Search Engine Marketing
SEO stands for search engine optimization. The focus is on removing impediments within your web site while at the same time making improvements to your site that will allow the search engines to increase your site’s visibility within their search results. Optimally, placing your site on page one of the search engine results for an unlimited number of keywords and phrases that are directly related to the products and services your company offers.
Organic Search Marketing versus Pay Per Click
Pay per click or sponsored ads are wrapped around the organic search engine rankings. Searchers have become savvy on knowing the difference between organic (perceived to be unbiased) versus clicking on an ad. The old adage of people wanting to buy something instead of being sold to shows up when you look at research showing that 85% of the searchers will click on organic over the sponsored ads. Why then is 88% of the budgets for businesses based on pay per click? It’s the easier softer way for companies to know that they are on page one. However, when you look at that type of thinking, the flaws become obvious.
Clicking on the sponsored ad means you incur a cost per click. If your site is listed in the organic, there are no charges per click for search conversion traffic.
Pay per click is based on all the keywords that your PPC manager can think of or obtain within the SEO tools - limited only by your monthly budget. This is a fairly straightforward, in control type of situation that is by far easier and more expensive than organic search marketing.
In control is not all it’s cracked up to be however since the control is really tied into the cost of each keyword. There are a number of other factors, but for now suffice it to say that buying your way onto page one has never been the cheapest way to obtain business online!
Because it is easier, web developers, ad agencies and most local search marketers seem to be in love with pay per click for their clients. Why? It’s easier and they don’t have to manage the expectations of their clients as much when you can point to the ad and say, “see you are now on page one for search!” It’s also easier to throw on free analytics and have the client follow the summary reports that don’t dig into things such as traffic patterns and usability.
On the other hand, our clients have typically paid for some type of optimization with their web site. Web developers usually have some “add-on” SEO services that are questionable, at best. When the client complains that they are not showing up for any of their keywords, these web designers just shrug and tell them that they did the optimization but they can not control the search engines. Anyone who says that - walk the other way because they don’t understand that organic search optimization is about the web site, not controlling the search engines.
Do not let anyone tell you that organic search is not a worthwhile investment. Talk to a company who understands organic, has a successful track record. It is the longer road, no doubt. But at the end of it, your company will dominate the search results for an unlimited number of keywords and you can effectively target a PPC campaign that will allow you even greater coverage than if you were to use it without organic rankings.
Bottom Line
To effectively market your business online, business’ must take a fresh look at organic search engine marketing. If you tried optimizing your site in the past, try it again only this time work with a company who knows what they are doing and can show you the results.
Be patient. Setting the right expectation going in will help you and it will help us to get the work done. Organic search marketing does take time, that is the takeaway, which is why it can co-exist with your pay per click campaign. Eventually organic should provide you with relief from the daily click costs and allow you the freedom to use PPC ads in your most important business keywords. Budget for organic search, it’s one of the best investments you can make.
Top SEO Marketing is the leading organic search marketing company in Dallas TX. Our fully managed search marketing program is a proven plan. For smaller businesses, find out about our organic based local search marketing service where we get proven results within 30 days.