Search Engine Marketing Doesn’t Have to be Complicated

Andrew Miller — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:01:04 +0000

Marketing your business online is increasingly important these days, but it doesn’t have to be complicated or inefficient. Many companies want to promote their products or services on the internet but don’t know where to begin. The following overview of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) might help clear the air and put you on the right track towards integrating SEM with your other marketing efforts to cost-effectively grow your business.

Some of the most common ways to leverage the reach and relevance of search engines are:

Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising - Your ad appears in the “sponsored results” for your targeted keywords in the major search engines. You only pay when a potential customer clicks the ad and visits your site.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Improve your site’s rankings for your targeted keywords in the major search engines by making your site accessible, optimizing its content and increasing its authority and credibility.
Local Search Marketing - Take advantage of the numerous opportunities to list your business in relevant, targeted, local search engines, directories and content sites.
Social Media Marketing - Tap into “word of mouth” marketing and communication opportunities on social media and networking sites used by your industry or target audience.

Step 1. Think backwards
Start by identifying your ultimate objectives. What do you want to accomplish with your SEM program? No matter what business you are in, you will have goals. Most companies want to drive sales, generate leads, increase page views, encourage white paper downloads or newsletter signups.

Step 2. Define success
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Your success metrics will vary based on your stated objectives in Step 1. The most effective way to track your performance is to determine a conversion rate and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) for each marketing channel. This will give you insight into your marketing program’s efficiency by figuring out your return on each dollar invested. Other meaningful metrics include Cost Per Click (CPC) for paid search channels, Cost Per Thousand impressions (CPM) for display ads and Click Through Rate (CTR).

Step 3. Get your house in order
Your website is an online extension of your company and should be treated as such. Verify that your site works like it is supposed to and the content is up to date. Otherwise, your visitors may not feel confident buying from you. Remember that there is no loyalty online and your competitors are only one click away.

Step 4. Start small
Begin by familiarizing yourself with the search engines and sites you wish to utilize. Who are the primary users? What are their objectives? How can you position your products or services as a solution to their needs?

Step 5. Test, refine, repeat
Search Engine Marketing is a never-ending cycle of testing and refining your campaigns and initiatives. The engines frequently change their algorithms and your competitors are most likely trying to optimize their campaigns as well. These variables present a lot of ongoing challenges and opportunities to constantly refine your SEM program to become more efficient and effective.

Now that you have learned the basics, stay tuned for specific strategies and tactics for each of the areas of focus in future articles.

Andrew Miller is a Search Engine Marketing Consultant with Your Search Advisor. The company provides strategic SEM consulting and implementation in partnership with Kohler & Miller Media Services.