| Right now, somewhere, a potential customer is | | | | with a backdoor to get your site indexed quicker. |
| searching for your products. But, who will they find first, | | | | Google allows you to create a Google Sitemap, which |
| your company or your competitor? Search engine | | | | essentially serves as an ongoing invitation for Google |
| marketing is all about getting in front of customers at | | | | to visit your site and a roadmap detailing the pages it |
| the very moment they are searching for your | | | | should index. To speed up the process of getting |
| products on Google and the other engines. But how do | | | | indexed by the other engines, submit your Website to |
| you take full advantage of search engine marketing | | | | the DMOZ.org Open Directory Project. Once your |
| and outshine your competition? The following seven | | | | Website is accepted by DMOZ, Yahoo and Microsoft |
| steps will put you on the right path to search engine | | | | should have no problem indexing your Website. |
| marketing success. | | | | Step 5 - Attract Quality Links to Your Website |
| Step 1 - Define an Effective Strategy | | | | Link building involves gaining links to your Website from |
| All too often, companies dive into search engine | | | | other Websites that are frequented by your targeted |
| marketing without a coherent strategy. Don't fall into | | | | visitors. The more quality inbound links you have, the |
| this trap. Get off on the right foot by thoroughly | | | | more popular your Website is in the eyes of Google |
| defining your target audience(s), identifying their needs | | | | and other engines. And, these links can have a |
| and motivations and highlighting how your products can | | | | dramatic effect on your search ranking. A good place |
| serve these needs. Next, review your company's | | | | to start your link building efforts is to make your |
| position in the marketplace. Identify your top | | | | Website content link-worthy. Good content attracts |
| competitors and your company's competitive | | | | links, so fill your Website with interesting and |
| advantage. Finally, identify specific goals and | | | | informative content such as a library of best practices |
| benchmarks, such as search rankings, Website traffic | | | | articles, a blog about developments and trends in your |
| increases, sales lead volume and other ROI metrics, to | | | | industry, etc. Next, get your Website listed in online |
| allow you to measure the success of your search | | | | directories and portals. Look first to important online |
| engine marketing campaign. This strategy will form the | | | | destinations within your industry, then focus on general |
| foundation of your campaign and put you on the path | | | | purpose directories like Yahoo Directory and You can |
| to search engine marketing success. | | | | also garner links from vendors, customers, business |
| Step 2 - Choose the Best Keywords | | | | partners and trade associations. Finally, you should |
| The most critical step in search engine marketing is to | | | | leverage online public relations and distribute press |
| strategically select the most important keyword | | | | releases and articles online. By consistently applying |
| phrases for your company. If you do not perform this | | | | these link building strategies, you will dramatically impact |
| step properly, your search engine marketing campaign | | | | your ranking on Google and boost your online |
| is destined for failure. When choosing the best | | | | popularity. |
| keywords, it is critical to choose phrases that are not | | | | Step 6 - Manage an ROI-driven Paid Search |
| only relevant to your business, but also ones that are | | | | Campaign |
| searched most often by your target customers. Begin | | | | Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) in the sponsored links |
| by getting inside the heads of your customers and | | | | search results offers a compelling ROI-driven |
| brainstorm about potential terms your customers use | | | | marketing opportunity. Unlike traditional advertising, |
| when thinking about your products and capabilities. Ask | | | | where you 'pay for exposure' regardless of the results, |
| your salespeople and customer service people what | | | | with PPC you are not paying to be listed in the search |
| phrases they think are most important. You may even | | | | results. You only pay if someone clicks on your ad and |
| want to ask your best customers. Then, turn to | | | | visits your Website, providing a compelling 'pay for |
| keyword research tools provided by Wordtracker, | | | | performance' mode of advertising. To manage an |
| Keyword Discovery and Google AdWords to create | | | | ROI-driven paid search campaign, first, bid on the most |
| a list of highly searched terms that will drive targeted | | | | relevant keywords. Don't pick terms based on |
| traffic to your Website. | | | | popularity alone. Make sure your product offering will |
| Step 3 - Optimize Your Website's Content | | | | be of interest to the searcher. Second, tie your bidding |
| Now that we know your most important keywords, | | | | strategy to business results. Think cost-per-lead and |
| let's put them to work. You need to make sure your | | | | cost-per-sale, instead of just cost-per-click. In many |
| Website content is optimized to take advantage of | | | | cases a lower ad position will produce a higher ROI. |
| these important phrases. Begin with your Website | | | | Finally, include a compelling 'call to action' in the ad and |
| copy - the information people can read on your | | | | send traffic to a relevant landing page tied to the ad. A |
| Website. Make sure you skillfully write your Website | | | | compelling and relevant offer will help lift response and |
| copy to effectively market your company, while using | | | | boost your ROI. |
| your important keyword phrases in a relevant fashion. | | | | Step 7 - Measure Success |
| Next, focus on your Website structure - the code | | | | As with all marketing activities, you must measure |
| under the hood of your Website that search engines | | | | success to see how well you performed in the past, |
| see when they visit your Website. Use your keyword | | | | as well as identify actionable strategies to improve |
| phrases relevantly in page title tags, heading tags, | | | | your results in the future. Since search engine |
| director names, file names, alt tags and meta tags. | | | | marketing is all about attracting targeted traffic, begin |
| Please note: while the 'keywords' meta tag has been | | | | by leveraging Web analytics to monitor traffic |
| exploited over the years, the 'description' meta tag is | | | | increases from search, as well as what search |
| very important. This description will show up in the | | | | engines and phrases peoples are using to visit your |
| search results below your link, providing a great | | | | Website. To make sure the volume of targeted |
| opportunity for you to entice the searcher to visit your | | | | visitors continues to increase, you should also monitor |
| Website. | | | | your position or ranking in the search results. On a |
| Step 4 - Get Your Site Indexed by the Top Three | | | | regular basis, check your position in the top three |
| To be found online, you must make certain that all | | | | search engines for your most important keyword |
| pages on your Website are fully indexed by the top | | | | phrases to see how well you are trending upward |
| three search engines: Google, Yahoo and Microsoft | | | | toward a top 10 ranking. Finally, to measure success of |
| Live Search. I recommend you start by focusing on | | | | your pay-per-click advertising efforts, harness the |
| Google since it handles over 55% of all searches, and | | | | measurable nature of the Web to track the |
| it makes the process easy for site owners. While all | | | | cost-per-visit, cost-per-lead, and cost-per-sale for all of |
| search engines allow you to submit your Website | | | | your pay-per-click ads. |
| directly for consideration, Google also provides you | | | | |