Title: Internet marketing – how to get a website that works for your business
Author: Nigel T. Packer
Published by: Constable & Robinson
Reviewed by: Joanne Cox, global marketing director, Adconion Media Group
Nigel Packer jumps right in and begins with a solid background for newcomers. He gives an overview of the ‘digital world’ and outlines some of the questions you should be asking about your website (e.g. ‘what does my site do for my business?’, ‘can it be found by existing or potential customers?’ etc). He goes on to provide explanations – from HTML to blogs and wikis. Those with knowledge of the net might think this is a little exhaustive; however, I found it helpful to review my knowledge base.
Having laid the foundations, Packer covers how to conduct background research. Experienced marketers might find this a little self-explanatory – after all, shouldn’t you already know how to conduct basic market research or identify your target audience? Still, those new to marketing will find the details quite helpful. Nigel covers everything from identifying your customers and competitors to outlining research methodology – even providing a step-by-step list of dos and don’ts.
However, it’s not until halfway through the book that Nigel starts to tackle selecting keywords, optimising your site for search, site design etc. He continues to provide instructions and the chapters on keyword selection and customer targeting are granular, explaining how search engines work and prioritise search terms. This part is quite technical and I found myself a little lost when reading about ‘meta tags’ and ‘head codes’.
The book ends on a less technical note, giving practical advice around finding the right designers/developers, potential costs, and what to do once your site is up and running. Overall, I found the book helpful, giving practical tips and guidance on how businesses can get the most of their websites. For the most part, Nigel assumes little knowledge of online/digital and avoids jargon/tech-speak. A read if you’re new to building sites – and an extremely helpful refresher if not.
