Special Report: Search Engine Marketing

Introduction

Like other forms of e-commerce, the possibilities in search engine marketing (SEM) are only just beginning to be fully explored. In its own way, the craft of SEM is a lot like other methods of direct marketing: It requires a steady dose of testing, and in the end, a favorable return on investment.

According to a recent SEM survey by New York-based Jupiter Research, just 25 percent of search marketers use “sophisticated SEM tactics. Marketers must cultivate sophistication to remain successful,” the survey states.

What’s more, the search numbers continue to multiply. For instance, in November, Google doubled, to more than 8 billion, the number of Web pages its search engine can locate. MSN recently introduced a search engine that can find 5 billion, and Yahoo! can locate 4.2 billion.

This special report is meant to help you navigate your way through the SEM landscape. In it, you’ll find articles on keyword selection, the bidding process, paid vs. organic search, business-to-business SEM and more.

Find the Right Approach for You

There’s certainly no one right way to attract prospects to your Web site through search engine marketing (SEM). But for most catalogers looking to better optimize SEM, or for those about to enter the SEM world for the first time, the following three action steps must be thoroughly evaluated.

1. Select Your Keywords

When it comes to setting keywords, a niche marketer selling, say, men’s dress shirts can attract more convertible prospects to its site by using keywords such as “men’s cotton Oxford dress shirts” than simply “shirts.” Or a cataloger who is hoping to sell digital cameras online amidst the torrent of competition in consumer electronics can draw prospects who are ready to purchase by using product-specific keywords such as “Kodak EasyShare LS755” rather than simply “digital cameras.”