Search Engine Optimization
Also spelled "search engine optimisation" in Canada and the UK, search engine optimization is defined by MNI as the art and science of optimizing your website code, popularity and content in such a way that it ranks highly on major search engines (like Google, MSN, and Yahoo) when people look for keywords related to your website. Also called SEO, search engine optimization is the "bread and butter" service for McAnerin Networks Inc. SEO is our specialty, and we are among the best at what we do. MNI staff actually train other companies on how to do search engine optimization.
Search Engine Optimization Packages - Pricing and Signup
Another popular definition of search engine optimization is:
- Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) v. abbr.
- detailed modifications to a site's contents and technical architecture in order to enable it to rank higher in the search results for a given set of keywords
What is a Search Engine?
The vast majority of Internet users use search engines to find vendors or stores when browsing the Web for products and services to buy. The message for marketers is to consider how Internet search, if done properly, can quickly drive qualified customer leads to their Web sites.
Many search engines use “crawling” technology to scour the Web and create an index of pages that can be searched by Internet users. Algorithms use keyword matching and link popularity to generate listings. That means advertisers seeking free exposure on search engines are always looking for ways to hone in on relevant keywords and boost their chances of being included in search results. Yet this is easier said than done.
It pays to have Search Engine Optimization
As a marketing tool, Internet search comes with many built-in benefits, including a high level of consumer targeting, cost and pricing control, and conversion-tracking capabilities. As a result, search offers many distinct advantages over traditional direct mail that marketers should consider.
First, launching a direct mail campaign requires huge efforts to define the target audience and mailing lists. Search, however, takes the guesswork out of this process. Online consumers actually find marketers by conducting a search for a specific product or service, thereby creating a qualified lead.
Active participation by the consumer is a key ingredient other traditional mediums such as catalog mail, trade magazines and e-mail promotion lack. For example, consumers reference the Yellow Pages 30 to 40 million times a day, which results in 25 to 35 million-phone calls made in response to an advertisers’ listing. In contrast, about 180 to 200 million Internet searches are conducted daily, generating a whopping 90 to 100 million customer leads each day.
Moreover, search eliminates the need to continuously think up breakthrough packaging and copy for mailings. Marketers simply identify keywords that best describe their business and create descriptions for products and services.
Another important advantage to search is that marketers can track their success rate in real time with online tools, rather than having to rely on slower phone and “snail-mail” tracking.
Internet search also is a major step toward making the most of ad dollars in a tight economy -- especially for small- to medium-sized businesses that often lack enough money or manpower for a direct-mail blitz.
Consider that with a traditional, direct mail campaign, marketers incur costs, typically about $1 to $3 per consumer mailing, before a single lead is even generated. Yet in paid placement search, for example, the marketer sets the price for each lead and is only obligated to pay when a potential customer lands on their Web site. This ability to control the cost per lead allows businesses to achieve a higher return on their investment.
Does it Bring Business in?
It depends. If you put up an uninspired and useless website, you will get uninspired and useless results.
If you have a focused and relevant site with high rankings in well-chosen keywords, you will get the traffic you are looking for. It's that simple.
The search engines are the new 'Yellow Pages". It's so much easier to type a few keywords and find what you are looking for that to haul out "Ye Olde Yellow Pages" for a listing that may be more than a year out of date, or not even what you are looking for. A website can tell a prospective buyer far more about your business than any ad in a yellow pages or flyer.
Word of Mouth - Some people say that they don't need to be on the internet because almost all their business is word of mouth. There are 2 major considerations with this:
First, this assumes you don't want any more business, and that what you have is all you can handle. If so, great! But most business owners want more customers. If you are getting all you can from word of mouth, then the only way to increase your customer base is to increase your customer exposure.
For the second, let us give you this illustration:
Bill tells Sue that he bought his roaster at "Widgetroast" and got great service. Sue doesn't need a roaster right then, so the information gets filed away with all the other information she gets told every day, all day.
A few months later, Sue's roaster breaks and she needs a new one. Does she remember Bills story? Probably not. BUT, when she does a search on "calgary roasters", Widgetroast shows up in the results, along with several other similar businesses. When she sees it, she remembers! That's how the human brain works.
As Sue is buying her new Roastermatic 4000 down at Widgetroast, the owner asks Sue how she came to be there. Sue, remembering Bills advice to her, replies that a friend told her this was a great place. The owner of Widgetroast now considers the visit due to word of mouth, even though Sue may not have remembered at all if she hadn't seen it on the search engine!
Be careful of the "word of mouth" trap. It can breed complacency. Word of mouth truly is the most powerful advertising, but people simply can't remember everything they have been told without some help. As a business owner, it's in your best interests to help your customer remember you, and find you, whenever possible!
