Search Engine Marketing is a highly effective S.C.A.M. and, if you’re a website owner, I highly recommend that you get in on it. Before you put on your criminal hat though, let me explain what I mean by S.C.A.M.
What Is SEM?
Search Engine Marketing is defined as marketing a website online by using various techniques or tactics that make it more visible or attractive to search engines. Search Engine Marketing strategies can include (but are not limited to) search engine optimization (SEO) and the use of Pay Per Click (PPC) ads.
Since, SEO involves using various strategies in the development of a website to enhance its organic search listing and PPC ads are sponsored listings, where the advertiser pays the search engine each time the ad is clicked on, you could therefore say that SEM is a Search Created Advertising Medium (S.C.A.M).
Three good reasons to get in on the S.C.A.M.
If you’ve got a website and it’s not getting any traffic then it’s time to get serious about marketing it. By not doing so, here’s what you’re missing out on:
Traffic – Whether you started a website to showcase your dazzling kneesocks or your mad crazy obsession for BBQ, without traffic (i.e. visitors) it’s all pointless. Traffic, at the very least, will provide you with; visitors who’ll read your content and share it with others and people who may be interested in buying your products or services. Search engine traffic is perfect because you can tailor certain aspects of your website in order to capture the most targeted traffic imaginable.
Attention – The very reason you started your website in the first place. A great SEM campaign can attract a lot of attention and get people talking about your website – which is just what you want. People talking about and sharing your website’s resources will result in backlinks, which are a very important aspect in search engine marketing. The more websites that link to yours will show the search engines how popular your site is and also keep the search engines crawling your content regularly.
Directly Measurable Results – Unlike many standard advertising methods, search engine marketing provides measurable results. Using website analytics, you can keep track of how well your keywords are converting, how well your ads are performing and basically how your visitors are reacting to your website. This information is invaluable for shaping a website that speaks to visitors and keeps them coming back again and again.
How to get in on the S.C.A.M.
Although, you can’t become a SEM expert over night, there are some things you can immediately do in order to facilitate your own success.
Optimize your website – SEO is too often overlooked because of the work involved in making a site search engine friendly. If you’re hoping to gain significant search engine traffic though, SEO is a necessity. At the very least, do the keyword research and find out what people are searching for when it comes to your offerings. Use some of those keywords in your page titles and Meta descriptions. Once you see the results this provides, my guess is you’ll be inspired to learn about it and implement even more SEO techniques.
Create valuable content – Be an authority on your subject and produce content daily, giving visitors a reason to come back tomorrow and the next day. Search engines will also appreciate the fact that every time they visit your website, there is fresh new content awaiting them. Your keywords will come in handy for deciding what to write about as well. For example, if you eventually want to rank for the highly searched for phrase “knitting needles”, you could plan on publishing a series of varied posts or articles based on the term. Remember to make your content available via RSS feeds and newsletters too.
Promote via Social Media – Get involved in a few social media communities. Not just for the purpose of promoting your website though. Find people who are likeminded and connect with them. From there you can grow a network of people who are willing to lend you a hand when you’re trying to launch a new service or even if you’ve just published a new article or post you want to promote. People in social media communities are extremely knowledgeable but somewhat untrusting when it comes to spammers and phishers. By taking from the community as well as generously giving back, you’ll most likely end up forming lasting relationships, which can be extremely helpful along the way.
Remember that almost any website can be marketed and monetized – that is, it can make money. Often times though, you’ll need to embrace the S.C.A.M. to make it happen.
