Search engine marketing differs from advertising in that the person who sees the “message” is already kind of looking for it. We turn on the television and a Wendy’s commercial comes on the screen- we weren’t thinking about food (although now we might be), and we weren’t necessarily tuned into the food network, but food still came at us.
Someone looking for information on search engines is in “hunt mode,” meaning they are quite literally on the hunt for information. When someone is in hunt mode, this means they want relevant information and will continue searching, possibly even taking action on what they find – buy something. This “black hole” of information is possible with search engines, which makes search engine results some of the best sources of targeted traffic- both organic (unpaid) as well as paid advertising listings.
It’s crucial to master both paid and organic SEM in order to leverage the full potential this targeted traffic source, the search engine results page, provides.
In what ways does search engine traffic differ from regular online advertising?
SEM doesn’t interrupt the person in front of the computer like the vast majority of online advertising. Since the person is in hunt mode, they are actively seeking information and the paid and organic results are laid out before them.
Search engine traffic is driven by the audience. People searching online choose the search results content of their choosing, whether it’s a link, image, video or some other type of format.
Some compare organic SEO efforts to public relations due to the fact that it doesn’t come with a guarantee of sorts. Sometimes, the return on investment for SEO (and PR) is difficult to measure, whereas in paid advertising it’s most cut and dry. Another similarity is that people can choose to hire internal staff or bring in consultants to work on SEO. They also have the option to hire an outside agency.
In order for your business (and your SEO efforts) to be a success, your website has to be in just the right ranking at the right time on search engine results pages.
Please consider contacting the experts at Liquori Co to learn more about how we can jump-start your company’s Internet marketing initiatives. Call 877-659-8498 or fill out this short contact form.
