In my last post on SEM misconceptions, I delved into one of the most common errors made by search engine marketing novices (myself included), which is that anyone can create successful pay-per-click (ppc) ads without previous skills or expertise.

Today’s misconception builds on my last post and shows just how quickly one mistaken belief can snowball into poor results. Once someone assumes that anyone can navigate a system like AdWords, they naturally assume that all the components associated with ppc ads, like choosing keywords, is just as simple.

Misconception#2: Keyword selection is based on general terms related to your business.

As we discussed in my last post, there are lots of tools within services, like Google AdWords, that provide the illusion that it only takes a few simple steps to successfully implement your own campaign. The common misconception is that your keyword list takes minimal effort to compile. Just pick words and phrases that relate to your business, so the system serves your ads when someone searches for those phrases, and move on.
 
What I’ve learned: Keywords should be chosen based on how people search and what they are really looking for when they type a query into the search bar.
 
The empty search bar that appears when Google is opened is known as the query bar. Each time a user enters a search term into that bar, they are essentially asking Google a question. Google’s job is to provide the most relevant answer.

In order to work favorably with Google’s system (and yes, we want to make nice with Google), your keyword list should support how users search for your business. That means choosing words that are actively searched for and words that drive genuinely interested consumers (qualified traffic) to your site. A general rule of thumb is that they should not be too broad or too narrow.
 
For example, if you own a boutique hotel in Sarasota, Florida that accommodates honeymooners you might want to avoid using the term “Florida vacations”(unless you have a giant budget). This term is an example of something that is way too broad for your business and will attract unqualified traffic to your site and could blow your budget in a matter of hours. “Florida vacations” can refer to family vacations, Disney vacations and other getaways that are not relevant to a romantic vacation for two in Florida.
 
Conversely, avoid keywords that are too narrow. Using the phrase “Siesta Key Honeymoon Retreat” may accurately describe your business but is way too narrow to attract a substantial amount of eyeballs to your website.
 
Ads should qualify users, using keywords that are not overly searched for, and ones that speak your customer’s language. A fitting term for this hotel might be “Sarasota Honeymoon” or if that is still narrow, expand to “Gulf Coast honeymoon hotels.” Google’s Keyword Tool is an invaluable resource when beginning to compile your list. It lists search volume (which shows you how many people search for this term on the internet) and keyword ideas. But remember, it is only a tool and you are ultimately the best judge of which terms are perfect for your business.

As we proceed through this series, it is important to note that each component in pay-per-click advertising matters equally. When one component is overlooked or done poorly, it affects the results of the entire campaign.

Next up is our post all about budget blunders. Did you know that a mistake you make in the keyword selection phase could be the downfall of your budget? Stay tuned.

Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization AdWords, Google AdWords, how to choose keywords, keyword selection, keywords, keywords and phrases, pay-per-click ads, Search Engine Marketing, text ad

In my last blog, I defined search engine marketing as the tools that are used to increase the visibility of a website in search engine result pages (SERPs). It includes search engine optimization, contextual advertising and paid placement to name a few.

This blog discusses search engine marketing and the most common misconceptions associated with creating paid search ads (pay-per-click ads).

When I first became acquainted with search marketing, I naturally assumed that anything that was “free and open to the public,” like Google AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing was easy and could be done by practically anyone. And, so my first misconception about SEM was born.

Misconception #1: SEM is something anyone can do, previous skills and search marketing expertise not required.
 
It seems so simple. Pay-per-click advertising has so many tools that are free, and the giant of them all, Google AdWords offers plenty of “how-to” guidance on the site. If you need more help, there are books for that, right?

The illusion of these tools is their simplicity. The instructions for Google AdWords basically tell you to just create an account, pick keywords, write an ad and go!

What I’ve learned: Creating effective pay-per-click ads that affect your bottom line is a discipline and must be managed with an experienced and diligent eye, just like search engine optimization.

In my last blog series,  I made the same mistake with SEO, assuming it was easy to learn. Though services like Google AdWords are free and come with basic instructions, it takes time, dedication and experience to effectively execute pay-per-click ads.

My own experience with AdWords was, dare I say, a failed attempt (and I’m not picking on Google, it’s just the first place most people start). In addition to my own missteps, I often see businesses become frustrated with search marketing because they think it doesn’t work.

The truth of the matter is, a large portion of the people who use Google AdWords operate under this exact misconception, that search marketing is something everyone can do. They are not experienced enough to amass successful results from AdWords and, unfortunately don’t understand that SEM is a professional discipline.

So, if people misinterpret the actual complexity of Google AdWords, is it possible that there may be a few other misconceptions associated with SEM? I’m thinking of a word. A keyword, that is.

For the many people trying out the search engine marketing arena, a keyword may be a simple choice of words related to their business. My next blog will tell you why that just won’t do.

Digital Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Google AdWords, keywords, pay-per-click ads, Search Engine Marketing, search marketing, Yahoo Search Marketing

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