For someone new to the whole world of online marketing, it may seem like a vast and complex world to navigate and make sense of. I have had conversations with several owners of businesses varying in scale and most would rather have someone manage the whole process since the jargon being thrown around makes online advertising too technical.

However, there are numerous benefits advertising online offers your business, that even with a budget for hiring an expert, at least you should understand the basics. In this post, I will outline the five areas that form the basis of online marketing which you should first work on before getting to use paid advertising.

I have found these to be more effective with better returns on investment compared to the obvious options like using AdWords, pop-ups and auto videos. To give you a clear picture of the online advertising world, here are some statistics to bear in mind:

• In 2015, Adblocking saw publishers lose about $22 billion.

• 91% of people find advertisements nowadays to be more intrusive than 2 years ago.

• 81% of visitors have closed a browser or left a web-page due to a pop-up ad while 82% have done the same because of an auto-playing video ad.

• 70% of consumers don’t like mobile ads.

• Across all industries, the average AdWords click-through rate for search is 1.91%, and for display 0.35%

The challenge is putting your products out there without putting off potential customers. Here are five ways to do that in a sustainable way.

5 Ways to Advertise Your Business Online

1. Search Engine Optimization

This is the basis of most online advertising. You have to optimize all your digital platforms and adverts for higher ranking in the search engines which in turn result in more visibility, traffic, and conversions. Most people nowadays do online research before making a purchase. As top marketers agree, improving your SEO is a top priority.

2. Great Content

Great content online is the bread on which online advertising feeds on. It gives you the opportunity to not only gain greater visibility online but also to convert to those who visit your site. It has to be done on a regular basis and could take the form of blogs, podcasts or videos. Regular content creation leads to more traffic and better lead generation.

[RELATED: 11 Content Marketing Secrets You Never Knew]

3. Social Media

Nearly one-third of the world uses social media on a daily basis. This translates to a huge potential audience for your business promotion. The advantages social media offers are many, but the major ones are the huge visibility potential, the personalized communication, ability to filter the targeted demographics and the low budget needed. Tracking is key on social media to better understand the trends and returns of your efforts. As this data indicates, social media is the new frontier of online advertising.

4. Local Business Listings

There are three major local listings with the three leading search engines. These are Google Places, Yahoo! Local and Bing. Other major local directories to sign up with include Facebook, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Yelp etc. Aside from being inexpensive, listing in local directories offers you visibility to customers and potential partners, it also allows you to get a higher ranking by boosting your SEO. Customers are also able to offer reviews and the listings are also a great source for links among other benefits.

5. Email Marketing

Email marketing has come a long way but still maintains its relevance when it comes to advertising your business online. I enjoy the flexibility email marketing offers compared to other platforms as far as content structure is concerned. The tricky part is knowing when you are spamming your clients or when you are truly reaching them. Once a month is a good point to start from. You have to personalize the email and make it rich in images, data, and information. The trick I have always found effective in email marketing is answering the client’s question ‘what’s in it for me?’

Advertising your business online does not have to be an expensive affair. Your main focus is attracting and maintaining your target audience’s attraction long enough to create a lead and more importantly a relationship. These tips allow you to do that over a long period of time and you can build on them as you venture into other strategies.