Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Search Engine Marketing or SEM is a broad category which includes various methods of internet marketing techniques. All these techniques are aimed at and used for improving the visibility of websites in search engines. It is believed and has been proved that when all these methods are used effectively, a website is likely to get improved page rank, thereby generating more revenue. However, no one till date is aware of the methodology various search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Alta Vista and others follow to rank these websites. The various strategies which are included in SEM are Search Engine Optimisation or SEO, Pay Per Click, Paid Inclusion and Social Media Optimization.
Search engine optimisatio n is an Internet marketing technique which attempts to improve the page rank of websites by optimizing the website with relevant yet competitive keywords. The main focus of the method is optimizing the website content with relevant keywords and increasing the back link count. This is the most widely known technique which is followed and adapted by thousands of website owners in order to improve the visibility of their websites. The websites are normally optimized with keywords which people looking for relevant services or products offered by the website are likely to search for in the search engines. The process might also include optimization of the website's structure, design and, in certain cases, the coding too. Yet the most important point to be noted is that even all these methods taken together do not assure sure results in the search engine. All depends on the experience of the SEO expert who works on the website and the successful execution of the assumption he / she makes in getting better results.
Pay per click is an online advertisement technique which is widely used in search engines and websites. It is also used in various advertising networks which are nothing but master websites specifically designed for advertising online. Also called as PPC, Pay per clicks is widely used by advertisers who bid on certain keywords which they feel are relevant to their products or services. These keywords are selected based on the assumption of what keywords the target audience is expected to type and search in the search engines. The bid rate for these keywords would depend on the popularity of the keyword. Highly competitive keyword would cost much more than what an ordinary keyword would cost. The advertiser needs to pay only for those visitors who visit the advertiser's website by clicking on the particular ad.
Paid inclusion is another Internet marketing technique which demands a fee from the webmaster for inclusion of the web page in the search index. Most of the search engines have this scheme, the exception being Google. The fee for inclusion is collected based on the number of web pages. A nominal fee is charged on per web page basis. However, the schemes followed by search engines largely vary from one another.
Social media optimization is also a methodology which is used in search engine marketing. It is a method in which websites are optimized by linking the websites with other online communities and websites forming a linked network among hundreds of websites. RSS Feeds is one in which the content from one website is exported and dynamically updated in another.
At XEL Web Design , we apply all these techniques, in certain cases, in combination, in order to promote a website. The methodology used and adapted would depend on the nature of the website and it is always determined by the online marketing experts we have.
