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Search Marketing 101

Search Marketing is an umbrella term that encompasses both paid and unpaid efforts to gain traffic and visibility through search engines.

Unpaid search marketing, usually referred to as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is the ever-evolving art of tailoring the content on your website so that search engines (such as Google or Bing) find that content and list it at or near the top of their search returns. Here are a few of the key terms you will need to know to get started:

• Algorithms. This is a catch-all word used to describe the process by which search engines determine which websites to return in any set of search results. The algorithms give points for some things and take points away for others. The higher you score within the algorithm, the higher your site will appear in the results. (It’s also worth noting that the algorithms are always changing.)
• Keywords. Imagine someone searches Google for “shoes.” You happen to sell shoes, but on your website you’ve opted for more specific language such as “loafers,” “pumps,” or “sandals.” Your site is less likely to come up in the search results for “shoes” because you didn’t use that keyword as often as your competitor. The trick with keywords is to think of what words your potential customers will search for, and then use those words in your page content, page titles, and url address as much as you can (without needlessly overwhelming your pages with keywords – which will cost you points with the algorithms).
• Incoming links. When other sites link to your website, that is called an incoming link. The more high-quality incoming links you have, the higher you will rank with the algorithms. A high quality incoming link is a link from a reputable website. So one link from CNN is worth more (to Google’s algorithm) than 20 links from no-name bloggers.

Paid search marketing, more generally referred to as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), is when you buy ad space on a search engine. As the advertiser, you can outline certain parameters for who will see your ad. One of the main draws for this type of advertising is that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. For that reason, SEM is also often called cost-per-click (CPC) or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Here are a few things to know about your SEM campaign:

• Impressions. When your ad shows in the side bar (or at the top) of a search return, it has made an “impression.”
• Click through rate (CTR). Your CTR is a measure of the percent of times your ad is clicked, in relation to its number of impressions. Your CTR does not have to be high for your campaign to be successful. Because you only pay when people click your ad, your goal in designing your ad should be target individuals who are likely to become customers/clients. Even if only a handful of people click your ad, if they all become customers/clients you will have used your marketing dollars well.
• Landing Page. This is the page of your website that the ad directs people to. Rather than shooting people to your home page, you should consider setting up a page specifically targeted at the same audience as your ad. To use the shoe example again, if your ad is targeted at people looking to buy loafers, don’t land them on a home page and make them find the loafers. Instead, direct them to the page where loafers are for sale.
• Conversion. Turning a surfer into a customer or client is called conversion. Though the term applies to SEM and SEO, it’s a more important metric with SEM, as this kind of marketing costs money. A 10% conversion rate would mean that 1 in 10 of the people who actually click on your ad and visit your webpage become customers/clients. Ultimately this is the most important number in any search marketing campaign.

Search marketing requires creativity and a thorough understanding of your market. Take the time to do your research and know exactly who you want to target. The more time you spend preparing your campaign, the higher your return on investment will be.