SEM Simplified
This is relevant to just about all web marketing. Which means we have to consider our options. There’s no question that every business needs a web presence. Although simply being on the web isn’t enough. Customers HAVE to be able to find you!
Picture a new retail premises opening up shop: It’s cost a packet to get to launch time. The staff are all poised – But the street is deserted, and they discover it’s way out of town. Nobody will know how to reach them. What kind of sales do you think they’ll manage? Almost all the sites on the web have the same problem!
The World Wide Web has caused a paradigm shift in marketing. Ten years ago, as everyone was getting on the bandwagon, there was an idea that everyone needed a website. Vast amounts of money were spent on all singing/dancing web sites. (A happy situation for web design businesses…) Before long though, the site owners were complaining that no-one looked at their new website! People had thought that if they had a big website, it would be easily spotted. This proved to be a complete fallacy…
Web marketing needs a whole new approach. Off-line marketing people would suggest your website is like a sales brochure. As a result, they’ll try to get you to promote the site on radio, TV or in the press. Essentially they’re working in the same way as they’ve always done. First they make a nice looking catalogue. Then they utilise various marketing methods to get people to look at the catalogue. This view is completely and utterly flawed in the internet economy.
This approach purely sees the web as a viewing portal, which it isn’t. It’s a hugely dynamic environment with complex interactivity. Users drill down to investigate the services they’re interested in. In addition, terrific site indexes have been created by several major Search Engines (SE’S) so customers can find the things they’re looking for. Think of the chaos involved if the Business Yellow Pages wasn’t in alphabetical order: We’d be forever frustrated and disappointed.
Search Engines have sorted all this. And so marketing is forced to move on. Because now, if you want to be found in the vast sea that is the internet, you have to be indexed in the Search Engines. But there’s a lot more to it than that… #S#
To solve this problem, and bring in a huge chunk of revenue for themselves, SE’s introduced paid advertising. And it has an interesting twist… You only pay when someone actually chooses your advert – hence the name ‘Pay-Per-Click’. It was revolutionary. Essentially, you now only paid for someone who’d already decided they were interested in your service or product. Pay per Click is a very well targeted method of marketing. With the right knowledge it can produce a good return.
Alas, the market is bombarded with this form of advertising these days. Prices per click have rocketed in some areas. This is due to more and higher bidders entering the market. Today, it can sometimes be impossible to make a profit using PPC. This is particularly true if a lot of clicks are needed for every sale. So Search Engine Optimisation is now becoming a preferred method for many to get to page 1.
Do this small task – Get onto one of the Search Engines now and look for some keywords that you think apply to you. Can you see your website on the 1st three pages? It’s unlikely. So you’re in the same position as the backstreet shop! And if your site is listed, is it appearing for keywords that your customers will actually enter?
If you’re familiar with paid advertising on Google, you might be reasonably satisfied. Are you managing your campaign well though? Are you getting the best return on your investment? Do you know what the most successful areas are – with accurate statistics to track and measure the quality of your campaigns? All truly successful Pay Per Click campaigns must be fully monitored and split-tested. Without accurate statistics, you can’t get the best ROI.
Both in Britain and around the world, statistics show that commercial advertising and selling is experiencing a seismic shift towards the internet. It’s no longer an option. Embrace the web economy, and maximise its potential.
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