One of the best ways to promote your business is through internet marketing. If you have not started marketing online, you may be falling behind among your competitors.The first step to being able to come up with an effective and efficient plan with your digital marketing team is understanding the various terms used in the digital marketing world.This article is an introductory guide to some basics of website marketing which will help you begin to build strategies to broaden your audience online. Read on to learn about website terms and concepts we think every small business owner should be familiar with when considering bringing their business online.

Website

We’ll start at the most basic. A website is a digital environment comprised of a set of webpages that is located on the world wide web and is accessed via a single domain name. A website can be created by a person or organization and hosted on a web server to make available to the public any information – whether that be in images, text, files, etc. – that you wish to share on it. Websites can be created for all reasons or purposes. When it comes to small businesses, websites can deliver information and solutions and promote services for potential customers. It can also help internet users find your business online.

Domain Name & Registrar

The domain is the unique identifying name of a website. It is what customers type into the browser address line when they want to find your website. Unlike, the URL (universal resource locator) which is a full address that will take you to a specific page, image, document, etc. the domain ends at the extension (.com, .net., .org, etc.). A domain is controlled by a specific company that has its own IP address.The domain registrar is the ICANN organization (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) that sells you and registers your domain name. A popular example of a registrar is Go Daddy.

Plug-ins

Plug-ins are a simple piece of individual, third party code that can add special features and extra functionality to your website without having to redo the foundational coding of that website. There are thousands of free and/or paid plug-ins that can be easily installed on your site to customize it to your needs. Examples of some popular functions are search engine optimization, anti-spam, e-mail marketing automation, form builder/newsletter sign-up, e-commerce solutions, website analytics, etc.

Hyperlink

A hyperlink can be any image or text on a web page that when clicked on connects you to another page or site. A hyperlink will, generally, be highlighted or made to appear different, whether that be underlined or set in a different color or font weight. Links that are site-wide can be very beneficial because they appear on every page across your website, increasing the likelihood of being used. Most often these site-wide links are located at the bottom portion of the page to make them easier to find and use. If you have a main page that you want to ensure people visit, a site-wide link is a good way to try to make that happen. It is extremely helpful to include a menu option that will organize your links in one place and allows for easy navigation. A difficult to navigate website could discourage visitors.

HTML Code and Tags

There are many aspects of the HTML code on your website that are invisible to your visitors but are no less useful to know. One example is a meta tag. Search engines use these tags to determine the topic of your website. Be sure to use meta tags that are relevant to your website, and then you can add alternative tags to help attract more traffic. Overall, by doing this, the webpage will be much more user friendly and targeted to the right audience. This also assists the web crawlers in finding the content that is the most important. Make sure when you develop titles that you are utilizing specific keywords.

SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the marketing technique of handling a website or piece of content to rank it higher on search engines. It consists of optimizing a piece of online text so that when someone searches for it, search engines will put it at the top or near the top of the search results page. SEO has become a very popular marketing term because it is a specific approach used on your website to help drive traffic to it. It includes a range of strategies, such as keyword research, keyword placement, expert blog posts, meta description, and Geo-targeting. Additionally, it can include audits into website speed and performance as well as the quality of your content. This technique also helps in establishing a website’s trustworthiness, and as a result, the credibility of your business.

As a small business owner, the last thing you should need to worry about is becoming an expert in website design and digital marketing.  However, having a basic knowledge of marketing language can help you seamlessly articulate your needs when working with your digital marketing team. As a result, you will avoid miscommunications and more cost-effectively achieve your overall business goals.