Search Engine Optimization Eblog

As a professional in the search marketing industry, sometimes I take it for granted that everyone understands the importance of search and wants to do all they can to make sure their site shows up online where their potential customers are searching...

Not everyone realizes that it takes work and a strategy.

For example, here's a misconception I sometimes come across:

"Our site comes up in Google, Yahoo, and MSN when I search on my company name. I think we're doing fine in the search engines."

Well, woe be to those companies that don't show up for their own name (and plenty do have that problem, believe it or not!) But the power of search engine optimization is that you can reach way beyond the base of searchers who know your company's name and product offering. In fact, you can show up in results even if no one has ever heard of your company name, much less searches specifically for it online.

The important point to remember is one that applies across all marketing platforms - focus on the customer. People who need your products or services are searching on terms representative of their problems, possible solutions, ideas, things they've heard that might be related, including company names that they speculate might offer what they need...

You can be found by someone who is looking for just what you offer - even those who don't know your company name

Take for example someone who wants to find a good printing service to print some business cards. They might search on keyword terms like: printing services (city), printers in (zip code), print business cards online, cheap business card printing, etc. They WANT to find a good company like yours offering this service. But if you only show up for your business name, chances are they won't find you.

So, a major reason to optimize your site is to broaden the base of customers you can gain exposure to online. More next time...