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San Antonio Business Journal - April 21, 2006
By Larry Patrick
Are you locking your best salespeople in a tower and not letting them reach new customers?
That's a question I often ask my clients when discussing their Web site's e-marketing capabilities.
As research has shown, 60 percent of all purchases begin with online research. A Web site without the proper search engine marketing tools is like a popular store only staying open on the second Tuesday of every month.
Search engines have revamped the rules for e-marketing campaigns. A couple of years ago, a Web site owner could enhance their Web search capabilities by addressing meta tags and linking strategy.
Now, with the introduction of pay-per-click or sponsored searches, businesses can first focus on the best search terms and then adapt them for their meta tags and linking strategy.
Meta tags are pieces of information inserted into the "head" area of Web pages. Other than the title tag, information in the head area of a Web page is not seen by those viewing the pages in browsers. Instead, meta information in this area is used to communicate information that a human visitor may not be concerned with. They provide information such as who created the page, how often it is updated, what the page is about, and which keywords represent the page's content. Many search engines use this information when building their indices.
For example, if a military officer is reassigned from Germany to San Antonio, the family will need a Realtor located near Randolph Air Force Base to help them find a family home.
By typing the terms " San Antonio," "Realtor" and "Randolph," into a search engine site like Google or Yahoo!, the officer can choose from almost a million listings. However, those Web sites have given the top position for the terms "San Antonio Realtor" or " Randolph real estate" to companies that paid the most to them through an auction for prime placement on top of the search page.
When a customer such as this military officer clicks onto those sponsored links, the Realtor can get a detailed report on the success of each search term. Some search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN can also tell a business the geographic location of each customer who visited their Web site. Many also offer the capability to purchase search links for specific markets such as a Realtor who wants to target those relocating from St. Louis or Baltimore.
Sponsored searches
Talk to any traditional direct mail professional and they will tell you that the best response rate for an unsolicited piece of mail is at best 4 percent. As the response rate for sponsored searches is closer to 30 percent, a business that adopts their use will realize a better return on investment than with the more traditional marketing efforts.
Sponsored searches can vary in costs, depending on the popularity of the term. The term "life insurance" could cost an insurance company $10 each time a Web site customer clicks on their listing. However, by combining three to four terms such as " San Antonio," "senior" and "life insurance," they could lower the costs to a much lower rate.
By looking at the conversion rate of successful terms through sponsored searches, a business can then gradually wean itself of its pay-per-click investments and focus on meta tags and search engine terms. At this phase in a Web site's development, it's important for the marketing team to incorporate the most successful terms into their context and meta tags.
The search engines define the unsponsored portion of a person's Web search as "organic searches." Research shows that most people prefer to click through these links as compared to sponsored search positions.
Regional terms
Meta tags are very important to your e-marketing, as very few people will look past more than 30 listings. Meta tags can also change, as people may add new terms or phrases to describe a product. Sometimes, meta tags reflect the regional spelling of a term. In Florida, a person might type in the phrase "BBQ," while a person in San Antonio will probably use "barbecue" if looking for a company that caters brisket and sausage.
After addressing the Web site's meta tags, a business must also look at its linking policy. As search engines rank Web sites on their linking strategy, a business or nonprofit should address their willingness to link their Web page with complimentary ones.
As more and more people use Web sites to locate businesses, products and services, it's up to companies and non-profit firms to understand how to maximize their search capabilities. If a Web development team can't help a client understand how to maximize their e-marketing strategies through sponsored searches, organic search terms or linking strategies, it behooves a business or nonprofit to find one that can help it embrace them.
Larry Patrick is president and chief executive officer of A+ Net Solutions, a San Antonio-based Web site development and search engine marketing firm. | 
