With shoppers limbering up to pick up a bargain in 2012’s January sales and many of them heading online to do so, now has never been better for businesses to take advantage of the extra retail interest.

Leading online marketing company QueryClick is encouraging businesses to take a closer look at their websites and ensure that they are optimised in order to attract January sale shoppers and secure extra purchases.

QueryClick help businesses boost their online profiles by ensuring websites perform better and optimise web traffic through a range of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC) and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) tactics.

Scott McBay, Project Manager at the online agency indicates that while businesses should be looking at their January strategy months in advance of the festive period, there are still some last minute tactics they can utilise in order to attract shoppers right.

He said: “When starting a search marketing campaign this late in the game it is all about making the most of the tools you have immediately available to you.

“Usually it takes months to set up SEO foundations to drive visitors to your site but there are a few simple steps you can take in order to ensure you at least get a portion of the extra web traffic which is circulating at this time of the year.

“One of the quickest ways of doing this is through regular content updates. Search engines such as Google love constantly updated content as it indicates that your website is well maintained. Make the most of any blog or news section you have.

“If you have an old page from a previous sales promotion hidden away in the depths of your site, update it with new content and link to it from your homepage. It may have historic value and links pointing at it and can potentially rank for key phrases quickly.

“It also gives you an opportunity to highlight key products, services or promotions that you are offering and help raise awareness among your target consumers. Businesses should use social media to provide real time updates to customers as well as provide valuable links back to the website, attracting even more traffic.

“With rival companies also fighting for search engine visibility, there is no guarantee that you will reach the elusive number one spot, but by doing everything you can to ensure your site gets in front of as many people as possible, you will certainly move further up the search engine rankings and stand a greater chance of receiving extra sales during the Christmas period.”

Scott points out that getting visitors to your website is just a small part of the search marketing process and that in order to really reap the festive rewards, businesses should ensure that their sites are optimised in order to promote the unique and quality services they offer.

He adds: “The home page should be designed to shout loudest about the products or services you wish to promote the hardest. This may be a special offer or a delivery guarantee and they should direct customers towards the checkout. 

“Design should be simple and clear, make it easy for visitors to navigate and use content or tools to help the visitor convert into a customer. There have been a few sites this year that have lost out on my trade due to barriers at the checkout that could have been easily solved.

“Just like in a store, where the added extras are strategically placed at the checkout – up selling is also essential when it comes to the checkout. Ensure that your extra services or special offers are not only made visible to the customer, but that it is also easy for them to add to their virtual shopping basket.

“Following these simple steps, will ensure that users have an enjoyable and stress less experience increasing the chances of repeat purchase.”

Scott added: “Many businesses are turning to search marketing as the competition for visibility heats up and this is just one example of how a successful online marketing campaign can reap benefits.

“Search marketing campaigns usually take a few months to demonstrate results, but by taking simple steps, no matter how close to Christmas it is you can have an impact on web traffic and customer conversions. Providing long term benefit into the January sales period and beyond.”

QueryClick are a full service search marketing agency, providing expertise in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC) and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). Clients include a range of blue chip and multinational companies across Europe, including Mint Hotels.

The company was shortlisted in the 2010 Drum Awards for Digital Industries (DADI), and named ‘Best In E-commerce’ at the 2010 Herald Digital Awards, proving them to be at the forefront of the industry.