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The Semantics Of ‘SEM Strategy’

nagaganesh — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:16:54 +0000

Lately, it seems that phrases like “search engine marketing” and “search strategy” are being used so liberally in conversations, news and blogs that it has become increasingly difficult to discern a point-of-view without first qualifying the person or writer’s bias.

Media planners, business marketers, marketing strategists, social media marketers and SEOs commonly apply “SEM” and “search strategy” to their own point, while often meaning something more specific within the search or marketing landscape. As a result, I’m spending more time trying figure out where they are coming from, rather than focusing on the merits of the discussion or idea.

I’ve also been a bit peeved lately about SEO and PPC purists who talk about search absolutes they proclaim everyone should follow or believe, based on things that have worked subjectively for them.

I mention this because these positions are often presented as “search strategy” or “SEM strategy.” They really should be “SEO strategy” or “PPC/SEA strategy” or some other subset terminology. It may sound like nitpicking, but the bottom line for enterprise marketers is that implementing this kind of advice without considering the big picture is simply bad search strategy.

What isn’t nitpicking is that some enterprise marketers and IT professionals are actually buying into the misinformation, usually out of the convenience of having a supporting opinion that will justify their dismissal of search engine marketing.

But enough of my ranting.

If you’ve been reading Search Insider for the last few months, then you are aware of the renewed sense that SEM is truly in transition right now; lines are quickly blurring into many different areas of marketing and business strategy. And you are aware of the difference between strategy and tactics, as Gord Hotchkiss outlined in a series of columns.

-Constructing a holistic search strategy requires expertise or knowledge across a variety of search channels, particularly in an enterprise situation. A holistic search approach should be a consideration for every enterprise marketer, as it is imperative to look at search-marketing strategy starting with all of its components, and to deduce the right mix to meet the objective, whether it’s paid, natural or any other combination of search elements.

With all of the possibilities in creating a well-rounded and holistic search strategy, keep in mind that the core of “search engine marketing” contains the following components:

1. Natural search
2. Paid search
3. Contextual / content targeting
4. Paid inclusion

Within these classifications, you may have myriad sub-strategies, tactics and nuances. A search engine marketer has to deal with many different questions when setting strategy. While many of the answers are immediately obvious, based on a given situation, holistic search experience speaks to which new questions must be asked and answered.

For some small businesses, search alone, and even SEO or PPC alone, is the business strategy. For larger businesses and enterprises, it’s more often a part of the strategy, and while often tactical in approach, there are exceptions when search is a foundation of an enterprise business strategy.

As the lines continue to blur, search strategy is increasingly impacting business strategy at the enterprise level. Because of the extreme diverse applications of SEM to different situations, it is important to know where a person is coming from when they talk about their respective SEM experience — particularly if you are thinking about applying their advice to your business.

So the next time you encounter the phrase “search-engine marketing strategy,” or search strategy discussed in conversation or in writing, try and determine whether the context is about one particular area of search, or if it is truly considering a holistic approach. Think critically about the person or writer’s particular bias (even mine). You just might gain a better perspective on how to develop a successful search strategy that fits your objectives well.

Web source : SEM Strategy

The Inevitable Evolution of SEO – Digital Asset Optimization

nagaganesh — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:14:34 +0000

With the acronym DAO (digital asset optimization) floating around everywhere these days, it’s easy to wonder if DAO is replacing search engine optimization (SEO). The answer is no; in fact, DAO can best be described as the evolution of SEO, which isn’t dead but just rapidly changing.
Over the past few years, since Google’s “PageRank” started DAO by measuring a site’s popularity — counting every external link as a vote to determine its relevance — the emphasis has shifted from “on-page elements” to a focus on off-site criteria.
DAO is all about moving the focus of optimization efforts from the page text to more relevant assets, such as images, audio and video. The goal is to help searchers find the most relevant site based on the criteria and content most important to them.
From a bottom-line vantage point, companies must figure out how to best adjust their Internet marketing strategies to maintain a competitive advantage. To find the right balance, they must decide the most opportune way to optimize standard text while also optimizing and promoting their other digital assets.
When is the right time to start making this shift? Now! Search engines already have systems in place to measure the relevance of a Web site’s digital assets. And they are constantly focused on improving them so that they become a more prevalent part of the equation. The only question is how long it will take for users to fully realize that they have these resources readily at their disposal.
The growth of universal search means the kinds of search results SEO consultants have become accustomed to are history, or at least on the decline. So now they need to figure out new ways to optimize any electronic file that can be crawled, indexed, categorized and sorted. This is about much more than just optimizing social media but rather the entire Internet, making all content easier to find via search.
Consequently, businesses today are increasingly producing an array of content for search engines that can be indexed, leaving their success directly linked to their ability to adapt to a rapidly changing market.
To survive, those of us who use search engines to market Web sites must adapt. With such intense competition and money at stake, the leading search providers will continue to improve the user experience.
As long as billions of people continue to use search engines daily, there will be a progression in the modes of optimization we use to improve the visibility of Web sites and enhance their presence.
That makes it necessary for companies to consider all of their digital assets in producing formats that are responsive to search engine and costumer demands.
We can no longer afford to wait for the customer to find us through text optimization and impress them with our other digital assets. Now it is all about matching digital assets with channels of distribution to provide marketers with even more opportunity to reach customers. In this new world, each channel not only drives traffic independently, but improves a Web site’s standard search visibility.

Web Source : Digital Asset Optimization

“Get to grips with SEO”

nagaganesh — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:12:30 +0000

A top engineer at Google has revealed his top five tips for those looking to boost their search engine optimisation.

Speaking to USA Today, Matt Cutts said that businesses should focus on inserting relevant keywords likely to be used as search terms by potential customers into their websites.

However, they should refrain from putting high numbers of these keywords into their sites as Google is likely to pick up on this practice and remove the website from its index.

Mr Cutts also advised firms to fill in title and description HTML tags and create a blog, as well as post content likely to be of interest to customers.

“If I’m a plumber in Iowa, I may want to write about some of the strange things that happen to me on the job, or the five most common ways to fix a toilet. That kind of content can get really popular and it’s a great way to get links,” he said.

Recent search market figures from comScore, Hitwise and Nielsen Online have suggested that Google is still the top search engine of choice for web users in the US.

Web Source : Get to grips with SEO

Is SEO Service Different From SEP?

nagaganesh — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:07:51 +0000

Search engine optimizing specialists are asked this quite frequently – is there any differences between Search engine optimization or SEO services and search engine positioning. A search engine positioning indicates key phrases or terms your potential consumers use to search your company or website or products/services through search engines. The keywords that bring prospective viewers to your sites after they type in the search box are actually termed as search engine positioning as per SEO specialists. So you understand that if an Internet user types in ‘online marketing’ at the search box, that two word key phrase or search query is a search engine positioning for your site.

While sailing business through Internet, you have to be visible, relevant and be clicked always – and these keywords play crucial roles in causing your business to adhere to these three factors. When crawling to the top of the chart of search engine result page is the first and foundation of success for an online business today, therefore, they must know what their users are typing. These keywords are the resources to know which users are interested in your products or site and which sites pose competition for you. So, determining search queries and search engine positioning enables you strike a balance amongst keywords to target, popularity of keywords and sites sharing same search engine positioning as yours. Now this is when you need SEO services.

Search engine optimization or SEO services are provided to utilize the keywords that you have targeted and that can bring customers to your sites. Therefore, implementation of keywords to optimize your site is understood by search engine optimization services using search engine positioning services or defining right keywords that are potent to bring good response. Therefore, search engine positioning techniques precede search engine optimization techniques.

Through Search Engine Optimization services, a company deliver two types of services, that are ‘On Page Factors’ by including keyword research, defining HTML and meta tags, navigational feature of a site, RSS feeds and ‘Off Page Factors’ that includes analysis on competitors’ sites, submission of sites at directories, link building and popularity, submission at search engines etc.

Web Source : SEO , SEO Service , SEP