Did you know that search engines and online directories receive over 300 million searches everyday? Or that 50% of shoppers conduct research on a search engine before making an online purchase?

With numbers like these, it's no surprise that companies who consistently rank high on search engines experience more web traffic and better online sales figures than their less Google-friendly competitors. Unfortunately, many people believe that Google is a game of chance, and do not take an active approach to managing search engine visibility. Without a strategic plan, you may miss out on the tremendous growth opportunities that search engines present.

Growing a business through search marketing requires research, planning, and time, plus a strong understanding of the technical side. Companies who try to implement search campaigns on their own are often met with disappointment. Even if your website is covered in keywords, or your company's name appears in your url, does not guarantee top placement. In fact, it doesn't even guarantee a listing at all!

What can you do to improve search engine visibility? There are five primary tools: Keyword research, Pay Per Click, Organic Optimization, Paid Inclusion, and Link Building, that work together to achieve high rankings.

Keyword Research

The first step is to identify the keywords and phrases that are relevant to the business. These lists can be anywhere from 10 to 100,000 words and beyond! It is crucial to identify even the less obvious keywords. For example, 1800Flowers.com is so successful online because they leverage an extensive keyword list that goes beyond "flowers" or "send flowers." They reach customers who search for "send a gift," "get well," or "plants." The customer does not need to use the company name, or the word "flowers" to come across their listing.

Pay Per Click

Once your keywords have been identified, you can get in the game of listing your site in the search results. Using Pay Per Click campaigns, a company bids for positioning in the "sponsored listings" or "paid advertisements" sections. Highly revered as one of the most targeted ways to advertise, the ad is typically bid on using a cost per click system. Bidding occurs in real time, and in this competitive environment, companies need to monitor these campaigns constantly to maintain positioning.

Organic Optimization

Organic optimization provides advertisers with the relevant website content necessary to be indexed in the unpaid listings. To be indexed, the site must be read by search engine crawlers, or "spiders." Many companies use design techniques, such as Flash, that crawlers cannot read. When an interactive agency works with a client, they analyze the site code, structure, and page layout to determine whether it is search engine friendly, and make any necessary improvements.

Paid Inclusion

Like organic optimization, paid inclusion is also used to achieve high rankings in the natural results listings. Participating in paid inclusion guarantees indexing, so the advertiser will appear somewhere within the listings. Typically, participating in paid inclusion does result in improved rankings, but does not guarantee a specific position. Paid inclusion works best when the website is optimized prior to submission to the engine.

Link Building

Link building is when a company builds a network of relevant, quality in-bound links to their site. In the same way that PR campaigns develop a company's image as an authority in their field, link building improves the perceived value of the site, and, in turn, the search engine rankings. Link building requires extensive research to identify quality opportunities, such as listings in e-zines, newsletters, directories, search engines, and other relevant information sources online.

So don't delay! Find the right online partner to help you boost your online presence.

DMi Partners is a full-service, interactive marketing and e-business technology firm headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. We connect our clients with their target return on investment (ROI) through services such as search engine marketing, media planning, and customer acquisition, retention, and relationship management programs. For more information see www.dmipartners.com.



About the author:

Erin Ritter is the Director of Public Relations for DMi Partners, a full-service, interactive marketing and e-business technology firm headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, contact Erin at 800.947.3148 or erinr@dmipartners.com.