Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

For businesses that are looking to obtain new customers, there is no better time or opportunity than today. While the majority of small businesses are spinning their wheels trying old-hat advertising and marketing methods, a new crop of businesses have discovered the power of local search engine marketing. These companies are garnering new customers on a daily basis and are making considerable profits. Here are a few of the new marketing methods they are using to achieve this tremendous new degree of success.

The first local web marketing technique these companies are using is paid local advertising. When an Internet user in their area searches for something related to their business on a search engine like Google, Bing or Yahoo, their ad pops up in front of the Internet user. One of the main reasons that this marketing method is so well liked is that the company only has to pay an advertising fee if the Internet user actually clicks on the ad. This is called pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. This means that they do not waste their time advertising to hundreds or thousands of uninterested people, as is common in newspaper or radio ads. Instead, they only pay when someone has expressed interest in their product or service. It is then up to the business owner to turn that interested prospect into a paying customer.

The second way that this new generation of entrepreneurs is leveraging the Internet to reach local customers is through the use of search engine optimization (SEO). This means that they are tailoring their website to receive free Internet traffic every time someone searches for specific keyword phrases in the major search engines. This is similar to advertising with pay per click marketing, but the difference is that they are getting a steady stream of prospects without ever having to pay for them. All it took was a bit of upfront effort to get their website optimized and patience to wait until it takes effect. Even if they do not know anything about search engine optimization, they can hire the services of one of many companies out there. These companies can optimize any website to make it appear near the top of the search engine results. It can take nine to 12 months for this strategy to work, but many believe it is well worth the wait.