Online Marketing
| Online Marketing Overview |
Search Engine Terminology and Technology can often be confusing. Here at Search Logic plc we aim to increase our client’s knowledge of the services which we deliver and the methodology and reasoning behind each service. Please find below a simple overview to the types of Search Engine Marketing being implemented presently by companies looking to increase their online visibility and Return on Investment.
| 1) Natural or Organic Listings. |
This is the part of a search engine results page that details the natural listing results from a keyword query. The listings are displayed in accordance to their relevancy to the keyword or phrase and the web page. Search Engines apply a ranking algorithm to determine which site is placed where.
The methodology for achieving a higher natural listing is called search engine optimisation (SEO). This technique involves deciding which phrases to optimise, and which on-page and off-page factors to implement. On-page factors involve making changes to the actual website itself, and off-page factors involve activities such as submission to directories, creation of links, article copywriting etc.
The process is time consuming and it is necessary to be aware of the impact any changes may have as they can be regarded as both positive and negative by search engines. Certain techniques can get websites blacklisted by search engines which means that your website is effectively banned from being displayed under any search term. Therefore, it is extremely important to know what techniques to implement to gain a higher natural listing on search engines.
Search Engine Optimisation should be viewed as a long term solution to Online Marketing as it takes on average 6 to 18 months to see being listed naturally is that it becomes a cost effective way of attracting higher volumes of traffic to your website.
| 2) Paid or Sponsored listings. |
This is the part of a search engine results page that details a relevant advert that is displayed in accordance to its relevancy to the keyword or phrase used as a search term and the landing page which a browser is taken to when clicking onto the advertisement.
With paid or sponsored listing, there is a fee charged for every browser that clicks through to the landing page. This fee is dependant on the bid price allocated to the keyword or phrase, and in turn this determines largely where the advert appears on a search results page.
The methodology for getting an advert displayed within this section is called Pay Per Click (PPC) and this technique involves the
creation of a keyword list, adverts, landing pages and overall campaign themes that are designed to maximise return on investment from the allocated click spend budget. The process is complex and time consuming with various pit falls that need to be avoided, for example wasting click spend through not including negative keywords to your keyword list, and not recognising the need to maintain relevancy within the advert and landing page to the search term used.
The advantage of PPC is that you can see instant results and can turn up the volume once you have found a strategic approach that is providing measurable results within a single campaign or multiple campaigns. The budget allocated to campaigns can be altered on a daily basis so that you can completely control your online marketing spend. In addition, the ability to test market keywords, adverts and landing pages allows a flexible and reactive solution to online marketing that SEO simply does not deliver.
3) Content-network listings.
The content network is operated by Google and their systems analyses the content and web address of a particular web page and matches the information to the keywords and adverts contained within an Ad Group. If deemed relevant then your advert will be displayed on the Google Content network through using third party websites. That way when browsers are on a third party website, if they have navigated their using keywords or phrases contained within your advert then your advert with be displayed on the website to allow the browser to click through to your website.
Online marketing campaigns can identify one or multiple Google partner sites on which to display their contextual advert. You can price your advert on a per click basis or per 1000 impressions so that you can control your expenditure on the content network. Ranking for contextual ads is determined by a similar process to how paid listings work – it depends on factors like the maximum cost-per-click you have chosen, the click-through rate that your ad has established on the content network and the quality of your ad text and keywords. Despite Click through rates tending to be lower, utilising the content network is fast becoming a popular form of online marketing.