One of the trendiest takes on Internet marketing these days
seems to be the notion that securing top search engine
rankings "no longer works." Where it started, I have no
idea.
But rarely does a week go by when I don't see one or more
Internet marketing "experts" claiming that search engine
positioning is largely a waste of time and should not be a
primary focus of Website owners.
Well, as the saying goes, "there are two sides to every
story."
But let's not make this article about my side, or your side,
or anyone else's side. Let's forget about my opinion and
other "expert's" opinions and stick to the indisputable
facts, as reported by highly credible third party sources:
=> According to a Forrester Research Media Field Study,
getting a loyal audience in the first place is best done by
Search Engine Placement.
=> According to a GVU Users Survey, 84.8% of Internet users
use Search Engines to find Websites.
=> In a study released by ActivMedia Research in September
1999, Search Engine Positioning was ranked as the #1 Website
promotional method used by eCommerce sites.
=> And look what I just found in the April 2000 issue of
Target Marketing Magazine. (Source: IMT Strategies -
http://www.imtstrategies.com)
"Top Ways Websites are Discovered"
Banner ads: 1%
Targeted email: 1.2%
TV spots: 1.4%
"By accident": 2.1%
Magazine ads: 4.4%
Word-of-mouth: 20%
Random Surfing: 20%
Search Engines: 46%
You've now seen the numbers and know that search engine
promotion is very much alive and kicking. But let's take
this a step further. Let's talk about the *quality* of
prospects coming to your Website through search engines as
opposed to other advertising mediums.
Every time your potential customers use the search engines,
they qualify themselves as *hot prospects* by conducting
searches on keywords that are directly related to your
product or service. Their choice of keywords is proof that
they have a genuine interest in what you offer. These people
spend their valuable time exploring the search engines for
your type of product or service.
Think about that.
They didn't stumble upon one of your ads, or wander past a
hyperlink to your site. And they didn't get a banner ad
thrown in their face. They made the *decision* to actively
search the keywords that brought them to YOUR Website. And
when they get there, they are ready and willing to do
business with you. At the very least, they're seriously
considering it!
But merely getting your Website "indexed" or listed in the
search engines is not enough. In order to get any
significant traffic from the search engines, your Website
must be listed within the top 30 search results (preferably
the top 20).
Very rarely will anyone look beyond the first 30 results
returned from a search. This makes perfect sense because the
most relevant sites are always listed at the top. So if your
prospect doesn't find what they want within the first 20 to
30 listings, they'll simply do a new search.
If your site falls anywhere below the 30th listing, you
don't stand a chance against anyone in the TOP-20. Hence, it
should be your goal to achieve Top 20 positions.
How do you get your Website listed in the top 20?
1) You can attempt to gain these Top 20 rankings yourself.
However, this can easily become a full time job. (I think
this is why so many marketers advise against focusing on
search engine positioning.)
2) You can hire a reputable company who can achieve AND
maintain your Top 20 rankings for you (be sure they
guarantee their service and have several verifiable clients
that currently have multiple Top 20 rankings).
3) You can do nothing at all. But as you've seen from the
third party statistics referenced above, search engine
positioning is something you can't afford to ignore.
Whatever choice you make, I hope that your eyes have been
opened to the tremendous profit potential that exists with
top search engine placement.
