Advertising: the basics

Advertising on the internet and in online directories

Advertising on the internet can be cost-effective and gives national and international coverage that you may otherwise be unable to afford. It will also allow you to compete with larger businesses in your industry on a level playing field. There are three main types of internet advertising - your own website, advertising on other websites, and online directories.

Your own website

• Ensure you design and position your website carefully for maximum effect. Take time over it, it's important - it can be your electronic shop window, an information provider, a sales person and an order form all in one.
• Consider the internet user - your potential customer - at every stage. Make it easy for them to find their way around your website, and to order from or contact you.
• Keep your website updated and relevant, and check that all pages, images, links, etc open correctly.
• Ensure your website is geared towards increasing sales. Making your site interactive and interesting to browse will help to increase user dwell time and allow you to expand your sales pitch.
• Find out how to exploit search engines, eg Yahoo! or Google. Internet browsing habits mean that appearing near the top of a search list can make a big difference.

For more information, see our guides on best practice in web design and search engine optimisation.

Advertising your business on other websites

Use banner and pop-up advertising to promote your business and link through to your own website. You may be able to agree a cost-free, reciprocal arrangement by allowing other businesses to advertise on your site while you advertise on theirs. Pay per click (PPC) advertising is a form of internet advertising where advertisers only pay when users actually click on an advert to visit their website. Such adverts are called sponsored links or sponsored adverts. PPC lets you target potential customers actively searching the web for the products or services you offer. See our guide on pay per click advertising.

There are other types of payment including 'cost per action' (CPA), in which you will only pay for the advert when a desired 'call to action' has occurred, eg a product purchased or online form completed. You can read about online advertising on the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) website - Opens in a new window.

Getting into an online directory

• You can set up an online entry with directory companies such as Yell.com and ThomsonLocal.com, as well as setting up links from these online directories to your own website.
• There are more specialised directories and search engines available, such as Kellysearch for manufacturing.
• The Data Publishers Association (DPA) provides information on directories and member firms - find information about the DPA on the DPA website - Opens in a new window.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• How advertising can help your business
• Local advertising
• Advertising on the internet and in online directories
• Advertising in the trade and technical press
• Radio, cinema, outdoor and national advertising
• Planning an advertising campaign
• Getting value for money from your advertising
• Managing responses and monitoring your campaign
• How to write an advertisement
• Here's how I increased my sales through advertising

Print options - What are my print options - Opens in a new window

• Add guide to my print portfolio (print later as PDF)

Email options - What are my email options - Opens in a new window

• Tell a friend about this page
• Send me an email alert when this guide changes