Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketing is a type and part of Internet Marketing Services and is used to promote webpages by increasing visibility in SERPS (Search Engine Result Pages). According to the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), SEM methods include Proper Search Engine Optimization, paid placements, and paid inclusions.

Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing is a business marketing strategy with efforts aimed at increasing website traffic and visitors from search engine results. It also includes measuring and calculating conversions, which is the percentage of visitors who buy or register on the website. SEO targets is achieved through an increase in search engine visibility; in short, the position and ranking of a site in search engine listing results for keywords/phrases that people enter in search boxes of search engines to obtain these results. Doing SEO and SEM correctly will generate targeted traffic and quality visitors.

The largest Search Engine Marketers in the world are Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Since 2006 SEM is growing faster than the traditional form of advertising.

During the late 90s, due to the humongous increase in websites, search engines appeared on the Internet to assist people in finding information easily and quickly. Search engines also developed many business models in order to finance free services they offered. Some of these paid services were pay per click or PPC programs provided by Open Text (1996) and later on by Goto.com (1998). A few years later in 2001, Goto.com changed the name to Overture. In 2003, Yahoo purchased Overture and now provides paid search services for online advertisers through Yahoo! Search Marketing. Google began to offer online advertisements on search results pages in 2000 through Google Ad Words. By 2007 PPC advertising was the primary money-spinner for search engines.

SEO Consultants started expanding their scope of work and offered to assist businesses in learning and using online advertising opportunities that were being offered by search engines, and a new field of expert SEO Consulting focused primarily on advertising and marketing through earch engines started emerging. Search Engine Marketing covers a large spectrum of activities involving SEO and management of paid listings in search engines, submitting websites to web directories, and developing various online and Internet marketing strategies for organizations, businesses, and individuals. In 2008 Search Engine Marketing is stronger than ever with marketing budgets increasing by 750%.