Resources: SEM Articles
Working Your Way To The Top
How to win the search engine war
By Kent Lewis
I remember the first presentation I gave to a client regarding the importance
of having a high position in search engines for relevant keyword
listings. It was as if I was speaking Swahili, and as a result,
I didn’t get the business. Much has changed since 1996, as
I’ve become fluent in Swahili and many companies have come
to realize the value of visibility in search engines. Instead of
spending my time educating prospective clients on the value of search
engine marketing (SEM), I’m allaying their anxieties when
they’re not #1 for “processed cheese spread.”
For those of
you new to the SEM world, I’ve outlined key elements any company
needs to address to generate results that go directly to the bottom
line. Since I’m a fan of alliteration, I’ve outlined
these elements with an “S” theme.
Size
According to Pew Internet & American Life, 59 percent of U.S.
households and over 90 percent of businesses have Internet access.
According to Jupiter Research, 75 percent of marketing executives
that have utilized SEM find it more effective than other forms of
marketing. While I haven’t used statistics to sell SEM in
years, it’s still difficult to ignore the overall market opportunity.
Some companies believe that search engine visibility is inappropriate
or even detrimental to their company or line of business. I disagree
with few exceptions. Regardless of business model, your site needs
to be visible to a multitude of stakeholders: current or potential
customers, employees, press, analysts, investors and local community.
Shape
While Yahoo! has been the perennial the king of search properties,
there has been massive consolidation in the market recently. Many
of the smaller search engines that popped up in the late 90’s
have disappeared or been purchased or merged with larger properties.
The resulting aggregation means that a company can get their URL
in front of 90 percent of all searches by focusing on three of the
largest properties: Yahoo!, Google and MSN. There are two ways to
get into search engine listings: organically via search engine optimization
(SEO) or to buying your way in on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis.
Speed
While generating visibility in organic search results can be cost
effective (it’s free to submit your URL to Google), there
are no guarantees that you will appear in top 10 to 30 results for
relevant keyword searches, at least not for a few weeks to months.
In fact, without proper optimization of copy and source code, it’s
very unlikely you’ll ever be found at all. On the other hand,
you can buy your way into listings via PPC in a week or less. The
only downside is that your site will disappear as soon as you stop
spending, and that popular search phrases can be prohibitively expensive.
Simplicity
Dominating search results usually takes significant resources. If
you don’t have experienced, knowledgeable talent in-house,
you need to consider one of two options: investing in your team’s
professional development by signing them up for industry newsletters
and events, or hiring a consulting firm that specializes in SEM
services. Regardless of your choice, the bottom line is that your
primary Web site should do all the heavy lifting. Using technology
and trickery (i.e. IP spoofing and redirects) only get you in trouble
with search engines. Make sure your Web site copy is keyword-loaded
and that your designers minimize the use of Flash, frames and dynamic
URLs.
Setup
Before you bring in the big guns for SEM activities, you and your
marketing team need to circle the wagons and figure out what you’re
trying to achieve. Develop SEM objectives based on your overall
marketing and business goals. Determine relevant metrics and goals
to associate to these objectives. Common metrics include unique
visitors, trial downloads, online event registrations, email signups
or online sales (e-commerce). Set goals for each of your key metrics
and empower the team to succeed.
Stats
How do you know you’re choosing relevant metrics and realistic
goals? The best way to set up your SEM campaign for success is to
create benchmarks based on key criteria. Compare your site’s
current visibility against that of primary competitors, based on
predetermined metrics. The top performing site should set the bar.
Launch your SEM efforts with a series of test campaigns to minimize
risk and maximize return on investment (ROI). Within weeks, you
should be able to validate your original objectives, metrics and
associated goals. Effective SEM campaigns take time, so be patient,
monitor regularly and be consistent in your efforts.
Shift
Depending on factors like competition, budget or bandwidth limitations,
some companies focus exclusively on organic (SEO). On the other
hand, other companies spend a majority of their budgets on PPC,
as it can be easier to generate large amounts of qualified traffic
in a short amount of time. The ideal scenario, however, is to figure
out a balanced mix of both. For target keyword phrases for which
you’d like to achieve a high ranking, but SEO is not making
the grade, turn to PPC. On the converse, for keyword phrases where
you already have a high position organically, reallocate the PPC
budget accordingly. Either way, the best approach is always to start
small and build momentum.
Succeed
As the old adage goes, “I know half of my advertising budget
is working, but I don’t know which half.” Without accurate
Web analytics software, you’re relegated to a guessing game.
Rather than extrapolating or resorting to animal sacrifice, implement
ROI tracking via third party applications like WebTrends, HitBox
or ClickTracks. Configured properly, Web analytics will tell you
how much money you’re making off of SEM efforts. For example,
for every dollar one of my hospitality clients spends on SEO and
PPC, they generate five dollars in return. Put a cherry on top by
integrating SEM into your overall marketing mix. Coordinating public
relations, advertising and direct marketing efforts with search
engine marketing has a compounding effect that generates even greater
success.
By
addressing the eight “S’s” outlined above, your
company will see a surefire success, if implemented properly. Knowledge
is power, and profit, in the search engine marketing business. You
can even take Swahili classes with the extra money you’ll
make.
Kent
Lewis is President of Anvil Media, Inc., a search engine marketing
agency based in Portland, OR.
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