Search Marketing - Look At The Whole Picture And Achieve Your Objectives

When it comes to search engine marketing (SEM), many assume this should focus entirely on pay per click advertising
, also known as paid search. However, other aspects of search engine optimisation (SEO) should come into play for a more holistic and well-rounded approach.

A good search marketing strategy should include both organic search engine optimisation, whereby SEO professionals will conduct a campaign using various proven techniques, and paid search, in which certain keywords are bid and paid for - all in the battle to drive a website up the search engine results page (SERP).
A Joined Up Approach To Search Marketing

There are many factors which make up an effective search engine marketing campaign from an organic SEO perspective - building a website designed with SEO in mind, using well-written content containing targeted keywords, link-building using SEO copywriting techniques, submitting to search engines...the list goes on. Yet it does take time and patience and for short-term results many businesses consider paid search in the first instance.

Paid search, or pay per click, involves bidding on certain keywords relevant to your target market, which gives you a result high up on the page, and you pay your host when your 'ad' or result listing is displayed/clicked. So, if you type 'designer handbags' into Google, the sponsored (i.e. paid for) links are along the top and down the side of the page, drawing consumers in first.

However, paid search will obviously cost you money and the more people you get clicking through to your website, the more it will cost you. If you are undertaking an organic SEO campagin at the same time, and you start to see results from this, the temptation can be to drop the paid search aspect - yet this is a short-sighted view, as the two can work effectively together in synergy. If organic SEO is starting to bear fruit, you could consider dropping your spend on paid search in order to cut back on some costs without losing any of the good work you have built up.
Look At The Whole Picture

Search marketing should take into consideration all of the elements which make up an effective campaign, and it is a matter of trial and error to find out what works best. Dismissing paid search or organic search means you are not considering the bigger picture - a process of deduction rather than dismissal takes all factors into account, and you will probably find a mixture of natural and paid search is the way to go.

In search marketing, there is no room for purists who completely advocate one over the other - find the ideal mix of techniques you will reap the benefits, and your return on investment will be clear. Beware any SEO or SEM specialists who say you should never pay for traffic and those that say you should always do so - all you will get is a lack of balance and not the results you are hoping for.