Website Marketing: Search Engine Optimization
The Honest Truth: You Can't Win This Game.

Well, that may not be the best way to compete for your business, but it's the stark, honest truth. I have helped clients, partners and employers build and market online businesses now for more than 7 years. In that time, I have witnessed the metamorphosis of Search Engines from simple, straightforward indexing tools to the massive money-making businesses they are today.

That’s what it is all about, you know: making money.

The Search Engines themselves make massive amounts of profit on advertising, not to mention the incredible number cottage industries that they have spawned. Just look at Google. Six years ago it was a pair of geeks in a garage, now it is a publicly traded company valued in the billions. You don't think that they made that much money altruistically helping potential customers find your company website so YOU can make money, do you?

Of course not.

If your website is not the topical font of all useful wisdom, a leader in its bailiwick, then you are going to have to dig deep into your pocketbook to rate the attention you crave from search engine visitors. Surprisingly enough, businesses and website owners understand that.

That's what makes them so ripe for the picking.

The smell of all that money being generated in an industry that stands on the shoulders of a largely ignorant public is like blood in the water for enterprising sharks.

Enter the SEO Witchdoctor.

I can't tell you how many times my clients, partners or industry peers have been burned by SEO Companies who promised that if they only followed their arcane advice... they could put their website at the top of the heap for a minimal cost.

Almost every case I witnessed yielded the same results. Once the SEO Voodoo had worked its magic the websites in question either lost traction, gained none or were actually banned. The Witchdoctors inevitably cast blame: incompetent web developers, poor direction from the client, new algorithms recently adopted by the search engines, and my favorite... market saturation.

I think I have heard every nebulous excuse in the book.

One of the more amazing things I have noticed is that most SEO "consultants" don't know a thing about hand-coding a website. Now, I'll be the first to admit that most website developers know little about how Search Engines see the world, but some of these companies didn't even have an employee on staff that could actually WRITE a webpage.

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time swallowing that pill. Some of the things that search engines look for are deep inside the code and can't be spotted by a self-styled SEO consultant who reads a few books and downloads a trial edition of Dream Weaver to practice what he has learned.

So what do you do? You can't IGNORE search engines.

Actually, some clients that I have worked with CAN and it should serve as a reality check for how important search engines are to your enterprise. It all depends on who your target audience is. You run a business. Who are your customers? Do they search for your products and services on the Internet? Do they do it by blindly searching for keywords, or do they start their searches from other websites they know?

For MOST websites, you want to play SEO Hopscotch for at least a couple of turns before you move on to better things. Just don't get hung up on search engine placement because some guy in a Polynesian mask promises that he can do it for free.

BE HONEST.

Search Engines make money by delivering results. If people did not find what they were looking for, they wouldn't use them. If people don't use them, you can't make money advertising on them. Search Engines want to deliver useful information. Their livelihood depends on it. If your website doesn't have an abundance of useful information, then just hang up your hat and focus on cross marketing or pay-per-click advertising.

DON'T LOSE YOUR FOCUS.

If your message is nothing but unfocused swirling gas then it is time to settle down and start making a point. It sounds like common sense, but mistakes I frequently see are websites that try to be EVERYTHING. Just be good at what you do. Do what you say your going to do. Do it better than the other guy. You'll do well.

MAKE SURE YOUR SITE IS EASILY DIGESTABLE.

Playing the SEO game as an obsession may not yield the results you are striving for, but ignoring it completely isn't exactly a great idea either. There are a lot of basic rules that you can follow to make sure that your content is being indexed by the top Search Engines. Yes, paying attention to how your pages are seen by Spiders, what titles you use, the meta tags you create, the keywords you choose, presenting your content in an index-able manner, hiding content behind tons of URL variables, links out, links in, your Google page rank, your Alexa rating... these don't fall in the realm of the trivial, and often comprise the bulk of SEO attention. It's not going to bring your site to the forefront; it's just a minimum effort if you want your site to be properly digested by the Search Engine Spiders.

CROSS-MARKETING WILL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND.

The Internet has invaded every aspect of marketing today. You can't even see a city bus drive by these days without a URL plastered across the back of it. Even restaurant napkins are website invitations these days. This is cross-marketing, and it can be anything from a business card to an expensive print ad. I have a number of clients that are yacht brokers; do you think that they will sell more ten million dollar yachts by investing in SEO voodoo, or by flying a balloon over the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show with their website address on it? I think you get the picture.

PAY PER CLICK ADVERTISING WORKS.

I'm talking about Overture and Google Ad Words. It is not the Holy Grail of internet marketing, but if you manage your keywords properly and don't try to be the number one result 24/7, then it can turn out to be money well spent.

GOT PRODUCTS? GET THEM LISTED.

There are a number of online databases like Price Watch and Froogle that people search to compare prices. Each one plays differently, and there is almost always money involved. Don't tell me that surprises you. What surprises ME is that companies will routinely spend tens of thousands of dollars a month on print advertising, and then they refuse to spend a few hundred dollars a month on the Internet. Trust me, people are on the Internet. Just recently a report was released that revealed that 50% of web surfers in the United States are now using broadband connections. They're not just on the internet; they're eating it up faster than ever.

GOT LOCATION? DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE YELLOW PAGES.

You know your business. Do the Yellow Pages help drive business to your door? If so, don't forget that there is an online component that you can capitalize on as well. Talk to your Yellow Pages sales representative about what kind of extra online services they have and how much they cost. If the Yellow Pages are useful to your business, then it certainly makes sense to pay for a link to your website, doesn't it?

...all the more reason for you to be cautious and wise with your marketing money.

Information Overload. I'm lost. I trust you. Tell me what to do.