Search engine marketing (SEM) is a very large topic (actually a set of topics). The short version is that your need to find the right mix of organic search engine optimization and paid (pay-per-click or PPC) search engine marketing for your business. What is the right combination? Simply put, the right combination is the one that gives you the best ROI for your marketing dollars.

Placing Your Web Site in the Searcher's Path

The Internet is primarily an information medium, and your customers use it primarily to find information (not advertising) about competing products. If you give them the information they need to make an informed decision about your products, you increase your chance of making a sale. However, you still need a way to get them to your Web site.

Search marketing takes advantage of the way people use the Internet. By anticipating the way that people search for information on the Internet, you can find ways to make your Web site stand out. Essentially, you place your Web site in their search path.

Run-time has the skills and experience to increase the visibility of your site quickly and methodically.

Finding the Right Keywords Is Just the Start

Determining the right keywords takes knowledge, technology, and patience. Knowledge of searchers' language is very important. Knowledge of searchers' behavior once they visit your site is equally important.

The technology to monitor visitors' behavior once they are at your site is key to this knowledge. Do more people who search on this term buy vs. those who search using another term? Does one term get more traffic, but cost more? Does one term cost more but get more conversion? Having this knowledge and the patience to review constantly, and make changes based on the knowledge gained, is the key to your Search Engine Marketing success.

Competition for keyword phrases grows daily. Your search engine results are affected not only by the thousands of new sites and new pages popping up every single day, but also by the enormous amount of competition for the most popular search terms. Because of this, organic search listings are changing constantly, and need to be monitored and improved constantly.

Unless your in-house understanding of SEO is complete, you should consider outsourcing to Run-time. We will act as your search engine advocate, reporting results to you regularly, and advising you on how to improve those results for maximum return on marketing investment.

Call 1-800-339-7834, or (416) 686-9609, or e-mail today to find out how Run-time can help you find the optimal blend of organic and paid search engine marketing.