SEO, Search Marketing and Your Business

The landscape of Search Marketing is as mysterious and seemingly treacherous to business owners as the farthest reaches of Tibet’s Himalayan Mountains are to the everyday traveler.

However, more and more businesses are recognizing that – just as the Himalayas possess the most beautiful treasures in the world – so too may Search Marketing hold the most rewarding fortunes of internet marketing.

UNDERSTANDING SEO AND SEARCH MARKETING

But what exactly is Search Marketing? Also known as Search Engine Optimization, and commonly referred to as SEO or SEM, Search Marketing is the practice of offering your product or service to your target audience while they are actively searching for exactly what you offer.

More specifically, SEO is a system for developing top listings on the front page of the world’s most popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo!, and MSN

WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS THE BENEFITS SEO PROVIDES

It may very well be that the more you feel you need SEO, the more distrusting you are of its ability to truly impact your bottom line.

SEO isn’t easy. However, in an advertising world where very few things can be counted on, SEO is a reassuringly safe investment.
~ Tad Clarke, Editorial Director, Marketing Sherpa

But gone are the days when SEO stood on the sidelines, unproven and without substantial returns. In 2006, researchers discovered that SEO provided a far higher rate of return than any other marketing outreach, including email marketing, direct response, advertising, and public relations .

Search Marketing’s ability to provide such high rates of return lies in its unique industry makeup.

ART MELDS WITH SCIENCE

SEO must target human individuals with their myriad emotions and short attention spans while also targeting inhuman search engines whose intricately complex algorithms call for specific (though constantly changing) data, forms of presentation,  themes, and more.

The SEO professional must not only add all necessary elements to your website that the search engines desire – but he or she must also craft each element to engage, inform, and persuade your human visitors to purchase your product or take a specific action.

Because this double-faceted marketing approach is complex and ever-changing, few of your competitors will likely bother with it, allowing you to dominate your market online.