husiness What to Know About Internet Marketing By John W. Sharpe For Th e NEWS S o, ho w much do you really know about In- ternet marketing? Do the terms SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) mean anything to you, other than something you need to be doing to grow your business? Do you have any knowledge of how these processes actually work? I really don't know very much about any of this either. Ironically, I have been employed fo r over a year by an SEO/SEM company. So, you might wonder how I ca n tell yo u what you need to know. Please r ead on, and I promise you will have a clear understanding of what you need to know. I have spent most of my career in account management. I've also been involved in a few start up companies, both as an employee and owner. When I took a leap from a huge marketing corporation to an upstart Internet solutions company, I was determined to learn every- thing about SEO and SEM. I was sure that 1 would be up to speed quickly on how everything w orked, and the processes in detail. thought by now I would able to write an article that would fully explain every aspect of this busi- ness. After all, it is only one aspect of marketing. But the truth is I still have only a basic knowledge of how all works. And chances are, unless you have some major time available, that's probably thebest you can ever hope for, too. The people wh know al l aspects of SEO and SEM are an extremely small group of people. They have spent years of their lives learning and refining their methods. Each person has their own area of expertise, and per- forms their part as almost no one else on earth can. If you think about it, our busi- ness is probably similar to your ow n to some degree. As a busi* ness owner or m anager, your goal is to create a team consisting o f several experts working toward a common goal. In general, the better the team members are at their specific craft, the more suc- cessful the company. In most cases, you have a cer- of what each person does, but not necessarily all of the details. You probably have some level of trust with each of them, and a sense of their performance. TO THE STARTING BLOCK To manage an SEO/SEM func- tion in your busines s, here is what you need to know: • First of all, accept the high probability that you can't do this yourself. Even if you have the financial and human resources available to assemble an SEO/ internet marketing ¡s a complicated, multifaceted puzzle that ¡ s constantly changing. If this uuas a simple process, SEO/SEM firms would not exist. There are numerous avenues for growing husinesses online, and nt's not all about buying clicks or ads. Every business is unique. So, it only makes sense that the same solution that works for another business will not work for yours. The company you choose to work with should be spending some time with you and your team .. . 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Search engines are looking fo r several qualities within each company's Website and beyond, and one major factor is the length of time a company is recognized on the Internet. W ith each passing day, it will become increasingly more difficult and expensive to get ahead of your competitors who are already established. Waiting will just make the whole process more complicated and expensive. • Make ¿.ure that your agree- ment includes a clear description of what you are being offered. For example, you'll want to make sure that the type of business and the erritory you intend to capture is defined and exclusively protected. If an SEO/SEM firm is truly work- ing on your behalf to help your company achieve the best results possible, they're not doing yo u any favors by working for your competitors in the same market. • If you have marketing and IT professionals on your staff, a rep- utable SEO/SHM firm will work in conjunction with this group. 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