Myquestions

With the ever-decreasing cost of internet connectivity, more and more South Africans now have online access both at work and, increasingly, at home. This has now given rise to the emergence of many different types of internet-based businesses – not only small one-man bands or small businesses, but we are gradually seeing businesses designed from the ground up based fully on the functionalities offered by the internet. Pioneers in this are the likes of Amazon.com and our own bidorbuy.co.za which reflects the growing trend towards more consumer-driven shopping where the highest bidder gets the product for as much as they’re willing to pay. An interesting case in point is the lesbian who sold her virginity online for a few thousand British pounds to a rich man who thought it an interesting challenge…

On a serious note though, there are certain new professions that have arisen out of the need to sustain this renewed online boom; new job-titles such as SEO* Strategist, SEO Copywriter and Online Campaign Manager. *Search Engine Optimisation is the new buzz-word in website marketing. No longer is it enough to have a website – now site owners are cognisant of the fact that without more than just a bunch of figures saying how many users have passed through their site, they need to be able to quantify return on investment (ROI) in very real terms. This is where SEO and internet marketing play a very important role. People are now employed to ensure that users searching the likes of Google and our own local Ananzi search engines are directed to your site, but more than that, the job of SEO strategists, online marketers and online campaign managers is to ensure that users understand what your site is about from search engine search results so that should they click through to your site they’ll not only be looking for your product but also be wanting to BUY! That’s basically the bottom line. It’s now about doing business online and not just having a site that does little more than entertain a lot of bounces (users who, realising your site is not what they’re looking for, quickly leave soon after landing on it).

There has also been a plethora of other related sectors that have popped up online including the likes of affiliate marketing where one company sells the products of another and takes a cut of the profit. But this is by no means a purely online concept, it’s just become slightly more prominent what with the ease of connecting with partners from all over the world and doing business online.