Austin Website Marketing Q&A

by Brandon Cornett

Austin web marketing firms cover a broad spectrum of skills and specialties. It's just like any other industry in that regard. But when you're choosing a website marketing company, you should ensure that their specialties are in line with your company's needs. This Q&A session will help you. This article has been adapted / expanded from an email exchange I recently had with an Austin company looking for web marketing services.

Question:

I need a website marketing company in Austin. What should I look for in such a company?

Answer:

Hopefully you will consider me in your search for a web marketing company. But regardless of that, here are some of the skills you should inquire about when selecting an Austin website marketing company. This is also a list of ways you can market a website for increased traffic and profit -- hence, they are skills to consider when choosing a web marketing company.

1. Search Engine Optimization

A lot of web design companies in Austin are weak in this area. It's perfectly understandable, because a designer should be an expert in web design, usability, etc. So he or she probably hasn't had the time to learn about SEO on top of those things. But any larger firm that labels itself as a "website marketing company" should have an SEO expert in house. Otherwise, they could do you more harm than good by getting your website hit with various Google penalties.

2. Online PR Capability

Any company that claims to specialize in website marketing should also have a firm grasp of online PR tactics. The Internet has changed a lot in recent years, and it has had a big impact on the way messages can be spread. For instance, instead of submitting your press release to journalists and crossing their fingers for a publication, your Austin website marketing firm should know about direct-to-consumer press releases, blogging networks, and other aspects of social media and online PR.

3. Lead Generation Savvy

The techniques mentioned above can help you drive qualified traffic to your website. But what do you do when people reach your website? How do you turn those visitors into leads, and those leads into customers? This initial transition (from website visitor to website lead) is where lead generation comes into the picture. When screening Austin website marketing companies, ask about their lead generation techniques. If you get a deer-in-the-headlight look, keep searching elsewhere.

4. Blog Setup Capabilities

The business blog has evolved as a highly effective tool for online communications, PR, search engine visibility and more. That's why I'm such a big fan of business blogging, and it's why I manage a series of blogs like my SEO blog. If a blog is as important to you as it is to me, be sure to ask your chosen website marketing companies if they provide blogging support. Better yet, ask them to send you links to some blogs they've set up for clients, or some of the blogs they manage themselves.

5. Pay-per-Click

Sponsored search (a.k.a. pay-per-click or PPC) is not an area that I specialize in. In my opinion, pay-per-click, such as Google Adwords, should be a short-term strategy while organic visibility, SEO and online PR strategies are in development. Otherwise, pay-per-click is merely a form of dependency -- you'll always have to pay for it. But if pay-per-click / sponsored search is important for your business, ask the Austin website marketing company how much experience they have with it. Chose somebody with at least five years experience in pay-per-click, as it's a complex and highly specialized field.

Conclusion

All of the things on this list may not be important to you, so it may not matter if your chosen web marketing company has a certain skill. My point with this article is simply to open your eyes to the wide world of Internet marketing, in the hope that it helps you find the ideal Austin website marketing company to suit your company's needs.

Sincerely,

Brandon Cornett
Austin SEO Guy
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