Are you overwhelmed with all the terms, techniques, and new technologies surrounding search engine positioning? Don't throw in the towel just yet! Understanding the basics and having a list of reliable resources will go a long way toward helping you sort out search engine marketing myth from fact.
Golden Nugget: The key to successful search engine marketing is to improve your position for keywords proven to generate a sale or a lead.
Step 1. Develop a list of winning keywords.
Step 2. Get the best positioning you can for your keywords.
Ten Search Engine Marketing Tips
- Understanding Organic vs. Paid Search. Search engines offer visitors content from a variety of sources. These include organic or "free" search engine results as well as paid ads or "sponsored" listings. Advertisers can also buy visibility through banner ads, pop ups and other multimedia advertising. Most search engine marketers use a combination of organic and paid positioning to get the best visibility for their web site. Surveys show that 70% of clicks come from the organic search results vs. the paid results.
- Metrics are King. Affordable tools are available to track the results of your search engine efforts. You should be able to identify which sources bring you traffic and whether the traffic converts (they buy something or complete an action like filling out a lead form, subscribing to a newsletter, etc.). With this information you should be armed with the data to identify your best performing keywords and traffic sources, calculate your cost per action, and calculate your ROI (return on investment). Avoid paid campaigns unless you can track their effectiveness.
- Use Current Information. Always make sure your information source is current because search engine rules change frequently. Techniques that were commonly used in positioning or optimization six months ago could now be considered spam by the search engines.
- Avoid tricks. Any optimization techniques that are designed to mislead the search engines about your site's content can come back to haunt you. Hiding keywords on the page, providing misleading content, or providing different content for search engines and visitors are examples of questionable search engine positioning techniques. Most search engines have tough anti-spam policies and are agressive about weeding out undesirable sites from their index. Once your domain has been penalized, it's a difficult road to recovery.
Learn about Ethical SEO Best Practices
- Keep your Focus on Your Customer. The search engines aren't buyers. Keep your content focused on your customer's needs and you will be naturally providing content that answers their search queries and convinces them to buy your product or service.
- Be Patient. Positioning your website in the organic or non-paid search engine results is a long-term strategy. If you need immediate traffic, consider pay per click advertising. Focus only on very specific 3-4 word phrases that represent a buyer of your product or service.
- Become an Authority. Positioning your web site as an authority in your industry can hold many rewards. Simply by providing useful, up-to-date information to your customers you will be building trust and loyalty. By establishing your site as an authority you will also generate the interest of other websites and the search engines.
- Network. The Internet is nothing more than a collection of links. Search engines unravel those links to determine the importance of your website. A web site with few sites linking to it is seen as a poor resource. But a website that has strong links from quality, relevant sites will be seen as an important resource and will generate better position or visibility in the unpaid search results.
- Look for Niches. If you're competing with hundreds of thousands or millions of other websites for your keywords, look for a niche. Keywords that more accurately describe your product or service may get less traffic, but they are more likely to attract buyers. Work to build your reputation in this niche community.
- Think Locally. Are you selling your products or services in a specific geographical market? If so, think locally. Did you know that Yahoo and Google offer local search products. Website owners can add and correct their basic business information and even run paid keyword advertising campaigns directed at a particular city, region or radius from their business. Visit Yahoo Local and Google Local to see how your business listing appears and keep this information up to date.
SEO Gateway, LLC is a professional search engine marketing firm located in St. Louis, Missouri. We help small to mid-sized businesses nationwide with organic and paid search engine positioning campaigns.
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