Online presence 'should be number one business priority'

8th February 2008

Attaining a good online presence is crucial in the face of a rapidly declining economy, it has been claimed.

Terry Corbell, US management consultant, stated in a KOMOTV.com column that taking precautions to ensure a company is marketed well in the current credit climate could save it from going bankrupt.

He encouraged firms to make their internet publicity a number one priority, claiming that employing an online distributor can assist in this.

Including the company name and web address on any press release is vital, he continued, adding that keywords will also assist in search engine optimisation.

Blogs, research into the best keywords and competitors and utilising rich media techniques are also recommended as useful tips in web marketing.

"Encourage links to your site and include your preferred keywords," Mr Corbell stated. "You'll probably need expert help in what's called search engine optimisation."

According to the expert, launching an online social marketing strategy making use of sites such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook could dramatically increase sales in a short period of time.

In the US, online advertising spend is set to hit $42 billion (£22 billion) by 2011, according to an eMarketer report.