A Little Bit of Search Engine News

Here's a little bit of Search Engine Marketing News for your listening pleasure. IdeaStar President Jim Fisher and General Manager Susanne Svette share some brief, interesting news from the search world. Take a few minutes to listen to the podcast (and learn whose birthday it is).

Why Pay-per-click is Better than Natural SEO; Why Natural SEO is Better than Pay-per-click

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

Yes. The title does seem to contradict itself. But not really. Here's why.

I love pay-per-click search engine marketing. In pay-per-click:

• You are charged for the number of times a site visitor clicks through your ad on a search engine into your Web site – all based on keywords you select.
• You optimize your Web site for conversions as opposed to optimizing for search engines in natural SEO.
  
• You don't have to fear changes in search engine algorithms, which have instantly plummeted high-ranking naturally SEO'd sites to the bottom of the list.
  
• You determine where your customer enters your Web site, allowing emphasis for sales and selected information.
  
• You select your ranking based on your pocket book. On one day you may be willing to pay to be in the first place position. On and other, second or third position will do.
  
• You can test to see what works best.
  
• You can optimize Flash Web sites (even though I strongly caution against Flash sites). The all-graphics sites cannot be read for natural SEO by search engines.
• You are a paying customer to the search engines and are treated as a partner. The search engine companies are making money off of you, so they want to keep you happy. Natural SEO, however, seems to be treated as a second-class citizen, with search engines often changing algorithms which turn your search world upside down.

I love natural search engine optimization. SEO is:

• Cheap!
  
• Easy to use.
  
• You don't have to track everything, such as clicks per page, etc.
• There isn't any "natural fraud," But there is "pay-per-click fraud."
• Helps search engines establish relevancy.
• SEO helps drive down the cost per conversion.
• And did I mention it is cheap?
  

So you see my problem with "Pay-per-click is Better than Natural SEO; Natural SEO is Better than Pay-per-click?" At some point, each is better than the other. The best option is to combine both "loves." Cover all your bases by combining pay-per-click SEM and Natural SEO.

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.

What's Good for the User is Good for the Search Engines

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

Many people think there are two choices when having a Web site built. One is to design for the user. The other is to design for placement in the search engines.

But you do not have to make a choice, simply because what's good for the user is good for the search engines too. For instance, most people couldn't be bothered with a long, drawn-out flash introduction on the home page. They just frustrate users, and search engines too! And, thoughtfully written content – written for the reader – will have just the right amount of keywords, so over-stuffing shouldn't be a problem. (Good content makes good search engine "spider" food.)

One way IdeaStar has found to ensure easy use of its Web sites is to follow the Section 508 requirements. The law requires that federal agencies must ensure information technology, including Web pages, is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities. Although the law only applies to federal institutions, the guidelines are also helpful in the private sector.

There are a number of sites which discuss accessibility. Here are two: W3C and Usability.gov. You'd be surprised how much common sense is involved. Have your Web developer put these ideas to use, and not only will your users be happy, but the search engines will be too.

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.

Blogging for Search Engine Opportunites and Other Benefits

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

Blogs, defined as frequently updated online journals or newsletters intended for general viewers, can play a major role in search engine placement.

Originally created by network administrators to record and share systems changes, blogs have grown to become an active form of personal opinion as well as marketing. Blogging really caught on when Google purchased Blogger. That and similar blogging sites allow quick, easy, and FREE access. Now anybody with a connection to the Internet can blog (short for Web log).

And businesses are catching on. 25% of internet users say they read blogs, according to a PEW report, and that's a lot of people. So why not use a blog to increase the search engine ranking of your Web site, as well as provide information about your company, product, or service?

Search engines love business blogs. They are frequently updated, provide plenty of pertinent keywords, and offer many ways to link to your home Web site. For instance, my company IdeaStar uses its Flipside blog to provide a more casual look at IdeaStar and the people who work there. It's a way for the reader to get to know us, and then they can click over to one of our corporate sites and get the nitty gritty on exactly what we do. Our Vice President of Insurance Technologies, Mike Wise, has established himself as a leading expert in online insurance marketing through his blog, InsuraTech.

I always tell my clients that they are the best expert at what they sell or do. Establishing and maintaining a blog is a great way to build your reputation, while getting more people to your main Web site. It only takes a little time, and the rewards can be tremendous. If you are interested in starting your own blog, go to Blogger or another blog site, and follow the instructions. It’s easy to do. There are many templates to choose from. And if you want, IdeaStar will be glad to help you design a page to reflect your company image.

So what are you waiting for? Get your two cents (er… product or service) out there!

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.

IAB, Google, Yahoo Defining Clicks

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

I read an interesting article this morning in WebProNews about what Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask etc. are doing to combat click fraud. Thought I would share:

IAB, Google, Yahoo Defining Clicks
By David A. Utter
Staff Writer
Published: 2006-08-03

As mentioned in my previous article, the pay-per-click engines recognize there is a problem, it's nice to hear they are taking steps to correct it.