When you are looking for a specific product, you go to Google, Yahoo!, and MSN, type in the keywords relating to what you want, then look for a list of businesses provided. This is called “Search”.  Search has increased the reach of the consumer as well as the business. Small businesses can now compete with large ones, businesses are open online 24/7, 365, and a business in one state can reach around the world.

For your business to be successful, you must have a good presence on search engines. Think about it this way, people already know what they want, they just need to find someone to buy it from!

There are multiple ways to make sure you are ranking well on search engines. One of those is SEO, search engine optimization. Search engine optimization (SEO) improves the volume of traffic to a web site from "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords.  Usually, the higher a website "ranks",  the more visitors will visit that site. SEO allows you to build credibility with search engines and online customers, and is the best long term investment for your company. Investing in SEO allows you, over time, to rank for numerous keywords, and become a trusted source of information for search engines. Search engines want a credible source of information for their customers searching online. Some of the work that will be done on a website with a SEO campaign is link building, social networking, content revisions, improve site structure, increase relevancy, and more. All SEO traffic to your website can be tracked for ROI (return on investment) and conversions. SEO campaigns will see results in 3-6 months.

 

 

Another way to make sure you show up on search engines is to do Sponsored Ads a.k.a. Pay Per Click, PPC. Pay per click ads show up on the top and down the right hand side of the search engine results page. PPC ads can target as many keywords as you want. PPC ads can be very specific, and have multiple ad copy. Ads can be tested to measure success. A PPC campaign can be started very quickly and results can be seen within 24 hours. This is a great way to rank for numerous keywords, especially if your SEO campaign has just started.

 

 

Another way to make sure you are listed on the search engine results page is to get listed in multiple directories. An excellent way to do that is a local business profile page (LBPP). LBPP are micro-sites that are easily indexed by search engines. They have an overview of the company with contact information and driving directions. LBPP are submitted to 45 directories and search engines every month. This is an ideal way to make sure you are listed in all online directories, and in the local maps section of the search engine results page. Online directories get a lot of traffic, so by being in them you are piggy-backing off their established ranking on search engines.