By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-10-31 15:33:04 | Word Count: 664
You most likely have heard many of the buzzwords of internet marketing i.e. SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay per Click), SMO (Social Media Optimization), Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing and more. But what is the Best Internet Marketing … One of the above, some of the above, all of the above or none of the above?
First you must understand some basic realities online:
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1. The searcher (buyer) initiates everything online using textual input in the form of keywords / phrases that is felt to be the most relevant for what they are seeking. The website initiates nothing; rather wishing to be found by the right searchers.
2. There are over 250 million searches a day on google.com.
3. Facebook is the 2nd most frequented site on the Internet and now claims 500 million users and a high degree of time on the site.100 million unique users engage with YouTube every month.
4. Online businesses seeking success online must devote their resources to being found easily on Google, Facebook, YouTube and several additional sites by the right people and at the right time.
Being found means being visible in all the right places. For Google and the other major search engines this means page 1 for relevant keywords / phrases … either organically (non-paid listings) or through ads usually involving PPC. Organic listings are much more difficult to achieve because they are earned by successfully competing through convincing Google et al that there site is the most relevant or highly relevant. Search Engine Advertising provides businesses with “easier to achieve” page one visibility but this is restricted to the Sponsored Search section of a SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
SEO focuses entirely on driving organic traffic from the search engines and other websites including the social media to relevant content on the website or blog. SEO literally involves 100s of inter-related, integrated steps and processes to maximize the relevancy on a keyword specific basis. The processes can mainly be divided into 2 main tracks:
* Onsite Optimization – on page settings including titles, meta information, W3 Validation, Dynamic Site Maps and loads of regularly added new content in the form of articles, press releases and more.
* Offsite Optimization – the optimization and syndication of great content to promote the generation of high quality and quantities of highly relevant, naturally occurring backlinks. High quality backlink growth is the sole focus of offsite optimization. There is nothing more important than great backlinks to generate page 1 results on the search engines.
The cornerstone of all internet marketing is keyword / topic research. No one knows the universe of the keywords and phrases being used online to find a website until and unless extensive, exhaustive keyword research is conducted. In addition, keyword research is not a onetime chapter in internet marketing. It is a continuous process because the trends in search words and phrases and their associated search volumes change with time; sometimes rapidly. You cannot decide to target a keyword for SEO or PPC without the full knowledge that the keyword is being searched in enough volume to justify the time and expense of promoting it.
PPC is the main true advertising medium online. It extends to the search engines as in Google’s AdWords program to Facebook’s growing PPC presence. While Google AdWords is again keyword based, Facebook PPC is focused on Facebook criteria i.e. fans, likes, dislikes, etc. Facebook, although still in its “PPC infancy,” offers some potential advantages by offering advertisers to not only target keywords, but also to target members preferences based on information in their profiles. So, an avid New York Giants fan would be more likely to see an ad for a sports event than a member who is in to classical music. Remember – it’s about being found by the right people and the right time.
What is the best internet marketing? … Being found on the major sites, for the right reasons and at the right time. This means Search Engine Optimization, PPC Management in both the major search engines and on the Social Media. We write about all of these areas much more extensively throughout our website; it’s a resource … use it!
If you seek the best internet marketing strategy using only white hat processes, contact us. We will be happy to help … and the initial consultation is free! Call us today (800) 736-9618
