What Are the Pieces of a Successful Search Engine Marketing Campaign?
Posted 10/07/09
Search engine marketing (SEM) is the art of combining search engine optimization (SEO), or on site changes, with organic and paid link building techniques to increase a web site's profile and improve its standing in search engines. In the modern world of cutthroat online competition, it is essential for any company's success, whether the company is an international megaconglomerate, a small town business, or a single freelancer working from home. But what exactly is involved in search engine marketing?The first step in search engine marketing is to optimize the web page itself to make it as attractive as possible to search engines. Seo specialists edit and clarify the content, the page titles, and possibly even the site's structure to make the site easy to navigate and to hone the site's keyword targeting.
When the site is ready, specialists get new incoming links to the site. Some of the links are free, but for fast, well targeted link building, paid links are usually necessary. Paid links can include advertising bought on web sites and in advertising networks, as well as new methods such as paid blog posts. Expert help is needed to avoid pitfalls in link building. Too many links from or to undesirable sites can drop a site in the rankings, and newcomers to SEO frequently find it challenging to identify which sites are undesirable. Also, people who are new to SEM often find methods like astroturfing appealing. In astroturfing, a company employee posts comments about the company in niche blogs, pretending to be an ordinary consumer who is impressed with the company. Astroturfing looks like an excellent and legitimate way to gain attention, but blog readers easily recognize company ringers and consider their comments to be spam. An astroturf campaign can severely damage a company's reputation. The field of SEM is dotted with many more bad ideas that look like good ideas, so before putting any new idea into use, a web master would do well to call in an expert.
Another important element in any link building plan is paid inclusion. While many search engines and directories are free, quite a few either require a fee to include a site or give higher rankings to sites that pay. Since the difference between sites that get visitors and sites whose links are rarely clicked can be measured in a very few ranking points, many companies find it worthwhile to edge their web sites up the listings by paying for a better ranking.
Search engine marketing is a careful balance of search engine optimization, paid and free link building, and paid directory and search engine inclusion. When all the elements work in tandem, they can boost a web site from the bottom of the search engine result pages to the top. The important part is to balance the elements right, link to the right mix of sites, and get the right experts to manage it.
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