Choosing a Channel to Promote Your Business Online

An important step for online business owners is bringing new visitors to their working website. Which channel is best for this, so that the site performs well?                

SEO optimization of a website

         Any search engine will do — they all work on the same principle: first a search query is entered, and in response it returns a list of links to sites found on the given topic.

         As a rule, the competition is for the first TOP-10 positions, since only a tiny share of users clicks through to the second ten links.

The main tasks of SEO promotion are the following:

• on-page optimization of the resource, which covers unique content, loading speed, adding more landing pages to match search engine requirements, matching search queries, and UX/UI usability;
• off-page optimization in the form of snippets, behavioral factors and backlinks.

         When as many reliable, high-quality sites as possible link to a particular site, it is very likely to earn the complete trust of search engines, higher than its competitors have. Backlinks from topical sites are quite hard to get, so people build auxiliary sites to pump up the main domain or work with released (expired) domains, and also restore old web resources.

 SEO pros:

• a low cost of attracting users' attention and a long-term return on investment;
• once the site is in the TOP, there are no ongoing traffic costs, because you do not pay for every click;
• many users go to the organic results after looking at the ad blocks;
• users trust sites in top  positions more than contextual ads;
• you can promote any products/services, even blacklisted ones.

 SEO cons:

• it takes a long time to bring a resource to the top positions — at least three months, plus high costs for technical site improvements, unique content writing and link purchases;
• inconvenient for seasonal businesses;
• the risk of getting hit by a filter and losing all search traffic if black-hat promotion methods are used;
• periodic search algorithm updates can worsen the site's positions and traffic;
• strict geographic binding, which makes it hard to promote a site across all of Ukraine without optimizing separate pages.

 Contextual advertising

          With this type of advertising, you pay for every click. Contextual advertising takes the form of a special ad message. It appears alongside the organic SEO results and is marked «ad».

         The cost per click is set by auction, based on competitors' bids — the higher the bid per click, the higher its owner's ad is shown. Higher ad positions help attract new visitors.

         Keep in mind the factors that decide what users choose — an attractive product image and a suitable price. The main advantage of PPC is speed — you can launch ads very quickly. In just one day you can pick keywords that will actively promote your site in search engines.

 PPC pros:

• fast launch and quick results, which is convenient for new websites;
• wide range of settings — by region, ad schedule, targeting of specific device types, browser language;
• convenient for seasonal businesses and sales;
• a choice of strategies — conversions, SEO optimization,  more impressions and so on;
• convenient for testing new economic niches, as well as products and services;
• a variety of ad formats available;
• remarketing can be set up — showing ads on other websites.

 PPC cons:

• you have to pay for every click — if there is no money on the account, the ads stop showing;
• a high cost per click in Ukraine in overheated niches — from a few hryvnias and up, depending on the topic;
• setup costs and the need for constant monitoring of large sites at the early stage of PPC;
• without strict control, the ad budget can be spent inefficiently;
• some products/services cannot be advertised because they are banned by national law or by the search engine's policies;
• a risk of getting no positive result with a small product range in competitive niches.

 Advertising on social media

          Social media advertising works very well for products/services with little existing consumer demand. For such products, traffic from SEO and contextual advertising is completely ineffective, so targeted social media ads are used.

         In Ukraine, Facebook and Instagram are the most popular. Advertising products on social networks means ad blocks placed in the news feed of a given platform. Often an ad looks like a regular post with text and an image or video, and clicking on them takes you to the advertiser's official website.

         The effectiveness of social media promotion depends on the design of the ad and the quality of photos and videos, which help show the consumer the best qualities of the product/service on offer.    

SMM pros:

• a lower cost per conversion than contextual advertising;
• works for products with both established and unformed demand;
• retargeting is available;
• broad reach of the target audience;
• plenty of tools and precise targeting by user interests and location radius;
• you can bring in opinion leaders and popular, well-known bloggers to make the site work effectively;
• more touchpoints with the client when it works together with SEO promotion and contextual advertising.

 SMM cons:

• results are slow to come, since ads often reach users who have no need for the products/services offered;
• it suits only some topics;
• thorough, strict moderation of ads for content uniqueness and compliance with the social network's rules;
• extra resources are needed to create an ad with photos, videos and text;
• comments and messages need constant monitoring;
• pages need regular, systematic posting.

Email marketing

         Implementing this tool starts with building a subscriber base. It can include your former clients whose email addresses you still have, or users who filled out a form on your blog or website. 

Email marketing pros:

• low cost of sending emails;
• a fast way to tell a huge audience of site users about upcoming promotions or new products;
• a loyal audience can subscribe to the newsletter;
• convenient for both informational and commercial projects;
• in-depth analytics on opens, delivery, click-throughs and clicks;
• makes use of everything email offers;
• easy setup and simple integration with various email newsletter services;
• higher sales and a better return on investment;
• bulk automated sending of both emails  and trigger messages, so a potential buyer gets enough information about a product to decide to buy it.

Email marketing cons:

• high costs for creating suitable content, an attractive site design and preparing the emails;
• emails can land in spam or the promotions tab;
• building a subscriber list takes a lot of time;
• mailing your own customer database can draw a negative response.

Choosing a promotion channel

To choose a suitable promotion channel, first set the goal you want to reach and decide how much time you have to reach it. Then carefully assess your competitors' capabilities, the market's requirements and size, and create your own marketing strategy.

Once you have settled on a budget and a list of main channels for SEO promotion, start testing other channels to find and add the best ones. Drop the channels that bring poor results.

For a new business, it makes sense to launch contextual advertising and look at the results; for a long-established business, use SEO promotion so you do not waste money on too many channels.

A product with weak consumer demand is best launched under a new brand with its own social media advertising. Properly used email marketing complements any channel perfectly and helps build good communication with regular clients.

Owners of a solid business with no financial pressure are better off using omnichannel marketing, which uses every channel in the communication field, united by one goal and one strategy — this helps create the maximum number of touchpoints with a potential client.

Need expert advice on choosing effective marketing channels? Use our services — we have extensive experience in this area and interesting professional know-how.