Is your business website an active tool to bring custom and revenue in to your business? Is it the best sales tool your company has? Or was it something that was built because you thought you needed a website and infrequently thought about?

Never has there been a better time for online or "bricks and mortar" businesses to get more customers from the internet. Mobile phone and mobile device searches are higher than ever and search engines, like Google, are keen to promote local businesses in their search results. However, running a business in your field of expertise does not necessarily lend itself to being an expert in online marketing.

Your company website should be the best way for potential customers to find your services or products, choose you as the supplier and convert potential customers in to paying customers. Your website should be the best Salesperson in your organisation. Your website should be a "profit generating machine" for your organisation.

How to Make Your Website in to a Profit Generating Machine

There are 3 steps to ensuring your website generates revenue and profit.

Be Found

The structure and layout of your website should be such that search engines, like Google, can easily understand what products or services you are offering and in which geographical locations. This involves adding "behind the scenes" data that Google can read to fully understand the messages your website is trying to convey and which geographical locations you would like custom from. This information should be unique and relevant on EVERY page and image on your website.

Keeping your content "fresh" by adding news articles or blog posts will also benefit your website being found in the search results. If you care about your website and keep it relevant and interesting, Google will care more about your website. This activity is the start of "Search Engine Optimisation" or SEO.

To get your website found instantly you can invest budget in to Google AdWords. This is a "pay per click" service or PPC, where you only pay when a potential customer clicks on your advert and visits your website. The budget needed to be successful at PPC varies from industry to industry, but be warned unless you REALLY know what you are doing or using a professional PPC management service, simple mistakes can be costly.

Be Chosen

If your company is found in the search results or the paid adverts it should be structured in a way that will convert the customer. Each page of the website and each PPC advert should have text which directly relates to the search made.

If a search is made for "red shoes size 7 in Bristol" the page or product on your website should be structured to be found in the search engine results AND give reasons for the person to select your website.

For example, if a page on a Solicitors website is aimed at "Employment Law" and they would like customers from the Bristol area, the meta data (the two lines of text on the Google search results page) should say something like "Looking for employment law Solicitors in Bristol? Smith Solicitors offer a free initial consultation. Call today on 0117 123 456". Keyword and location specific, with an enticing reason to call. This approach will bring potential customers, ready to buy, to your website.

Convert

Once the potential customer has found your website for the relevant search, believe it or not, the hard work is done.

Converting the customer is as simple as adding wording or a video to the page that empathises with the problems they may be experiencing, offer the simple solution to solve the problem and why they should choose you to provide that solution.

An example for a plumber could be - do you have radiators that have cold spots, or rooms that never quite get warm enough? Having to wear a jumper in the house? Worried that your central heating is not functioning at its full potential or it not running economically? You likely have radiators that need 'bleeding' or your central heating system needs a 'power flush'. This is a simple task that can be done in an hour or so. Smith Plumbing can provide this service at an affordable rate. We do not charge a call out fee and offer a same day service.

The page confirms the issues the customer is experiencing or feeling, offers a simple solution that build trust and authority that you understand the issues, and provides genuine reasons why you are the company to call to resolve the issues.

Where the conversion rate of a website sky rockets is when 're-targeting' is used.

Regardless if the visitors to your website found what they were looking for on the first page they landed or they viewed multiple pages - on average only 2% of website visitors will interact with your business in making contact or visiting a store. 98% will leave your website and you have likely lost them as a potential customer.

Re-targeting is the process of advertising to the 98% that visited your website and didn't buy.

These are adverts on Google and Facebook that follow visitors to your website, around the internet as a constant reminder of your services or products. Highly cost effective and lucrative. If they have already bought from you - it re-enforces your authority. If they have not yet bought from you, it reminds them you are there when they are ready to buy. Have you ever been on the internet and thought "Wow, this company are advertising everywhere!" - they are not advertising everywhere, they are advertising to you wherever you go - they are re-targeting you. This is a tactic used by most large retailers in the UK including Marks & Spencer and John Lewis - it is equally effective for local businesses.

How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency to Work With?

To ensure your website is a profit generating machine you need to work with the correct digital marketing agency.

They should offer SEO, PPC, re-targeting, video creation and social media management to ensure a consistent message across all solutions and to tie all of your online presence together.

They should only work with one company, in one industry, in one location - otherwise they are competing with themselves and you can only get one company to the top of Google!

Martyn Lenthall is a recognised expert in 'digital marketing' in the UK. Owner of digital marketing agency "SEO Company Bristol", author of "Online Marketing Secrets For UK Local Businesses", Public Speaker and corporate website consultant. 0117 325 1099