October 2003

Are you being served? Why search engine marketing is about more than just Google rankings

Sam Steane

Search engine marketing is generally seen as being all about achieving high rankings in the search engines - in other words, top 10 results for targeted key phrases - as a result of a website optimisation. With log file access, the search engine marketer may also provide the client with evidence of an increase in visitors as a result of the optimisation.

But is this really enough? Should the search engine marketer only be concerned with the number of top 10 or top 20 results? Shouldn't he or she also be concerned how many visitors arrive at a client's website? And whether those visitors convert? Where does the job of the search engine marketer end?


So traffic is up - but what about sales?

Search engine marketing is more than just achieving top 10 rankings or an increase in visitors to the website. There is an addition obligation to offer advice about the website as a whole, not just about the pages which will be optimised. Is there any point in obtaining good rankings in the search engines if the website is not up to scratch, or will not do the job of making sales? More to the point, is your search engine marketer willing to go that extra step and help your website to be the best it can be?

Marketers, whether online or offline, are concerned with the entire acquisition process - which ends not with a lead, but a sale. In the online world, this means that increased traffic is only the start. The website needs to be easy to navigate and compelling to the visitor. We're not debating the best technology to use here, but the user experience, which is paramount to the success of a website.

If visitors aren't converting into customers, you're not just wasting your search engine budget. You could even be alienating potential customers who are disappointed once they arrive at your site. So if your web developer is getting carried away with experimenting with the latest program, or your designer wants to explore his skills in Flash, then take a step back and think about what the website is for and what you want it to do.


Get search engine consultancy before building the site

The search engine marketer needs to consider the navigation of the website, programs used in the development of the website, layout and design, content and copy plus other key elements such as 404 error pages, sitemaps and full contact details - all before the optimisation of the website has even started. Getting details like this right from the beginning is vital. Once done, the website is ready for optimisation. No point cutting corners by optimising first then changing the website afterwards as you will already be losing potential business.

After optimisation of the website, your online marketer should be finding ways of promoting it beyond the traditional search engines. If quick results are needed, then you will need to pay, since the traditional search engines can take up to six months before you see significant results. Try the pay-per-click search engines to boost results early on; it’s easily done within a budget. Paying for inclusion will ensure a site is indexed within a couple of days of submission. A discriminating link-building campaign starting with the directories will help towards that all-important link popularity, now used in the ranking algorithms of many search engines.


Full-service search engine marketing : an integrated approach

Website promotion does not start with optimisation and end at a number 1 in Google. It starts at the conception of the website and is a continuous, ongoing process delivering not just browsers but buyers. Far from offering a 'stand alone' add-on service, professional search engine marketers should be well placed to consult on all aspects of your web promotion strategy.



Related article: Search engine marketing moves into the fast lane by Robin Houghton
- from the Marketing Society newsletter eNuggets, September 2003 (PDF download)