Small Business Search Engine Marketing - Will You Benefit?
by Mark Forst
In January 2006, Americans undertook 5.48 billion searches using search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, according to industry research. As the U.S. search market continues to increase at a double-digit rate, many businesses are utilizing search engine marketing (SEM) to increase their website traffic and boost their sales. SEM refers to the act of marketing a website via search engines, which can include improving its rank in organic listings, buying paid listings or using a combination of these and other search engine-related activities, according to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO). Several St. Louis companies are taking advantage of SEM to grow their businesses, and the following points can help you determine if SEM can benefit your business.
1. Your company sells specialized products that aren’t easily found at local retailers.
The Internet has opened up a worldwide marketplace for very specialized e-commerce sites to thrive. Think about it: if there’s a hard-to-find product, you can almost certainly buy it online, and the Internet is often the first place that people look for these products. Many people actually prefer buying specialty products online because it is more convenient than searching for them at local stores. If your company retails hard-to-find goods, it is important for potential consumers to find your website online.
Mike Minor, president of Vivian International, a distributor and retailer of ice-making supplies and equipment, realized that something needed to be done when he searched the web for ice-making supplies and couldn’t easily find his website. Minor knew that in order to drive traffic and increase sales of his specialty products among a very targeted online audience, his site needed to be visible and appealing. By modifying the company’s website for SEM optimization, Vivian International now garners more than 500 top rankings on the major search engines and has successfully expanded into the national market.
2. The market for your products is not limited geographically.
Can your products be sold to people all over the United States or the world? A national or worldwide market can positively transform your business—but only if your website has good visibility on the web. SEM exposes thousands or even millions of potential customers to your products in a cost-effective way that can never be matched by brick-and-mortar stores.
Carrie Kouri, the founder of Bright Start Therapeutics, which is a Creve Coeur-based retailer of therapeutic products for special needs children, knew that the web could effectively bring her products to thousands of people, but she didn’t know where to start. Based on her desire to operate an e-commerce site rather than brick-and-mortar stores, Kouri began researching how to effectively launch a web-based company. She learned about SEM and decided that it could boost her website’s search engine rankings and attract visitors from all over the globe. After utilizing SEM, Bright Start Therapeutics has dramatically increased its national and international sales, and Kouri successfully manages her thriving business from her own home.
3. There is significant search volume for your products.
Significant search volume is the most crucial factor to your SEM success. It refers to the number of times per month that people search for products using search engines. If enough people look for your products, you can have success with SEM—even if your business sells commodity products to a local market. However, if no one is looking for your products, it’s very difficult to benefit from SEM.
In order to discover the search volume of keyword phrases related to your business, use the free keyword suggestion tool provided by Yahoo Search Marketing at www.inventory.overture.com, or visit www.wordtracker.com. At these sites, type in several terms that you think people would use to search for your business. For example, if you’re a personal injury lawyer in St. Louis, research the search volumes of “St. Louis lawyer,” “St. Louis personal injury lawyer” or “St. Louis injury lawyer.” When you type in these words, you’ll see their search volumes: in February 2006, “St. Louis lawyer” garnered 579 searches, “St. Louis personal injury lawyer” had 465 searches and “St. Louis injury lawyer” received 68 searches. If the most searched terms can be used to effectively describe your business—and if you think that they can increase your website’s visibility and generate increased sales or leads—you might want to rewrite the content on your site to include these terms.
Antennas Direct, a Eureka-based retailer of digital and HDTV antenna systems, decided to use SEM based on the significant search volume of antennas online. Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct, reviewed his goals for the company and discovered that more visibility on the web could help him realize his biggest goal: selling his antennas nationwide. Schneider researched the search volume of keywords related to his business, and began implementing SEM in his website. One year later, Antennas Direct’s increased web visibility has helped the company reach a national audience and achieve more than $1 million in HDTV antenna sales.
If you are interested in learning how SEM can benefit your small business, check out online resources to help you implement SEM on your own. An SEM consultant can also assist you through the process. SEM is transforming the online marketplace, and increasing your website’s visibility can dramatically impact your bottom line.
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