Basic Research
Prior to any business meeting or initial business contact most executives now ‘have a look on the web’. It pays you to know what they will find when they search for you or your business. (Old web sites with old addresses can play havoc with the best satnav in the world.)
Do you look professional when your web site is first accessed? It may be trite but ‘first impressions count’ and that is one thing branding seeks to address.
Do trade directories, Yell.com, social networking and other web sites portray you and your business as you would wish?
The answer to some of these questions starts with you looking at your own site. Test it out as a new visitor, customer or supplier would. Be self critical and if you find a problem sort it out promptly. Get a trusted friend to search for you and give you some honest feed back on what they find.
Names and URLs
In addition to your key URL you may wish to acquire other domains like .net, .tv, .eu .org etc. This may be to help customers from other markets or as protection against competitor activity.
Set up a /blog to stop cyber squatters setting up a damaging site designed to run your product or service down. Keep checking the web for look-alike and sound-alike names and sites. The international names corporation www.icann.org/ has a dispute resolution service and in the UK nominet perform a similar function.
Old registrations build up a value as they are better recognised by search engines and it is obvious to maintain your registrations in a timely manner. Your good name is your potential fortune so protect it and invest in it as part of your brand strategy.
Findability
If the right people can’t find you the best web site in the world is useless. Tell people your web address at every opportunity – it is better if it is memorable and easy to spell correctly. Publish your web address as widely and as often as practical.
Encourage customers and potential customers to bookmark your pages. Offer an incentive to register on your web site so you can keep in contact or provide discrete information.
Build up an executive understanding of Search Engine Marketing then get the tactics implemented. Knowing what needs doing can be mission critical, knowing how to do it can be delegated. Maintain the optimisation, measure and manage the situations and keep your site and yourself up to date.
Further Digital IP
- Data storage and databases
- Operational systems, controls and methods
- Content, functionality and interaction
- Learning curve, knowledge and knowhow
- Business model and concept
- Affiliates partners and associates
