you remove bad backlinks if necessary.

• Manual Actions show violations your website may have broken, which leads to temporary or permanent search engine bans.