AKR Solutions

Search Engine Marketing is about using search engines like Google to attract visitors to your website.

There are two ways of going about this.

1. Search engine optimisation (SEO). This is about trying to gain prominence in the ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ listings - the results found on the left of the search results page. It doesn’t cost you anything when someone clicks on these links, but SEO requires patience, investment and a long-term approach.
2. Paid search. These ‘sponsored links’ are essentially results that advertisers have control over. Companies choose to place ads that are matched to search queries. These links tend to be found on the right of the page and at the very top. You undergo a cost every time somebody clicks on them. You define how much you’re prepared to pay – it’s essentially an auction that governs ad position, with the top ad typically paying the most per click.

Search engine marketing is hugely important for all businesses, even if you are not selling online. There are no exceptions to the rule – you absolutely must have a strategy for search. Despite this fact, many businesses have yet to fully embrace the search engines, despite the popularity of Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

Search engines allow you to reach out to consumers at a time when they are actively ‘searching’ for something. It is a highly-targeted form of advertising that can deliver excellent results.

Search engines are immensely popular, and the internet’s foremost navigational tool. As a route to market, Google, the most popular search engine by far, is unsurpassed. It generates many billions of pounds worth of revenue for the companies indexed in its results. Google’s users are your prospective customers, and probably your existing ones too.

With search engines, placement is everything. Most people will click on the first result presented to them by following a keyword search. The vast majority won’t get beyond the first 10 results. As such, if your company isn’t found on the first page of the organic results then you may consider buying your way to the top via paid search platforms (such as Google Adwords).

If you’re new to search there is no need to panic. It really isn’t rocket science. You just need to start somewhere. This guide will help you understand the opportunity, and we have some other guides to help you understand the finer details of search.