The process of going online to find information has become a regular part of everyday life. Say a customer has just been let go from their job and all of a sudden they can’t afford the rent. They go online to find out which places they can now afford to live in, they look for a new job, and maybe they decide to take a trip somewhere sunny, so they look around to find where they should go. The first thing people do these days is head to a search engine to type in their question.

Millions of different brands are now vying for their attention through Google or Yahoo because absolutely anyone can get there. Especially now after the recent Penguin update, it’s becoming more and more difficult to cut through. Unless you genuinely help the customer, and create authentic, engaging content. This is because Google’s new algorithm searches for niche vocabulary and genuine interaction and engagement with each site, penalising sites with anchor text links or keyword stuffing. To get in the first ten pages you need to give your customers, and potential customers, the best experience with your brand at every possible touch point, advertising is the communications of your customers now and you need to focus on creating engaging customer content and ensure your product and support service makes their life easier.

Many small businesses are so focused on short term gains and increasing the amount of customers they have that they lose sight of what is really important, the customer. Marketing is not just about bringing a high number of visitors onto your site for a short period of time. It’s about ensuring your customers are engaged at every touch point with your brand as you guide them through the purchase funnel.

Marketers, do you agree?

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