Search Engine Marketing (SEO)

Search marketing is about gaining visibility on search engines when users search using terms that relate to your business. For most companies, ranking high in search results isn’t luck – it’s the result of solid effort in one or both categories of search marketing:

• Organic Search:  When you enter a keyword or phrase into a search engine like Google or Yahoo!, the organic results are displayed in the main body of the page.
  
  When prospects search for information about your products and services, it’s important to rank high in search engine results. By “optimizing” your site, you can improve your ranking for important search terms and phrases (“keywords”). You can also improve your ranking by getting other important sites to link to yours.
  
  
• Paid Search:  Paid search enables you to buy listings in the “sponsored” area of a search engine. There are a variety of paid search programs, but the most common is called pay-per-click (PPC), meaning you pay for a listing only when a user clicks your ad.

Search marketing campaigns use your website to deliver the call-to-action: information, a video, a free download or a contact request. Search marketing is closely tied to online publicity, online advertising, email marketing and business development.  It’s the focal point of Internet marketing, and a fast growing medium.

Search Marketing Value

In search marketing, companies focus on driving more traffic to targeted areas of their website. They use searching to:

• Generate new leads
• Sell products
• Build brand recognition
• Divert traffic from competitors

Studies show that most business people research problems, potential purchases, and prospective vendors online, and they use a search engine to facilitate the process. And the higher the price of the product or service, the earlier in the process they begin their search.

For many businesses, generating only a handful of serious new prospects can make a substantial difference in revenue. Search marketing may be the most efficient way to produce these additional prospects.

It's important to note that organic search marketing (a.k.a. “Search Engine Optimization” or “SEO”) is a constantly evolving challenge with no guarantees as to results. It's also a long-term strategy. On the other hand, paid search (a.k.a. “Pay Per Click” or “PPC”) can produce immediate results, but it requires careful testing and there are many variables that can impact results.

With Growth Panel, you can determine how to add search engine marketing into your marketing mix.  With the continued growth of Internet marketing, all businesses should take advantage of search marketing or risk losing ground to competitors.

Search Marketing Tools in Growth Panel

• Develop a Search Strategy:  Evaluate how to use organic and paid search strategies to meet your goals.
• Develop a Keyword List:  Identify the keywords that will help drive traffic to important areas of your website.
• Create an Organic Search Campaign:  Improve your site ranking for organic search. Identify target search engines, submit to directories, optimize your website, evaluate site content and build an inbound link program.
• Create a Paid Search Campaign:  Set up an advertising account, create an ad, design landing pages, set keywords and establish metrics.
• Create Budget, Manage and Improve Performance:  Set your campaign budget with performance metrics to track results and improve ROI.
  
  

You might benefit from search marketing if:

• You aren’t using any form of Internet marketing
• Your website isn’t optimized and isn’t ranking high in organic search
• You’re not using paid search
• You need more leads