For the first two or three years I was in business, I blew off search engine marketing. After all, the big name gurus didn't do it, and they were making plenty of money. One guru even suggested putting some obscure search term like "scoobie snacks" on your page six times and then submitting your page to the search engines. After a few days, all you had to do was search for the term "scoobie snacks", and then you found your page at the top of the search engines. Well, I don't sell "scoobie snacks". I sell internet marketing. Search engine marketing is part of my overall marketing strategy now because search engines are the way people find things. Search engines drive targeted traffic, I want my potential visitors to find me. I've learned a few things since then. Search engines are an important strategy, but search engines won't buy from you. People do. Here are four things I've learned about creating an effective search engine marketing strategy. 1. Write for users first and the search engines second. You can create all of the great content you want, rank number one in the search engines, and still not get any search engine traffic. Search engines read your content to index it, but they don't read it to learn anything, or buy anything. Keyword rich, search engine optimized content will please the search engines. Easy to read content that pleases your readers will be interesting, include lots of information, and will make your readers want to read more. 2. A successful search engine marketing strategy starts with a successful marketing strategy. Search engine marketing is only one key in a successful internet marketing campaign. Although you don't want to try and do too many different marketing techniques at once, you should have at least two or three internet marketing techniques you are very good at. If one technique doesn't work, try something new. Bad marketing is better than no marketing, but effective marketing is what will drive your sales. 3. Consider social search as as well as standard search engines. Social search is changing the way users interact online. Sites like Stumble Upon are just one example of how users rate content. Social bookmarking sites, like Digg, are another way users rate content by creating "mini news stories." These sites are valuable for creating buzz about your business. They also help you build valuable backlinks for your websites. Don't be afraid to use them, or use them to connect with others and get the message out about your business. 4. Consider video as another search engine marketing opportunity. You Tube is now one of the top five sites on the internet. A lot of people like watching videos. Why not take your content and create it in another form? Instead of writing that tutorial, why not film it? There are tons of free tools available on the internet to help you create videos, and once you do it a few times, it's actually fun. Marketing on the internet changes, and it often changes very quickly. What works today may not work tomorrow. Search engine marketing has been around a long time. It's the way people find things, whether they use search engines, or social search. How you use this technique is up to you. Just use it because it works.
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