Untitled Document
Even in a tough market, search engine marketing is seeing banner growth. The
North American SEM industry grew to 12.2 billion in 2007, representing an influx
of nearly 25% more revenue than the previous year. Online marketing is steadily
edging out print advertising. The question these days isnt whether to incorporate
search into your marketing strategy, but how best to do so.
SEM as a Specialty Trade
Search
engine marketing represents a dramatic shift from traditional advertising.
Experts in this field must master a broad skill set spanning both quantitative
and qualitative functions. Heres a look at what it takes to manage an effective SEM campaign--from
the technical nuts and bolts to the verbal gymnastics.
Technical Expertise
On the quantitative side, search
engine marketers are adept at:
Determining the optimal PPC bidding strategy on Google Adwords and at Overture,
using ROI and other metrics
Programming Web pages to optimize them for search. Overture and Google Adwords
rank pages based on criteria such as direct links to product pages. An SEM expert will know how to configure domain pointing and redirects to ensure that
the pages comply with these search engine standards.
Tracking the results of search campaigns and analyzing these metrics
Mastering site usability and navigation. Getting traffic from an effective
SEM campaign is only half the battle. A seasoned SEM expert knows how to program
a site for optimal conversion, too.
Technical Issues
Search
engine marketer Rob Laporte offers examples of some of
the
technical issues
SEM staff
will face:
How to separate static optimized pages from the companys dynamic web publishing
system
How to develop a server statistics package for tracking SEM results
How to use the robots.txt file
How to use JavaScript without impacting search engine ranking
How to use Flash without impacting ranking
Whether to use a static IP address
Marketing Know-How
On the qualitative side,
SEM experts are skilled at:
Playing the linguistic game of writing for search. In online marketing, the
goal of writing copy isnt to win the hearts and minds of the public, but to
position a companys marketing proposition with respect to an ever-changing
linguistic logarithm. Laporte offers the following definition: SEM is
primarily a linguistic activity wherein you match the query language of searchers
with the language of your advertising and website through the nexus
of search engines.
Anticipating the needs and the associated search terms of a companys customers.
Performing market research specific to online marketing, such as determining
the geographic and demographic characteristics of the companys target markets.
Specialized Skills
Few traditional marketers have the technical skills to handle the Web programming
demands of an SEM campaign. Few programmers have the research and writing skills
to negotiate the search algorithm to full advantage. And neither marketing
nor programming professionals have the specialized, up-to-date knowledge of
the evolving industry to master the art of SEM.
Specialized search
engine marketers bring together all these skills and use
them to extract optimal value from online search. Played right, Website advertising
has the potential to deliver dramatic gains in site traffic and sales. An SEM service can help your business take full advantage of the 21st centurys most
powerful marketing medium.
Sources
SEMPO
