Break it down

There have been a few of the same questions fired at me over recent times so I figured that perhaps these worthwhile questions were worthy of a post, so hopefully I can give you some answers even before you ask them.

1. How does a website cost?
   An eCommerce site is around $30US a month (or less if you are prepared to pay for a year at a time).
   
   A simple blog/information based site is around $9US a month.
   
   Do you want to register your own domain, or are you happy to let a third party host the site for you?  Registering your own domain shouldn't cost you more than $24 a year. If you're happy to let someone else host it, the site could be free BUT you will probably have to have their own domain in your web address.
   
   Will you require an email too? If you do, it's around $2 a month.
   
   
2. How much should I spend on Google AdWords?
   As with pretty much anything, the more you spend the better the results but a smaller budget can work too. A client of mine set her daily budget at $7 (around $200 a month) and that kept up a steady flow of clicks and enquiries. It does pay to remember that a click doesn't always promise a conversion.
   
   
3. How does Facebook work?
   Facebook have been pretty sneaky by dropping the organic reach your posts achieve. You may have wondered why your reach isn't as high as your Followers, the simple answer is that Facebook doesn't really want your organic results to be that good, they want you to 'Boost' your posts and your page as often as your budget will allow.
   
   The good news is that you can set your daily budget on a Boosted Post to be very little and it will still give you some impressive results. A Boosted Post could get thousands of interactions and it could cost less than $20. Definitely worth doing.
   
   Some more good news is that you can really selective with your target market with Boosted Posts. You can specify areas, genders, age, interests etc. This means you can speak to the "right" kinds of people for your business.
   
   
4. How can I get on the front page of Google?
   Ah yes, the front page of organic Google search results. This has become the Holy Grail of marketing. It's a long-term goal as far as I'm concerned, unless you want to pay for a quick route. 
   
   Basically, the more you do on your site and on your social media, the better. The more active you are, the more often Google will recognise that you've done something and they will update their info. 
   
   It's also a good way of generating traffic to your site, which is also VERY helpful with organic results.
   
   
5. Any other helpful advice?
   Well, since you asked... pick a social media platform and nail it before moving on to the next. Don't try and do all of them and do a half-ass job It's a waste of your time and it's not a good look to your potential customers.
   
   Facebook is the obvious starting point, but I would also recommend Instagram especially if your in a visual industry. 
   
   Oh, and don't forget the good ol' business card! People still use them and you can also enter those competitions at local bars and cafes.

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That's about it from me. If you have any other burning questions, just let me know.

Until next time...
Fx