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Article 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, President, Anvil Media, Inc.
With a background in integrated marketing, Lewis left a public
relations agency in 1996 to start his search engine marketing
career. Since then, he has focused on helping clients solve business
problems via the Internet. Lewis founded Anvil Media, Inc. in
2000 to help clients enhance their Web site performance, increase
their visibility and generate sales online. He was also Director
of Marketing and Business Development at goodguys.com, an online
electronics retailer. Lewis is creator and Editor-in-Chief of
Anvil, a free monthly e-zine and is an adjunct professor at Portland
State University. He speaks regularly on emarketing-related topics
at industry conferences like Search Engine Strategies. Lewis sits
on the board for Portland Advertising Federation and is actively
involved in local charitable organizations. He recently founded
Anvil's Annual Get SMART Gala event to raise awareness for children's
literacy. Lewis received Portland Business Journal's Top 40 Under
40 Award in 2004.
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