For many local businesses the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN have become the ‘new yellow pages’. For them it's vitally important to be seen. For organizations with national and international reach, if they're not recognized in the major search engines in connection with strategically important keywords and phrases, they effectively don’t exist, i.e., won't be discovered, by the millions of daily search engine users.
Affinity Track Internet Promotion is a leading Colorado-based search engine/internet marketing company. Affinity Track works with businessess to improve their positions in the major search engines and promote themselves online. We plan and implement both organic and paid search engine promotional programs. For more information you're invited to contact us today to begin a discussion about your search engine and overall internet promotional objectives.
If your company is interested in marketing itself online, particularly if ‘online’ means ’search engines’, it’s necessary to know what your targets are. Keyword targets that is.
We don’t have to guess about what search engine users are looking for. Tools exist to tell us exactly what keywords and phrases are being searched on. For example, ‘internet marketing tools’, the title of this blog is, according to the Google keywords tool, a popular search phrase.
Anyone can use the Google keyword tool for example. It’s located at:
There are other more in-depth internet tools around. This blog is not intended to be comprehensive. So if you’re interested, query the topic in your favorite search engine. Typically you’ll find that there are many more tools available than can realistically be utilized (and still run your business). Though with us, we can justify spending a little more time on such things … given the nature of our business. And of all the available tools … keyword tools are likely among the most useful.
How much should a company budget for search engine optimization-marketing? It’s a question we get asked now and then.
The short answer … determine a monthly budget for what your company can invest ‘forever’ (or at least the next year). As long as your company considers the internet to be a primary driver of new leads, exposure, positioning, et. al., then continuous investment in search engine promotion will be helpful.
Most organic SEO-SEM program involve content creation. Created relevant content can ‘live’ on the internet for an extended period of time. Content’s effectiveness in leading prospective customers to your company is cumulative. The more the better. The more relevant the better.
Again. Budget as much as you can indefinitely. Realistic SEO-SEM budgets range from a few hundred dollars per month to tens of thousands. Now that’s a range!
Conventional wisdom for some might suggest cutting back on marketing during challenging economic times. We take a different view.
When competitors may be having second thoughts about actively going after new business … what better time to put space between you and them? While marketing investments should always be made prudently, we recommend careful consideration on marketing investments, especially during tough economic times. Those who maintain their ‘marketing composure’ during slower periods stand to emerge stronger than ever once economic cycles turn upward again (and they always have). Competitors who may cut back will then be playing catch up. Marketing effectiveness is cumulative.
Since internet search engine marketing targets those who are actively seeking information about your product(s) and company … at the precise time they want it … in today’s ‘flat world’ economy it remains a great value, and an excellent long term investment.
For many local businesses the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN have become the ‘new yellow pages’. For them it’s vitally important to be seen. For organizations with national and international reach, if they’re not recognized in the major search engines in connection with strategically important keywords and phrases, they effectively don’t exist, i.e., won’t be discovered, by the millions of daily search engine users.
For additional information please contact Affinity Track Internet Promotion at 303.404.8699 or info@affinitytrack.com, or consult the company’s website at www.affinitytrack.com.
About Affinity Track
Affinity Track Internet Promotion is a leading Colorado-based search engine/internet marketing company. Affinity Track works with businesses to improve their positions in the major search engines and promote them online. We plan and implement both organic and paid search engine promotional programs.
How does your business compete? There’s typically no one answer to this question, though it’s a worthwhile question to consider when you’re deciding where to invest in the future.
Make a list sometime … be honest/objective (with yourself anyway) … where in your business can you really achieve competitive advantage? Remember that competitive advantage is a relative thing (relative to your competitors that is) and once you achieve it, it’s not necessarily permanent. The marketplace and your company’s position in it is always changing.
Do you have a ‘better’ product? Are you more established/well-known in your marketplace? Do you provide superior service? And on and on.
Your company’s prominence in search engines is often one place where it’s still possible to create a competitive advantage. Coming to the attention of prospective customers while they’re searching on relevant keywords can be the difference between getting a call/lead and not. For many busineses if they don’t show up in the major search engines in connection with strategically important keywords and phrases, they effectively don’t exist.
Interested in creating sustainable competitive advantage for your company/business? Consider your internet marketing strategy as part of the mix.
We can think of any number of jargon words/phrases and otherwise confusing terminology that intersects at some level with the discipline of ’search engine marketing’. Do most business people need to know them … probably not. For many people in business it’s challenging enough to stay abreast of what’s current within their particular profession (not to mention finding time for your family, getting a little exercise now and then, pursuing personal interests, et. al.).
Whether your company can benefit from the use of an internet marketing specialist may depend on several factors. How much does a prominent search engine presence mean to your business? Does your company have the internal expertise and other resources available to systematically promote yourself online? Do you have a plan?
In our experience there’s no one-size-fits-all internet marketing plan that works for all organizations. While our company offers several standard plans, they’re typically used as a starting point in the process of creating a customized program that best fits the needs of each client.
If you’re considering such a program, feel free to request information on our standard services. If it looks interesting, there’s always more to talk about. You can email us at info@affinitytrack.com or call us at 303-404-8699.
The real estate business in Boulder, Colorado, is competitive. Looking for a basis to compete may mean analyzing where there’s an opening relative to others in the field.
Internet marketing is one option. Many have heard the analogy that the internet search engines have become the new yellow pages. It’s true. And while many Boulder real estate professionals have representation in one way or another on the inernet, via web pages and such, how many are systematically developing their online presence to set them apart competitively? On the basis of our observation, not many. Therefore there’s a competitive gap or opening that can be exploited.
Affinity Track works on an exclusive basis in each of the business categories we operate in. This means, we work with only one Boulder real estate professional/broker/agent etc. at a time to promote their online presence.
Interested? Contact us to receive information on standard and custom search engine marketing/optimization plans for real estate professionals.
If we had but one piece of advice for businesses that want to show up prominently in the major search engines, it would be to first create great web sites. By ‘great’ we mean quality content, on-theme, well-written, and a sufficient quantity of it. Then keeping the content coming, improving, augmenting over time.
Blogs are a great way to add content to your site on a regular basis. How about a blog a day? Too much? Well then a blog a week might be part of your organization’s internet marketing plan.
To do this intelligently and strategically, you’ll benefit from some keyword research. Use keyword research to guide the selection of topics to write about. If you’re a dentist and the phrase ‘cosmetic dentistry’ ranks high among keyword searches … write something about cosmetic dentistry.
This is a step you can undertake today … getting a blog setup that is. Do the keyword research (or hire someone to do it), then write (and write, and write, and write some more). Call us if you need help.
If your company doesn’t have a plan (and a practice) of promoting its online presence, chances are you’re competitively falling behind. For so many companies and organizations, if you’re not seen on the first page(s) of Google, Yahoo, and the other search engines, in connection with strategically important keyword searches, then you don’t exist. Period.
It doesn’t need to be that way. Having a website is only half the battle (actually, maybe only a tenth of the battle). We think a 10:1 ratio makes sense in terms of investment in the website itself relative to investing in promoting it over time. That is, for every dollar spent in developing the site, figure on spending ten to promote it and bring meaningful traffic to your site.
OK, whether 10:1 or 2:1 or some other ratio, the point is it’s essential to invest in promoting your site. If you don’t, you’re not taking advantage of one of the (potentially) most powerful ways of promoting and bringing new customers to your business.