We want to show up on Google! We want to dominate our competitors! We want huge website traffic! We want to be number 1 when you type in _____________!
When I meet with new clients, I generally hear some variation on these questions. Marketers and business owners are hip to the fact that search engines are the #1 way that people find solutions to their problems, and they want in on the action.
The problem with marketing on search engines is that it is significantly more complicated than older forms of marketing. In the old days, most people used phone books to find solutions to their problems. Got a leaky toilet? Search for a plumber in the yellow pages. Easy. If you’re a plumber, all you have to do is buy the biggest ad in the yellow pages that you can and you’ll get lots of easy business.
For a number of reasons, todays consumers have turned to search engines and forsaken phone books:
- Phone books are big and bulky, a smart phone easily fits in your pocket and is always with you. Most people work closely with computers anyway. Computers are a daily reality for most people. Phone books are not.
- Search engines provide lots more information about service providers and products. You not only get a list of answers to your question, but you can read reviews of other users, compare the full websites of several different providers, and make more informed decisions. In the yellow pages, the largest ad goes to the guy who pays the most money for it… period. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best option for you.
- Search engines are fast. Google can get you an answer to your question in the blink of an eye. To use a phone book you have to remember where you put the phone book, dig it out, find the appropriate page in the book… we’re busy people, who has time for that?
For these reasons (and because I run an internet marketing company and I’m totally biased), I think it is wise that marketers and business owners are starting to invest more time and money in obtaining favorable search engine results.
So how do you get your company to the top of the search engine rankings? It helps to know a little bit about how search engines work.
This Article is Part of a 7-Part Series on Search Engine Optimization, Other Articles Include:
- How Search Engines Work (the simple explanation)
- Keyword Research (in under 250 words)
- Content Strategies (that actually work)
- Why All the Links?
- Social Signals and Search (getting the edge)
- The Conclusion of Our SEO Series
