Search Engine Marketing Introduction
Thursday, May 17th, 2007SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
What is it and why do I need it?
Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL all have one thing in common – they all represent the first place consumers go to when they’re thinking about making a purchase – a search engine. Think about it. If you want to buy a living room set, for example, do you immediately rush out to the closest furniture store? Probably not.
You’d most likely rush to your computer, open your Internet browser, type in your favorite search engine (if it’s not already set as your default homepage of course) and enter the keywords “furniture stores in (your area)” or “living room sets.” After you hit that search button, you’re presented with a list of websites related to the keywords you searched for. Then you begin to explore those sites, one by one, looking for your ideal living room set.
But have you ever wondered why typing in those specific keywords resulted in the page of websites that appeared before you? They didn’t show up by accident. They showed up because those business owners had their websites strategically optimized to be the first sites you see as soon as you search for your keywords – a tactic called search engine marketing (SEM).
More Visibility Means More Traffic!
Search engine marketing is the art of using search engines to generate more traffic to a particular website. It’s a powerful method to use since search engines are the #1 way people find websites.
If your potential customers are on the Internet, they’re likely using one of the above search engines to find information about the products and services they’re interested in. The problem is: if your website isn’t optimized to be one of the first sites they see when they type in their keywords, they’ll likely do business with someone else – your competitor.
Every smart website administrator knows the importance of SEM, because where you rank in a search engine has a tremendous influence in the success of your web presence. After all, if your potential customers can’t find you, how do you expect them to do business with you?
More Traffic Means More Business!
The practice of search engine marketing does a lot more than generate massive traffic to your website. It generates targeted traffic from an active audience. That means you’re not just getting random people viewing your site for a few seconds and leaving. You’re getting interested people viewing your site with intentions of purchasing the type of products you have to offer.
There are many benefits to SEM but the most important one is the opportunity you have to present your business in front of your customers just as they’re thinking about making a purchase. That could lead to higher lead generation and even increased sales.
Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click
Search engine marketing includes two things: search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC). Search engine optimization is a method of improving a websites visibility in a keyword search, thus leading to improved volume and more traffic to a site from “organic” search results. Pay per click is the technique of advertising with search engines for particular keyword phrases.
When used correctly, both methods can be very influential in attracting visitors to your website. But you must first know how to use those strategies in order to achieve maximum results.
