SEM – Update

August 28th, 2009 by Scott Edwards

by Jason Kendall

Companies are getting fewer results for a higher spend using time-honoured marketing techniques. So we have to look at updating our modus operandi. We all know it’s vital that all commercial organisations are on the web. Yet that in itself isn’t sufficient. Buyers MUST know how to reach you.

Let’s compare it to a new store opening up… A lot of money has gone into setting it up. They’re ready to go… And only then realise they’re out in the sticks in a no-through road. What’s worse, they haven’t told anyone where they are. How do you think they’ll get on? This is exactly the scenario for 99% of ALL commercial websites in existence.

The World Wide Web has caused a paradigm shift in marketing. Ten years ago, as everyone was getting on the bandwagon, there was an idea that everyone needed a website. Vast amounts of money were spent on all singing/dancing web sites. (A happy situation for web design businesses…) Before long though, the site owners were complaining that no-one looked at their new website! People had thought that if they had a big website, it would be easily spotted. This proved to be a complete fallacy…

Web marketing needs a whole new approach. Off-line marketing people would suggest your website is like a sales brochure. As a result, they’ll try to get you to promote the site on radio, TV or in the press. Essentially they’re working in the same way as they’ve always done. First they make a nice looking catalogue. Then they utilise various marketing methods to get people to look at the catalogue. This view is completely and utterly flawed in the internet economy.

The internet itself is not just a viewing portal. It allows us to search and research – to discuss ideas and interact with others. It’s completely interactive, bringing massive choice to billions of people. The Search Engines – such as Google and MSN (now Bing) – have made this easy for us as customers. They’ve put together massive directories to guide us. Just think how hopeless it would be trying to find something in a Business Directory with no index! How on earth would anybody get anywhere?

The SE’s have got it all sussed. However, this means marketing is no longer the same. Now, if you wish to be visible online, you must be indexed by Google, Bing and/or Yahoo etc. Even that isn’t enough though. You might as well forget it if you’re several pages in!

So to bring in more profit and give all sites a chance to be top dog, the SE’s gave businesses an ingenious paid facility to promote themselves. You Pay Per Click, so you’re only charged for your ad when someone clicks on it. This created a lot of excitement… Basically, the only time you now paid was when someone who was already interested asked to look at your site. This is an incredibly targeted way of advertising, and done properly, can yield some exceptional results.

Today however, most search terms are overwhelmed with pay per click adverts. New online marketers have forced up the price per click, largely through over-the-top bidding. So it’s often the case now that many are priced out of the market. This happens mostly where lots of clicks are essential to get one buyer. This has brought Search Engine Optimisation to the fore, where driving a site to page one is the goal.

As an exercise: Go to Google or Bing RIGHT NOW and type in a few product or service keywords. Does your site appear in the first 3 pages of results? It’s very doubtful. In other words, you’re no-where to be found. If it is there, would clients really use those keywords?

You could be relatively happy with PPC. But is your campaign properly managed? Is your investment really paying off? Have you got an eye on the stats that measure your results? Testing, measuring and split-testing are some of the most important factors with all PPC campaigns. There will always be an element of guesswork (and consequently less than perfect results) without accurate stats.

Both in Britain and around the world, statistics show that commercial advertising and selling is experiencing a seismic shift towards the internet. It’s no longer an option. Embrace the web economy, and maximise its potential.

About the Author: