Welcome back to our series on the common misconceptions of digital marketing. If you’re just joining, this blog discusses Search Engine Optimization(SEO), the process by which websites improve how well a site or page gets listed in search engines for particular search topics and the common misconceptions associated with it.

Today we explore whether getting ranked on the first page of Google is really all it’s cracked up to be. Read on for the second in our series of three SEO misconceptions.

Misconception #2: If you’re on the first page of Google, you’ve done a good job with your SEO efforts.

When I began listening to the SEO conversation, there was a lot of talk about getting onto the first page of Google. So, naturally I assumed that if I typed in a specific keyword and the website magically appeared on the first page of Google, SEO efforts for that business or topic were successful.

What I’ve learned: Most any business can land on the first page of Google. That is not a measure of successful SEO efforts. Appearing in the SERP’s for keywords that drive incremental revenue, that’s what is important.

For example, if I type in the business name “Tallahassee Tim’s Tire Shop”, guess what pops up on the first page of Google? Tallahassee Tim’s Tire Shop. That’s great, but obviously, this user had already heard of this particular tire shop.

When someone searches directly for the name of a specific business, that business will most likely appear on page one of the search engine results pages (SERPS). The real test is whether that same shop appears when a person looking for a tire shop in Tallahassee types in the phrase “tire shops Tallahasee” and discovers your business. It’s the difference between searching for a generic product or service, and searching for a brand.

I have seen many business owners make the same mistake in one of two ways. They either believe that getting on the first page of Google under their exact business name means success; or they are lured into the illusion that being ranked under certain terms necessarily helps their business gain exposure.

What they don’t consider is if that effort in getting ranked actually helps profitability. As a business, it’s important to be ranked under keywords or phrases that help sell the most profitable products or services. Often businesses are lured by companies that get them ranked under obscure terms or terms that just have no search volume, so the ranking doesn’t improve visibility or sales and defeats the purpose.

The SEO series continues tomorrow with our final SEO misconception. Learn what it takes to create a keyword list that gets results.

Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Digital Marketing, Google, Online Marketing, ranking, search engines, SEO

Yesterday, my post about digital marketing discussed the different (and often wrong) ways people interpret the elements of digital marketing like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing and Website Usability. My own past personal experience revealed large misinterpretations of digital marketing which has since changed recently when I began working for a digital marketing firm.

This series will touch on the main elements of digital marketing and discuss the common misconceptions of each discipline and the lessons I’ve learned through my own personal experience. We begin with SEO and its definition as defined by Advertising Age’s supplement, 2008 Search Marketing Fact Pack:

SEO is the practice of using a range of techniques , including augmenting HTML code, web-page copy editing, site navigation, linking campaigns and more, in order to improve how well a site or page gets listed in search engines for particular search topics.

Misconception #1: SEO work is something anybody can do.

Yep. It wasn’t too long ago when I launched my own freelance business and thought about adding SEO to my list of services. I went to my local bookstore and thumbed through the latest SEO for Dummies book to get a quick handle on the subject. Google also offers a load of free tools for SEO keywords and phrases so, naturally, I thought that anybody can jump on the SEO bandwagon.

Not to mention, many of the graphic designers I’ve worked with in the past “claim” to do SEO for clients and, not knowing much about the subject, I just assumed they were really delivering on that promise. Let’s also not forget the myriad of companies that “claim” to do the same thing for an exorbitant amount of money.

What I’ve learned: SEO is a discipline that requires time, dedication and loads of experience so not everyone can do it well.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that SEO is not an easy add-on to a list of services that most graphic design, marketing and advertising agencies provide. It’s a discipline all its own.

I laugh now, remembering my trip to the bookstore and my naiveté that I could jump into the SEO game. SEO is a discipline that requires constant vigilance and study. It’s a moving target, so to speak, that is constantly evolving. And it’s not for everyone.

In fact, if you have no background experience, you may be harming the chances of your site( or your client’s site) getting ranked or helping SEO efforts.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post and find out whether being ranked on the first page of Google is really all it’s cracked up to be?

Digital Marketing, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Digital Marketing, keywords and phrases, SEO

Digital marketing and its practices are a growing field, making it likely that terms like Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website Usability have crossed your path. It’s possible that you’ve heard these terms in conversation or read about them in a news article or blog post, or that someone has approached your business with solutions that involve digital marketing.

If you’re like me, you may have developed a vague notion of what these terms mean and how it all works. For me, it wasn’t until I began working for a digital marketing firm that I began to realize just how different my idea of digital marketing was to the realities of the business. And, yes, it is one big business.

Although it’s humbling to admit, my misconceptions were so numerous that I have decided to write a series of blogs to tackle the subject of digital marketing.

Each week I’ll discuss a different area of digital marketing including the terms associated with each particular discipline, common misconceptions and the truths that I’ve uncovered through personal experience.

This week, we begin with search engine optimization….

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Before we dive into misconceptions, let’s define SEO as it was outlined in Advertising Age’s supplement, 2008 Search Marketing Fact Pack.

SEO: is the practice of using a range of techniques , including augmenting HTML code, web-page copy editing, site navigation, linking campaigns and more, in order to improve how well a site or page gets listed in search engines for particular search topics.

If the abovementioned definition still means nothing to you, don’t panic. I certainly didn’t understand it when I began.

I learned that SEO refers to the organic or natural search listings (formally known as the Search Engine Results Pages or SERP’s) that you find when you type a keyword or phrase into a search engine like Google, Yahoo or Ask.com.

I would often hear people talk about SEO. They spoke about getting “ranked” and how “being on page one of Google is the best” when it comes to search.

So how do you get ranked in organic search listings or SERP’s and what is it all about? Well, I’m glad you asked.

SEO is the practice that is used to answer this very question. It utilizes a number of techniques that involve behind-the-scenes work with the computer code, up-front work like adding copy that affects your ranking, and use of certain keywords and phrases as it relates to your customer and your website’s relevancy to your customer.

A search engine like Google is trying to provide the most relevant results to a user. When they type a word or phrase into the search bar, Google tries to provide websites that will most likely have the information that user is looking for.

Starting tomorrow, I will begin uncovering the truths about SEO based on my experience (or lack of) and my top three misconceptions about the practice. Something tells me that I’m not the only person with this similar misunderstanding. Stay tuned!

Digital Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Digital Marketing, organic search listings, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Usability

There’s a silver lining in everything, even in this economy. You just have to look for it.

Some of the best businesses rise out of the ashes of a fallen market and it’s no coincidence that most success stories view a down economy through similar lenses. Perspective matters when it comes to doing business in this economic climate. Otherwise, there are valuable opportunities to be missed.

Consider some of the following when wading through the muddy waters of this economy:

Less competition in the marketplace: In a down economy, there’s less competition. Period. Take advantage of the fact that there are fewer businesses competing in the same space.

This could be a huge opportunity to leverage your business and capitalize on the scarcity of competition. A proactive business can achieve greater market share and even become the market leader.

Advertising is less expensive: Historically, when markets are down, the first thing to go is advertising budgets. So, media companies often cut deals to boost their revenues and keep their advertisers. They practically give it away.

This is great news for you. Take advantage of low rates and increase your exposure to boost your brand presence.

Relevant messaging in the marketplace: Is your message relevant in today’s marketplace? Not the marketplace six months ago, but the present market with all its faults and inefficiencies.

Successful businesses take the time to evaluate the relevancy of their message in these uncertain times. Does it resonate with your consumer? Are you providing them with a solution that presently works for them? These are important considerations that show your potential customer that you have their best interest in mind and will, ultimately, make your business stand out.

Don’t just survive, thrive!
Surviving a down economy means operating with more fortitude than fear, thinking strategically, maintaining a “glass half-full” mentality and action, lots of it.

No matter what your business, if you take proactive measures to navigate this economy you’ll not only increase your chances of survival, you’ll most likely be one of the businesses still standing tall.

Marketing advertising, digital advertising, down economy, marketplace, Online Marketing, opportunities, Small Business

A recent study by WPP’s GroupM states that:

Even as digital advertising increases by 7%, “the growth in Internet display advertising has lost momentum over the past several years as supply has run ahead of demand. In 2010, display spending is projected to have a smaller share of total digital spending, with a 34 percent share, down from 35 percent in 2009 and 39 percent in 2006.

Worldwide display advertising is expected to grow just 5 percent next year to about $20 billion. By contrast, global search advertising will soar 12 percent to approximately $25 billion.”

I don’t see this data as a death knoll for display advertising. Internet years are like dog years in that, display advertising or banner ads, as they were once called, are ancient compared to the “new” world of search. The first banner ad is estimated to have appeared in 1994 while search ads came on the scene in 2000, a whopping six years later just as the online banner market crashed.

Text ads took a little time to really catch on.

From a consumer’s perspective, text ads didn’t garner much trust nor were they very visually appealing in the early days. Users were wary of them, preferring the organic listings that weren’t “sponsored.”

For businesses, text ads were seen as a mediocre alternative to display advertising, used mainly by businesses that couldn’t afford the high costs of creating display ads or the high CPM driven costs for the media.

However, now that the Internet and search have evolved and become a part of everyday life, text ads are no longer something to avoid and are trusted by consumers. That doesn’t mean that display ads are dead. On the contrary, there is still a place and time where they are highly effective but in this consumer-driven economy, pull is working better than push. As the study by GroupM mentioned, search marketing is really “intention marketing.” And that’s a pretty powerful tool for marketers.

So perhaps, search is still reaching a mature phase of growth while display had already hit its prime.
 
Companies are now starting to see the value in search marketing but shouldn’t discount the value of display advertising. In fact, a recent Atlas Institute study demonstrated that users exposed to both search and display ads convert at a higher rate: an average of 22 percent better than search alone and 400 percent better than display only.

Any good company will work to achieve a balance within their marketing mix, incorporating both.

Search Engine Marketing Banner Ads, digital advertising, display ads, Search Engine Marketing, text ads