“The major search engines don’t even list our web site. We paid thousands of dollars to our web designers and the web site is functional, but it’s not nearly as profitable as we had hoped.”

Are you thinking the same thing?

Or maybe your web site is located in obscurity on the third or fourth page of the search engine results. While only the search engines know for sure why, there are definitely objective statistics that can reveal how you can land on the top ten results of Google and other search engines for your targeted search terms.

If your strategy to attract qualified visitors consists of only “hoping” the search engines will smile upon your web site, you’re missing out on leveraging the power of search engine marketing. Beyond finding your web site from search engine queries, having links to your site is critical to ranking well in the search engine results and generating qualified visitors. Are other sites going to recommend or link to your “brochure” site? Possibly, if you’re providing “link worthy” content their visitors might be interested in. But without links, it’s like opening a business in the middle of the desert - how will anyone know you exist? Search Engine Marketing Advantage has the answers for you.

What is search engine marketing?

SEM is a broad phrase which can include many aspects of generating traffic to a site and converting that traffic to revenue generating customers. The tactics and execution of this process can include but are not limited to:

Keyword Research : What are the keyword phrases online professionals and consumers are actually looking for with the search engines. This is the foundation of any search engine marketing strategy.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization : statistically measuring what top ranked web sites are doing and besting your competition

Link Optimization : using the internal linking structure of your own site to your greatest advantage.

Backlink Campaigns : using a variety of proven methods to get links back to your site for increased traffic and higher search engine rankings.

Lead Capture and Follow Up : the web is much like the offline world, it takes at least 6 contacts to close a sale. If you haven’t implemented a lead capture and follow up strategy, your hard efforts to get someone to your site could be wasted effort.

Pay Per Click Advertising : As was asked previously, what is your cost per visitor? With a pay-per-click campaign, the answer can be very clear cut. Do you know what your ROI is for these online advertising campaigns? Do you know what keyword phrases have the highest conversion rate for your PPC campaigns? Are you paying month after month for clicks that don’t result in any profits for you? When you can answer these questions, the result is a higher return on investment for your PPC campaigns.

How do I know if my company needs SEO or SEM services?

Can you answer these questions:

• What is your cost per web site visitor?
• What is the ROI for your web site?
• Do you want more qualified visitors to your site?
• Do you know what keyword phrases your target market is actually searching for?
• Do you know what keyword phrases have the highest conversion rate for your web site?

If you are struggling to answer these questions, SEM Advantage can partner with you to make certain that the ROI of your website is in line with your marketing efforts - that means increasing your bottom line.

What do SEO/SEM services cost?

That’s a little like asking, “How much will a successful business cost?” Each business has various levels of competition and different existing challenges with their own web site. It’s impossible to place a one size fits all price tag on these services. Pricing typcially starts at $500 for a minimum (read: bare minimum) analysis and one hour consultation. I guarantee, that if you are not convinced of the value of this initial assessment, I’ll refund your money.

How do I start?

Easy - fill out the SEM Service Inquiry form. If you have an existing site, you should start with at least a technical analysis of your site and keyword research. This will provide an assessment of your web site and rankings for specific keyword phrases.