"Divert and Capture - The Bane
of
Internet Marketing"
Internet marketing is a vital activity for any
business that has a presence on the World Wide Web. There
is little point in having a website that showcases your products
or services if it is "invisible" to the surfing
public. But according to an article that I recently came across,
many website owners are using more and more intrusive forms
of marketing in an attempt to increase traffic.
How many of you have visited a Website with
pop-up or pop-under ads? What do you think of these? There
has been considerable discussion on some of the Internet marketing
forums regarding this very subject and most people find them
extremely annoying. The majority said they click away before
the ad has a chance to download (pop-ups) or if it's already
there (pop-unders), they most certainly never take the time
to read the page before clicking away. This being the case,
how effective can this method be?
Another form of intrusive advertising is 'mouse-trapping'
-- disabling your ability to go back, exit, or close a web
page. How does this make you feel? Are you more or less likely
to buy from the site?
It's a well-known fact that search engines play
a major role in driving traffic to your website. But how ethical
are practices like hiding invisible content on web pages,
creating fake pages filled with keywords, "typo-piracy"
(registering misspelled brand names with search engines),
or embedding names of popular brands into pages even though
the company has no direct affiliation -- all with the intention
of bringing anyone and everyone to a website? The article
said, and I agree, that such techniques are sure signs of
desperate, inexperienced website owners.
I don't know about you, but I don't have the
time nor the inclination for this type of aggressive, in-your-face
marketing. When I'm searching for information, products, or
services, I want to be taken to a site that is what it claims
to be. And I sure don't want to be captured and held against
my will!
Internet marketing when done right is
how your business grows and prospers on the 'Net. You may
see an increase in 'hits' by using the techniques above, but
long-term success comes from the reputation you build by offering
quality services and products. It doesn't come by diverting
and capturing potential consumers.
Nan Yielding has nearly 10 years experience as an online business owner. She is the owner of Writing-Etc.com and offers internet marketing services and assistance to help website owners attract more customers and increase sales.
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