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The holidays are coming to a close, and its time to decide your online marketing strategy for 2007. You know you want to be listed on that first page of search results, but now the question is—how? Here’s a look at the two possible ways to get there, and what it means to combine the two.
You made it! Another hectic holiday shopping season is winding down. But now is no time to just sit back and count your cash. It’s time to determine where your marketing budget for 2007 is headed. According to a recent study done by MarketingSherpa, 63% of internet users look at one page or less of search results. So, the obvious choice for where to direct your marketing dollars for 2007 would be to get on that first page. And there are two primary ways of getting there —through search engine optimization (SEO) or pay per click (PPC). But before you decide on which mix is right for you, you should learn a little more about both.
Pay Per Click Campaigns
 When shoppers or surfers are using search engines to locate a store, product, or other information, they are presented with two types of listings on the search engine results page. The listings located on the left to the middle of the page are the organic search results and the listings at the top and on the right side of the page are typically Sponsored Links. These Sponsored Links are obtained through a pay per click marketing campaign.
To pay for sponsored links, you will set a budget and bid on certain keywords. Then, every time a searcher clicks on one of your link, you must pay what you bid for that keyword. PPC has many benefits:
Instant Gratification
PPC campaigns enjoy the luxury of having instantaneous results. Optimizing your site for natural search results, on the other hand, can take anywhere between 2-10 months to come to fruition. But, with a PPC campaign, as soon as you choose your keywords, write your ad, and bid on your chosen keywords, your ads immediately start appearing as Sponsored Links.
Spend No More, No Less
With a PPC campaign, you can set a specific budget and increase or decrease it as you see fit. The only time that you pay is when your ads are clicked on. This is a great way to refine your efforts as the results come in, without losing a lot of money to a major marketing campaign.
Keyword Test Run
So, you have added targeted keywords to your pages and meta tags because you heard it was good for your search engine results. The question is-- which one of those keywords is making you money? PPC is a great way to track which keywords equal conversions. Then, you can separate the good from the bad.
Special Sale, Special Timing
When you have a big seasonal or holiday sale, you are not going to want to advertise its existence all year. With PPC, you can post your seasonal promotion the day it begins and remove it when the sale is finished. PPC also means that you can quickly target keywords used more frequently during certain times a year, such as “Valentine’s gift for him” or “Mother’s Day gift”. Press Releases are also great for this need.
Organic Search Results
The way to obtain natural (organic) search results is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the practice of analyzing and modifying a website to comply with tested and researched strategies of gaining credibility with the major search engines for certain keywords. Since this is such a detailed and in-depth process, it can take anywhere between 2-10 monthes to see results. Also, search engines are constantly changing their tactics and guidelines that they use to rank websites. This is why, unless you have an incredible amount of time to dedicate to staying abreast of these changes, it may be best to let a professional handle your SEO. Not only could you be employing an outdated practice, some tactics are deemed unethical by the search engines and they will penalize your site as a result. Whether you do it yourself or let the pros handle it, here are some primary benefits of SEO:
Be the Trusted Link
Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology did a study and found that 80% of users click on an organic listing first. Another study done by Berrier & Associates found that 65% of searchers do not click past the first page of results. What can we learn from these studies? Get an organic listing in the top ten results. NetworkSolutions can give that to you guaranteed listings with the Top Ten Search Results Packages.
Get Long Term Return
Although SEO takes a bit longer than other online marketing tactics like PPC and press releases, it is worth it in the long run. Consumers are 12 times more likely to purchase your product after discovering it in the organic listings on the SERP than all other online marketing tactics combined. Along with greater conversion probability, SEO gains you favor with the search engines as well as consumers. And, this also adds to the coveted Page Rank decision.
The Perfect Balance
Now that you know the benefits of both PPC and SEO, it is time to decide where the bulk of your 2007 marketing dollars should go. The answer is: both.
A combination of PPC and SEO marketing efforts mean that you have instantaneous results with PPC while you are waiting for the SEO conversions to come in. Also, users believe companies to have greater credibility if they appear multiple times on the SERP. This holistic approach also ensures that you are not focusing all of your efforts in one place. The professionals agree that a balance of PPC and SEO is the most effective strategy for those serious about obtaining long term results.
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