Internet marketing is made up of many different facets. Some businesses choose to focus on just one kind of marketing, while others make use of a wide variety. In order to know what type of Internet marketing your business should use, you need to know what the different types are. Here are some of those types along with their advantages, and their disadvantages.

The most basic step to Internet marketing is to create a website. This website needs to offer quality content in the form of text, video, and photos in order to attract and keep potential customers. Your website is the gateway to your business and it needs to be welcoming. Be sure that your website offers contact info and hours for your physical locations (if any), as well as a description of all of your products and services.

Use search engine optimization techniques on your website. This means including service and location keywords in prominent places within your website, choosing a domain name that’s related to your business, and building up links to your content from other sites. Search engine optimization, when used properly, will ensure that your business shows up in searches for your products or services, driving potential customers to your site.

Send emails with links to your site to both current and potential customers. A regular email newsletter helps you to remain in touch with customers, bringing them back for repeat business. It also helps customers to see what new products you are bringing out or any changes you are making to existing product lines. It’s much easier and less expensive to maintain existing relationships with customers than it is to recruit new ones.

Consider buying advertisements on other sites. You can buy banner advertisements or smaller text ads through many different services. These advertisements are either pay-per-click or pay-per-impression. PPC advertising means that you only pay out when a potential customer follows a link back to your site. PPI advertising means that you pay for all views of your ads, whether customers click on them or not. Advertising online is very similar to advertising in any other medium; it gives customers an idea of your products and services, and encourages them to buy from you.

Press release distribution is another form of Internet marketing. Businesses change on a regular basis, and press releases help to keep customers informed about those changes. For example, you can create a press release when you have a change to your company’s executives or board of directors, or when you release a new product line. These press releases can then be distributed through industry-related publications and other aggregate news sources. Press releases should be worded to encourage sales, but without being blatant advertising.

As you can see, there are many different components to Internet marketing. Depending on the size of your company, you may have one or several people working on different parts. The main advantage of Internet marketing is the low cost. Now that you’re armed with the basic knowledge of Internet marketing, you’re ready to make your business a success!