subject: 5 Important Questions To Ask A Search Engine Marketing Service First [print this page] 5 Important Questions To Ask A Search Engine Marketing Service First
Thinking about hiring a search engine marketing service (SEM) to help you take your small business website to the levels of traffic you demand? Hey, it's a good idea for the most parta reputable search engine marketing service can fully manage the traffic generation process on your behalf, generating a positive ROI for the hard earned dollars you spend on your web marketing plan.
There are a few important questions you should ask any search engine marketing service, though, before you make a final decision:
1. What is included with the SEM service?
You should definitely be looking for search engine marketing that combines organic SEO, high-ROI pay-per-click (PPC) for targeted traffic, and of course these days, some type of high-energy social marketing strategy. These are the vital 3 components of quality SEMthe sky is the limit when it comes to additional value-added options.
2. What is your experience doing SEM?
Look for a company that has experts on staff that have extensive hands-on knowledge and experience with all of the vital components of a search engine marketing service. In other words, they need to know exactly how to integrate SEO with PPC with Social Marketing to create a perfect balance and synergy that couldn't be achieved when these three components stand alone.
3. What is your SEO philosophy?
Since organic search engine optimization, SEO for short, plays such an important role in any quality search engine marketing campaign, this should be a real focus when selecting an ideal provider match. Look for SEO experts who focus on quality, white hat SEO only; it is so important to play within the confines of the search engine's guidelines and rules. No tricks or sneaky tactics permitted.
4. Can you show me proof?
There are lots of SEM services out there that claim to be the best. The truth of the matter, however, is that many are just start-ups or fly-by-night "artists" that have never done a day of search engine marketing yet. Thus, it's very important to ask for proof. Testimonials from previous customers and references are a good place to start.
5. How long is it going to take for real results?
Don't be misled when it comes to the time it takes to achieve excellent SEM results. It doesn't happen overnight. That said, the PPC portion of SEM does kick in over the short term quite nicely to help fill the gaps that occur before longer-to-realize-results SEO really begin to snowball. Social media marketing can have appreciable short term results as well. Be sure you're on the same page with your search engine marketing service when it comes to accurate, honest, and realistic timelines.
