The Two Sources of Search Traffic
Search Engine Marketing or SEM is where websites are promoted in the three major search engines: Google, Bing, or Yahoo. There are only two ways to generate web traffic via search engines: Paid or Free. You can choose to pay to the search engines on a continuous basis for better ad placement in their search engine, or you show up for free in their search engine results pages (SERPs).
What Is Paid Search Engine Advertising?
Paid ads AKA Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising are denoted as sponsored/paid and are typically located right at the top or on the right-hand side of the SERPs. If not managed well, PPC advertising can quickly run up the cost of any business’ marketing campaign. PPC ads show up according to a proprietary bidding system that results in different prices for different markets and industries. Popular or “big money” keywords such as “auto insurance” tend to attract high prices per bid, upwards of $54 per click! If someone simply clicks on your ad that costs $50+ per click and doesn’t do anything but click the back button shortly thereafter you just paid Google a fee for that click. This click fee is paid even if they don’t stay on your site, request any info, or buy anything.
Therefore, it is essential to ensure that your website engages visitors whenever you are doing PPC ads because attention spans of search visitors are in the span of seconds. Using video or informative, exclusive content found nowhere else are ways to keep visitors on your site and to build their interest in what you have to offer. Unless you have a business with very deep pockets and don’t mind giving your money to Google, this simply isn’t a very viable option for many business owners.
If you want to develop an engaging website, consider our web design services before embarking on any paid advertising.
The Alternative to Paid Ads – Getting into the Free Search Listings
Free search engine traffic comes from the other part of the SERPs that are also called natural or “organic” results. While search engines such as Google would have you believe that there is nothing that can be done to get into these organic listings, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It is clearly in their interest to keep you paying for ads because as more people pile into paid ads, the cost of advertising rises – per the laws of supply and demand. This tips the scales in their favor as they grow their profits at your expense.
The process of getting a website listed in the organic results of search engines is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO. These listings are why search users utilize search engines to find information, products and services that they want. Once a website is listed within the organic listings, any clicks by visitors over to that website is free.
Organic traffic is the excellent source of quality traffic, not just because it costs nothing each time a visitor drops by but also because it is seen as a more trusted source by search users. The only problem is the search ranking process appears much like a moving target due to constant changes in search engine algorithms.
Here is where we come in. Having ridden out the various changes in search algorithms over the past 12 years, we understand what it takes to rank a website.
Why Doing SEO or Online Marketing In-House Isn’t a Great Idea
The answer is simple and boils down to three elements: expense, expertise, and time. Partnering with us saves you a lot of time in trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. If you’ve ever attempted to find answers to seemingly simple questions about marketing online, you’ll be bombarded with loads of conflicting information leaving you confused and no better off. We focus on Internet marketing as a business daily and develop systems, processes, and methods that work so there is less time fumbling around for the right answers. The only thing you can count on in search engine algorithms is change. Since we keep our ears close to the ground when it comes to online marketing changes/trends, we are able to adjust quickly to any shifting market conditions that might affect your rankings adversely.
What Is Involved in SEO
Search engine optimization just makes your site attractive to both search engines and your visitors. We do this through two different concurrent activities: ones that involve fixing potential issues on the website and ones that are from external factors. The process of fixing issues on websites is called on-page SEO while the activities dealing with external factors (other than from your website) are off-page SEO. Both involve a substantial amount of analysis, time, and work.
Here’s a brief explanation video that explains the SEO process:
As partners with you, we collaborate closely with you to fix any issues that affect your rankings. We leave no stone unturned in our quest to achieve your desired result of a top 10 ranking.
We are not interested in winning awards; we simply focus on getting our clients results. For this reason, we don’t accept everyone into our program. If we don’t believe that we can give you a fantastic ROI and top rankings from your SEO investment, we’ll tell you about it. If you are ready to work with one of the best SEO marketers in the United States, please contact us here.
Your customers are already searching for a product/service like yours. Don’t wait another minute because every second lost means your potential customers are going to your competition.