Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Getting Customers to Notice Your Web Site

Getting prospective customers to stand up and take note isn't all that difficult. However, you have to be consistent, thorough, and unrelenting.

Take a multipronged approach that includes both online and offline marketing efforts. You can use these techniques to increase traffic and bump up conversion rates:

• Keyword searches: Paid keywords, such as Google AdWords, have proven themselves to be a cost-effective method of driving targeted traffic to your site. Although the cost per click (CPC) rate has gone up significantly in the past few years for popular search terms, plenty of keyword search phrases are still affordable. For example, the term terracotta flower pots has approximately 6,600 monthly searches and an estimated CPC of $1.70; but by using the term planters for flowers, you can get an estimated CPC of 92¢ with approximately 8,100 monthly searches. Check out Book VI, Chapter 6 to find out more about paid keywords. And if you want a more detailed look at starting and managing an AdWords account for your business, check out AdWords For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Howie Jacobson.

  Google offers lots of resources to help you learn everything from the basics of using AdWords to mastering advanced user strategies and tips. These resources are available in the Google AdWords Small Business Center, at www.google.com/adwords/smallbusinesscenter/ ...