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Winning the
Search Engine Wars
Creating and building effective Search Engine marketing campaigns is like
trying to nail jello to the wall! The challenge can be daunting to many,
requiring very specialized knowledge of process that must be blended with unique
and disparate technology. Here are some tips:
- SE marketing is very effective in driving qualified traffic to a web site.
Over 85% of global surfers utilize Search Engines to find goods and
services.
- What can you expect for Search Engine ranking via back-end conversions or
desired responses? There is no definite answer to this question. You'll make
a dangerous assumption if you measure results purely by focusing solely on
Search Engine marketing. Your back-end response mechanisms (sales
interaction, e-commerce fulfillment, newsletter signup, web site, etc.) will
greatly affect the results.
- It's a zero sum game if you use any of the low cost "we submit to
thousands" of search engines service companies. These submissions do
very little to drive viable rankings. If you aren't achieving rankings in
the top 10-30 (page 1-3) listings then you're wasting marketing resources.
- Don't make the mistake of focusing solely on Search Engine marketing to
drive market awareness (online branding) and revenue. Develop mutually
reinforcing processes that are synergistic by utilizing Directory
submissions, Usenet/Newsgroup postings, Newsletter sponsorships, Opt-in
e-mail, and other offline marketing processes.
- Stringent keyword analysis for HTML text is one of the underlying
foundations of a successful Search Engine Ranking campaign. It's analogous
to the importance of ad copy for a conventional print campaign. Most good
SEO firms use a commercial database service like WordTracker which enable
them to analyze the relative popularity of keywords and then build a
submissions and optimization process around the selected keywords.
- The actual Title for your Index and Interior pages will also have a
significant impact on whether or not a campaign works. It needs to be the
right length, typically 10-20 words.
- Contrary to endless marketing hype, there are no quick solutions in this
form of interactive marketing. It will take at least 1-2 months before you
see any immediate results. And for significant results; i.e., page 1-3
listings via top search engines add another 2-3 months on top of this on
average.
- Web site content development impacts good Search Engine rankings - the
more the better. Develop content which is relevant to keywords.
- Top Search Engines change their submission rules and algorithms on a
regular basis. So hire a SEO firm that understands the market - or be
prepared to invest a great deal of time to achieve tangible results.
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