Search
engine marketing begs the question, how do search engines
display their search results. In general, search engines
offer results come from one of two places, "sponsored
listings and "organic search results." In this article we will focus on how
listings are presented in the four major search engines,
Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft Live, Ask.com and AOL Search.
"Organic"
Search Listings
The
term "organic search listings" is used to imply
search results that originate from an indexing and
algorhythmic process; that is, they are listed based on an
automated template unique to each respective search engine.
For
the most part, these processes are ever-changing.
Achieving
high organic rankings is the result of the search engine
optimization process. Put into basic terms, good search engine
optimization follows the following 4 steps ::
1.
Keyword Research
2. Site Optimization
3. Inbound Link Acquisition
4. Ongoing Analysis and Follow Up
5. Patience
Paid
Placement
All
of the major web sites use some type of sponsored listings on their
search results page. For the major search engines these listings come from one of
two Paid Listing programs (often called "Pay-Per-Click"),
Overture of Google AdWords.
Pay
Per Click advertising allows the marketer to select keywords and phrases and
bid an amount they are willing to pay each time an end user
clicks on their listing result. The highest bids
combined with ad and landing page quality, receive
the highest rankings.
Paid
Placement may sound simple, but there are numerous facets that
can effect how well a paid placement program works. A
good paid placement program requires the following:
1.
Keyword Research
2. Knowledgeable Ad & Landing Page Creation
3. Constant Bid Monitoring
4. Ongoing Analysis and Follow Up
Local
Search Results
Many
of the major search engines include local search results (when
applicable). If you include a geographic qualifier, such
as a city or region name, in your search, you may trigger
results from the search engines' local search databases.
In each instance, local results come from a separate databse
than organic or sponsored listings.
Pros
and Cons
Recent
studies indicate that as searchers have become more savvy as to
the origin of search results, more end users favor organic
search results over sponsored listings. However,
that is not to say that sponsored listings do not effective or
does not have its place in a well managed search engine
marketing program.
In
general, a pay per click program can be up and running within
a few days, giving your company the ability to attract
targeted customers immediately. It is great for new
product or new service offerings, or seasonal
advertising.
Search
engine optimization is generally geared toward achieving high
"organic rankings," and tends to require a great
deal more time, but in the long run is more economical and
effective. Achieving high search rankings in Google
can be particularly time consuming, and
often requires several months before optimization effort
pays off.
