Online Marketing Research “Can Save Millions”

by Samantha Noble on 7th February 2011

Companies keen to market themselves online should carry out as much research as possible, as this has numerous advantages in the long run.

This is the advice of a piece from Search Engine Land, which explains users of SEO services and others should perform such studies prior to designing and building their sites.

"Analytics and server logs help uncover mysterious behaviour and traditional usage too.

"Use your data to learn demographics, task completion – or not -, page abandonment and new search terms," it suggests.

Doing so can save millions of pounds in employee salaries, reputation management and lost sales.

It is a mistake for site designers to assume they know exactly how the firm's products are being used, as different visitors will have diverse needs and habits, the advice piece notes.

One way to perform research could be to make use of social networking sites, as the Bellingham Herald recently reported this is a good way for businesses to give something back to the online community.