Marketing after launching a website

There seems to be a mindset out there that websites automatically bring sales as soon as they are launched. As if the internet is a giant billboard and people will know to visit you.

In reality, nothing is automatic. It’s better to look at your website as just another marketing tool for your business, similar to a brochure, a flyer, your shop/office signage, your social media profiles, etc. With any marketing tool, you need to let people know it’s there – you need to have a plan for it. And the planning is ideally done during the website development phase.

Your website’s purpose defines how you would market your website. Is it a go-to for more information about your business, or is it an online store you want sales from? Are you a new business or an existing business? Who and where are your ideal customers?

It’s the last question that is the most important – this is the space where you need to direct people to your website. This could be through other means, whether social media, advertising, emailing, word of mouth – but the short answer is, you need to let people know that your website exists.

Google will do some of the legwork for you, providing you have used phrases through your website that your customers are searching with. However, your best customers may not be a cold click from Google at all, they might already be interacting with your business in other ways and just need a reminder to start with you.

Give them a reason

The second part of the answer is giving people a reason to visit your website. Explain what they will see, receive or can do on your website. Are they reading about your business somewhere and can find out more information about you? Or can they book an appointment online? Or can they buy your products online? Whenever telling people about your website, think about “what’s in it for them” – give them a reason to visit, not just “hey check out my shiny new website, peeps!”.

Long-term, establish a plan for how to get people to keep coming back to your website, or to keep you in their mind. This might be through email marketing, or following your business on social media (providing you keep it regularly updated). Do you have a service they can keep visiting your website to use, or do you add new information that you can reference?

Having a website is more than just “being online”. It’s an important asset to your business that can evolve and grow with you. It’s everything but automatic – and that’s a good thing, as daunting as that might sound. It’s a space for you to play, to experiment, to offer and share to your customers. A website is a special thing, just remember to let people know it’s there.