Before you begin reading this, please note that whatever I'll say in next few articles is strictly for beginners and if you find anything to the contrary feel free to point out.
Now, with that out of the way, lets start with the lesson:
A Little Retrospection: Part I:
Long long ago (about 15 years) the only way of reaching the masses was through advertisements in newspapers and/or through some audio-visual media like television. Back then companies used to create ad campaigns for their products hoping to spread the word and thereby create/generate sales. This type of advertising commonly referred to as "Outbound Advertising" which generally involves the above mentioned ad campaigns along with direct one on one marketing tactics like telemarketing, leaflets and so on. These tactics, although hugely successful, were, obviously, limited by factors such as cost and were, mostly but not always, geographically limited. There was also a not so slim chance of some would be customer slamming his/her phone/door in the face of the marketing executive.
A Little Retrospection: Part II:
But all this has changed since the advent of web and more importantly with the current exponential growth rate of internet penetration worldwide. This has brought the world together like never before and has also opened new doors for new methods of marketing. Now almost every company worth its name owns at least one website and tries to provide detailed information about its products and services using that website. A user can, after reading through the website and comparing it to other similar ones, make a decision about purchase of products or services of that particular company.
Marketing Challenges With Online Marketing:
The web, being what it is, has made it easier for consumers to find the right product from the comfort of their homes but, at the same time, it has made it necessary for the companies to use the right kind of tactics to reach out to the right kind of consumer. There are simply billions of websites with at least million of them trying to sell some kind of product/service.
Most of the users turn to Search Engines to find information about whatever they are looking for. These Search Engines then return results to the users based on the "Search Term" (referred to as Keyword from now on). These results are in the form of links to websites relevant to the Keyword entered. The user then, usually, proceeds to the link/website and does what he/she is supposed do once there; consume the information and make a decision about purchase based on that information.
This sounds/looks simple to layman but there are many factors to be considered for achieving sales this way. First and foremost is the fact that Search Engine displays the results in a pre-determined order of importance and arranges the results in a top-down manner. Most users dont bother to dig deeper and only the sites at the top of the heap get more visitors and thereby, probably, as there are still many other factors that might influence the buyer's decision, generate more sales and of course more profit. This simple fact makes it necessary to make efforts towards achieving good ranking position in Search Engine results (Referred to as "organic results" from now on). This is where Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, comes into the picture.
Search Engine Optimization/ SEO:
The position of a website in Search Results (referred to as "ranking" from now on) depends on certain parameters that differ from one Search Engine to another. These parameters, combined in some sort of algorithm, help the concerned Search Engine to decide the ranking pattern for any Keyword.
The process of SEO, when applied correctly, refers to optimizing the website in such way that it influences these parameters in a positive manner thereby increasing the website's chances of getting top ranking in Search Results.
SEO can be divided into
Note: There are many more and I'll explore those in detail as the series progresses.
Need For Search Engine Optimization/ SEO:
The traditional methods of marketing are often short term and involve, most of the times, direct communication with the consumer with or without his/her permission. Almost all of us, at some point of time, have dealt with telemarketers calling at odd hours and even odder places.
On the other hand with online marketing the scenario is entirely different. The user/consumer decides whether or not to click on any given link. This is also called as "Inbound marketing". In this case only those that are truly interested in a particular service try find the website. This is the major advantage that online marketing has over traditional methods. Other advantages also involve low cost of operating a campaign and long lasting effects. Note that I have put emphasis on "effects" and I did that to highlight the fact that these effects need not necessarily be beneficial. A bad online marketing campaign can have disastrous long term effects on your business plans.
As I have stated earlier, the job of online marketing does not end with a website; rather it begins with it. Having a good website is just a first small step towards building a successful online presence. The Search Engines account for a significant portion of the traffic that comes to any top ranking website. Hence it becomes important to rank well in Organic Results.
Higher the ranking position more the number of visitors you get, which, ultimately, results in better sales for your website. In order to achieve these goals of proper ranking and better sales it is essential to employ proper SEO techniques.
I hope this will help those interested in learning the basic of the art called SEO. If you have any questions or suggestions just drop a comment.
Random Thought:
Can the burst suggest an orchestral microprocessor?
Now, with that out of the way, lets start with the lesson:
A Little Retrospection: Part I:
Long long ago (about 15 years) the only way of reaching the masses was through advertisements in newspapers and/or through some audio-visual media like television. Back then companies used to create ad campaigns for their products hoping to spread the word and thereby create/generate sales. This type of advertising commonly referred to as "Outbound Advertising" which generally involves the above mentioned ad campaigns along with direct one on one marketing tactics like telemarketing, leaflets and so on. These tactics, although hugely successful, were, obviously, limited by factors such as cost and were, mostly but not always, geographically limited. There was also a not so slim chance of some would be customer slamming his/her phone/door in the face of the marketing executive.
A Little Retrospection: Part II:
But all this has changed since the advent of web and more importantly with the current exponential growth rate of internet penetration worldwide. This has brought the world together like never before and has also opened new doors for new methods of marketing. Now almost every company worth its name owns at least one website and tries to provide detailed information about its products and services using that website. A user can, after reading through the website and comparing it to other similar ones, make a decision about purchase of products or services of that particular company.
Marketing Challenges With Online Marketing:
The web, being what it is, has made it easier for consumers to find the right product from the comfort of their homes but, at the same time, it has made it necessary for the companies to use the right kind of tactics to reach out to the right kind of consumer. There are simply billions of websites with at least million of them trying to sell some kind of product/service.
Most of the users turn to Search Engines to find information about whatever they are looking for. These Search Engines then return results to the users based on the "Search Term" (referred to as Keyword from now on). These results are in the form of links to websites relevant to the Keyword entered. The user then, usually, proceeds to the link/website and does what he/she is supposed do once there; consume the information and make a decision about purchase based on that information.
This sounds/looks simple to layman but there are many factors to be considered for achieving sales this way. First and foremost is the fact that Search Engine displays the results in a pre-determined order of importance and arranges the results in a top-down manner. Most users dont bother to dig deeper and only the sites at the top of the heap get more visitors and thereby, probably, as there are still many other factors that might influence the buyer's decision, generate more sales and of course more profit. This simple fact makes it necessary to make efforts towards achieving good ranking position in Search Engine results (Referred to as "organic results" from now on). This is where Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, comes into the picture.
Search Engine Optimization/ SEO:
The position of a website in Search Results (referred to as "ranking" from now on) depends on certain parameters that differ from one Search Engine to another. These parameters, combined in some sort of algorithm, help the concerned Search Engine to decide the ranking pattern for any Keyword.
The process of SEO, when applied correctly, refers to optimizing the website in such way that it influences these parameters in a positive manner thereby increasing the website's chances of getting top ranking in Search Results.
SEO can be divided into
- On-Page Optimization and
- Off-Page Optimization
Note: There are many more and I'll explore those in detail as the series progresses.
Need For Search Engine Optimization/ SEO:
The traditional methods of marketing are often short term and involve, most of the times, direct communication with the consumer with or without his/her permission. Almost all of us, at some point of time, have dealt with telemarketers calling at odd hours and even odder places.
On the other hand with online marketing the scenario is entirely different. The user/consumer decides whether or not to click on any given link. This is also called as "Inbound marketing". In this case only those that are truly interested in a particular service try find the website. This is the major advantage that online marketing has over traditional methods. Other advantages also involve low cost of operating a campaign and long lasting effects. Note that I have put emphasis on "effects" and I did that to highlight the fact that these effects need not necessarily be beneficial. A bad online marketing campaign can have disastrous long term effects on your business plans.
As I have stated earlier, the job of online marketing does not end with a website; rather it begins with it. Having a good website is just a first small step towards building a successful online presence. The Search Engines account for a significant portion of the traffic that comes to any top ranking website. Hence it becomes important to rank well in Organic Results.
Higher the ranking position more the number of visitors you get, which, ultimately, results in better sales for your website. In order to achieve these goals of proper ranking and better sales it is essential to employ proper SEO techniques.
I hope this will help those interested in learning the basic of the art called SEO. If you have any questions or suggestions just drop a comment.
Random Thought:
Can the burst suggest an orchestral microprocessor?
