Web 2.0 and paid-for search will be key to web site success

Tips from Internet World promise to attract more customers online

Marketing experts at the Internet World event have argued that Web 2.0 technologies and paid-for search placements are vital for firms hoping to develop more successful web sites.

In his keynote speech Richard Firminger of Yahoo Search Marketing warned that sites that cannot quickly be found via search engines would alienate potential customers.

"It's important that you build on your own brand so if someone is looking for you they can find you," said Firminger. "A search engine optimisation strategy is an important complement to paid-for marketing [so that it's] as easy as possible for customers to find you – they will have a negative experience [of your firm] if they can't."

To optimise their search marketing, Firminger advised businesses to firstly focus on their best-selling products and then list as many relevant search terms as possible. He also advised firms to work with advertisers to ensure that the copy describing their products and services is regularly updated on search engine sites.

"If you want to drive people to your web site who want to buy your products… search is the answer," Firminger said. "It should be simple to put a powerful campaign together online – it's not rocket science." Businesses with a web presence should also investigate mobile search marketing – which operates on a similar business model – as the technology could reach a market potentially twice the size of that currently found online, he added.

Also at the event, Ashley Friedlein, chief executive of online marketing specialist E-consultancy, said that Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax and content syndication could help firms attract and retain customers and encourage them to spend more online.

"It [would be] useful [for firms] to be thinking about these ideas, applications, and technologies and thinking how it can make [their sites] more [successful]," said Friedlein. "There are lots of things to look at and learn from and try out but there aren't a lot of normal businesses doing this stuff."

Friedlein said that Ajax, which enables firms to create richer user interfaces on their sites, could ensure "a significant step change in the quality of the customer experience". This keeps customers on sites and enables more engaging online adverts, which could attract even more people to sites, he added.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Wall of online IT retailer Dabs.com, highlighted the difficulties of ensuring customer loyalty, and said the key to ensuring customer satisfaction is well-trained staff. "You need [to train] employees [so that they] will not just be able to give good customer service but they will want to give it," he said. "We see customers buying offline first and then as they build trust they move online… e-loyalty starts and ends with trust."