Saturday, July 25, 2009

Why There Is A Need For Search Engine Marketing



There are various tools of internet marketing and search engine marketing is also a type of internet marketing. In search engine marketing the websites are promoted by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages or SERPs.

There are various methods which are used for search engine marketing like search engine optimization, paid inclusion and paid placement. Most of the websites which rely on search engine marketing tools argue that search engine marketing is cheap as compare to other marketing tools like search engine optimization services are very cheap.

Popularity of search engine marketing is increasing among the online businesses and companies. According to a research conducted in North America, billions of US dollars are spent each year on search engine marketing. Moreover, the percentage of search engine marketing is also increasing rapidly as compare to the previous years. Some of the largest vendors of search engine marketing are Microsoft adCentre, Google Adwords and Yahoo search marketing. Therefore, we can say that search engine marketing is becoming the most important internet marketing tool and it is also overwhelming traditional advertising.

Search engine marketing started in the late 90s because the number of websites increased in the mid to late 90s. During this period search engines started their services to make the access of information easier for the internet users. The keenness of people of using search engines as a tool for finding information motivated the search engines to develop their business models to finance their services. For example, in 1996 Open Text introduced pay per click program. In 2000, Google, the largest search engine offered its search engine marketing program. In 2001, Danny Sullivan proposed the term, "search engine marketing" for search engine optimization services, paid listing and developing online strategies for businesses. Search engine marketing has emerged as the primary money maker tool in the year 2007.

The online businesses which are using search engine marketing as an internet marketing tool admit its importance therefore, the reliance of online companies on search engine marketing is enhancing. Those online businesses which are not benefiting from these programs are also getting consultancy services to avail these opportunities. There are always pros and cons of such programs therefore, increasing reliance of the online companies on search engine marketing is also creating controversies. However, through rules and restrictions, efforts are made to control unethical activities. By following those rules online companies can promote their activities and enhance their visibility through search engine marketing.



Monday, July 13, 2009

SEO in DC



Search engine optimization is key to your success if your company does business in the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C. is a competitive city with a sophisticated and international market base, so maximizing the exposure of your business's web site is vital. The key is SEO. DC is a wonderful city to do business in, but you need to be ready.

To keep your competitive edge, you need the help of people who are professionals at search engine optimization (SEO). DC is home to hundreds of firms that are attuned to the local market, as well as to the needs of the national and international markets. Though you could go outside the area to find a company to do your SEO, DC has its own particular culture, and it is best to find people who know that culture inside and out to target your audience correctly. As mass media proliferates and people become more and more sophisticated consumers, they become more sensitive to false notes, so while people who are not from DC could produce web pages that look attractive to both web surfers and search engines, your site's message could be subtly off and might not feel right to DC natives.

The help of experts is also absolutely essential because of the potential pitfalls of using SEO. DC is full of competing companies, all of whom have their own web sites, and all of whom are struggling to climb over you and reach the coveted first page of the search results. Search engines choose the pages they consider the best by running sites through complex algorithms, using math to parse out which pages read the most naturally to human users. They look for pages that seem to be information rich, rather than pages that have been stuffed with keywords by savvy spammers. To outwit spammers, search engines change their algorithms regularly. As a result, even the most useful, beautifully optimized sites may fall into the spam filter when the algorithm changes. Every professional page needs professionals keeping watch on its SEO. DC businesses would love to watch your site tank in the search engines; don't give them the pleasure!

But the best reason to hire professionals to optimize your web page is that you do not have time to spend on SEO. DC social life is fast paced; you have business lunches, business meetings, parties for both business and pleasure. Search engine optimization takes time, needs to be done right, and is essential to your business, but your work also takes time and needs to be done right! Let the experts handle your SEO, while you handle DC.