The internet marketing plan for a sole proprietorship that has just finished building its new website could look as follows:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Optimizing the website for search engines so that it ranks higher in search results. Budget indication: €600 – €2,000 per year, depending on the industry and the size of the website. Important research: The Importance of SEO in a Post-Pandemic World
2. Search Engine Advertising (SEA) – Placing paid search ads to achieve faster results. Important research shows: 80% of companies worldwide use Google Ads. Google Ads generated a total revenue of $237.855 billion in 2023. The average ROI of Google Ads is 200%, which means that companies earn back approximately $2 for every dollar spent. The average click-through rate (CTR) for Google Shopping Ads is 0.86%. Companies see an average conversion rate of 4.4% when creating online Google ads. See Google Ads Statistics (Demand Sage)
3. Social media marketing – Using social media platforms to strengthen brand perception and generate leads. Budget indication: €200 – €2,000 per month, depending on the number of platforms and the number of posts per week. Important research: The Complete Guide to Social Media Lead Generation
4. Email marketing – Sending emails to strengthen the relationship with customers and to generate leads. Budget indication: €75 – €500 per month, depending on the number of emails and the complexity of the newsletters.
5. Content marketing – Creating and sharing valuable content to strengthen brand perception and to generate leads. Budget indication: €200 – €2,000 per month, depending on the volume of content and the frequency of publications.

If you are planning to expand your regional business to a national level, there are several investments you should consider:

1. Website optimization: Invest in optimizing your website to attract national traffic. This includes adding nationwide keywords and optimizing your pages for national search queries, improving website speed and mobile responsiveness, and creating content that appeals to a national audience.
2. Team expansion: Your current team may not be sufficient to handle the expansion to a national level. Consider hiring new employees to support your operations, such as sales and marketing professionals, and perhaps a national network of sales representatives.
3. Marketing budget: Invest in marketing activities to promote your brand to a national audience. This may include advertising on national platforms such as Google Ads and social media platforms, as well as running national marketing campaigns based on the needs and interests of your target audience.
4. Logistics and distribution: If you sell physical products, expanding to a national level may require setting up new distribution channels and optimizing logistics to distribute products nationwide.
5. Technology investments: Invest in technology to support and streamline your business operations. This may include upgrading your CRM system, investing in e-commerce platforms to facilitate online sales, and implementing tools to improve customer service.
6. Financial resources: National expansion can require a significant financial commitment due to the necessary marketing efforts, logistics, technology, and more. Therefore, consider hiring financial advisors to help you plan and manage your financial resources.

In short, expanding your regional business to a national level requires significant investment and dedication. It is important to have a clear plan and deploy the right resources to achieve your goals.

Short answer: it depends on your goals and your starting point, which is why we begin with a scan instead of a price list.

Quoting a fixed amount without knowing your site would be a shot in the dark. Two companies with the same turnover can differ tenfold in what they require: one might have a healthy site that simply lacks direction, while the other might have years of overdue maintenance requiring months of cleanup first.

What determines the price:

• The state of your current site. Repair work precedes growth work.
• The competition in your market. Local and specific niches require less time than national and commercial ones.
• How much you do yourself. Providing your own content saves money; having content written for you adds to the cost.

After the free scan, you will receive a proposal with a fixed monthly price. No fine print, no long-term contracts. And if the scan shows that your system is technically unsuitable, we will tell you before you spend anything.

5-10% of your revenue

For specific recommendations regarding the allocation of your marketing budget, research must first be conducted into various factors, such as your business goals, target audience, competition within your industry, and available resources.

In general, it is recommended to spend 5-10% of your revenue on marketing activities. Within that 5-10%, there are various components of internet marketing you can contribute to, such as search engine optimization (SEO), search engine advertising (SEA), social media advertising, email marketing, and content marketing.

Various studies have been conducted on the optimal distribution of the marketing budget. Below are a few examples:

1. HubSpot conducted a survey among 3,200 marketers worldwide. According to the study, companies spend an average of 10% of their revenue on marketing. Within that 10%, the largest portion is spent on digital marketing, particularly content marketing and social media. See hubspot.com/marketing-statistics
2. Another study (which is unfortunately no longer online), conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration, states that smaller companies spend an average of 7-8% of their revenue on marketing. Within that 7-8%, approximately 50% is spent on digital marketing, specifically website development and SEO.
3. The Content Marketing Institute conducted a study on the allocation of the marketing budget for content marketing. According to the research, companies spend an average of 26% of their total marketing budget on content marketing. (Unfortunately, this study is no longer online.)

It is important to remember that these figures are only guidelines and that the optimal distribution of the marketing budget depends on your specific situation and goals. It is always a good idea to regularly evaluate your marketing strategy and adjust it based on your results and changing circumstances.

Short answer: for a startup, ten to twenty percent of revenue is common, and often more in the first year, as you have nothing yet to build upon.

Those percentages only mean something if you know where the money is going. For a startup, the distribution usually looks like this:

• First, the foundation. A fast, findable site and a complete Google Business Profile. Without that, everything you spend afterwards evaporates.
• Then paid traffic, temporarily. Ads bridge the months in which your organic positions still need to grow. It is rent, not ownership: if you stop, the traffic stops.
• Work on visibility at the same time. It takes months before it yields results, and that is exactly why you start immediately instead of waiting until the budget gets tight.

Two things go wrong more often than the percentage. The first is putting everything into ads and nothing into the foundation, causing you to keep renting year after year. The second is starting too broad: scoring locally and specifically can happen within a few months, while national and general visibility takes twelve to eighteen months. For a startup, that first route is almost always the wisest.