Before one can fully understand the importance and necessity of
implementing a search engine optimization program into their
marketing mix, it is important to look first at the phenomenal
statistics regarding Internet use. For example: •There are 7 new
people on the Internet every second. •Every 4th person online is
buying something right now. •One billion dollars in e-commerce
transactions will be conducted this month. •Over one trillion
dollars in e-commerce business will be generated this year. •1
out of 8 dollars spent by consumers is spent on online
transactions. (Source: ACCUTIPS.com, December 2003) Furthermore,
according to glreach.com, there were 649 million Internet users
online worldwide in March 2003---a 14 percent increase in just
one year! That comes out to be about 88 million new users in
that year alone.
There can be no question that the Internet is continuing to grow
at an amazing pace. While the fact that so many consumers are
online is important, it is even more crucial to understand what
these consumers are doing while online. The two most outstanding
reasons people use the Internet is to communicate (e-mail) and
to research (using search engines).
Again, here are a few statistics regarding how people spend
their time online (for more statistics and a list of sources,
visit http://www.10xmarketing.com/information.asp):
•88% of all Internet users use search engines
•37% of online shoppers used Google to search for online
retailers. Search was used by 25 percent of consumers searching
the Web for holiday purchases
•For car buying decisions, search engine advertising proved
itself a stronger influencer (26 percent) than TV ads (17
percent)
•Virtually all affluent adult shoppers (HHI $100K+) use the Web
to make or research their purchases. For automobile, computer
and travel purchases, Internet use is extraordinarily high (over
90 percent of those surveyed)
When consumers go to the Internet, they use search engines
because they are able to find the products they want, reviews,
descriptions, consumer ratings, and the best price possible.
Consumers are less concerned with where they buy their products
as much as they are concerned with how much product they can get
for their dollar.
Thus, each day millions of people use search engines to look for
items they want to buy on the Internet. Those businesses that
appear on the first page of these searches are getting 50% to
70% of the business from these customers. There is little doubt
that potential customers are currently using search engines to
search for the products and services your company sells. The
only real question is, “What are you doing to help them find
you, instead of your competitors?”
There are two ways to have your web site to appear on the first
page of any search. The first is to engage in a pay-per-click
campaign. The second is to appear on the first page due to
“free” or natural search results. Getting high, natural rankings
in major search engines is one of the most efficient and cost
effective ways to market and sell your products on the Internet.
Search engines use complex, mathematical algorithms to determine
which web sites are ranked high and which are not. If your web
site matches the criteria, you’re ranked high. If it doesn’t,
then you’re not. It’s that simple.
Search engine optimization, then, is designing your website and
all of your eCommerce actions so that when consumers search for
keywords that are central to your company, your website will
appear at the top of the search results.
For example, if your company sells running shoes (a keyword that
receives 127,575 searches per month), it would be very
beneficial to be one of the top websites on the search engine.
If you received only a small percentage of new visitors each
month from that top ranking, it would still result in a
significant source of revenue.
It might help to think of it this way: At least 10 million
Internet searches are performed every month within each major
business category. If only 1% of those searches found your
website, you would have over 100,000 new visitors to your site
each month. If only 1% of those visitors purchased your products
or services, you would be making more than 1,000 new sales per
month. (The worldwide average is 2.5%, making these conservative
estimates.)
The scope of this article is not to look at the methods behind
search engine optimization. Instead, it is to look at the
importance the Internet is playing in business development today
and in the future. The traditional marketing schemes of the past
still have their place, but advertising dollars must be
allocated to Internet marketing.
As Bruce Carlisle, CEO of SFInteractive said, “If you aren’t
putting money into search engines you are letting business walk
out the door.”
About the author:
This article was written by Mike Barton, of 10x Marketing. 10x
Marketing provides companies with Internet marketing solutions
that will increase consumer visits on a regular basis, thus
increasing potential sales and revenue. Contact 10x Marketing
today for more information about your company's Internet
potential.
