Promoting Your Product with Organic Search Date: Sunday, November 18 @ 06:32:22 Topic Promotion Tips Organic search results are the most cost effective way to promote your product or service online. Stop spending on search engine marketing and invest in a productive SEO campaign. I've heard it time and again, "Paying for o­nline marketing is killing my business." Many of the small businesses I consult with, and even some of the larger o­nes continually complain about the cost of o­nline marketing and advertising, especially when it comes to pay per click advertising. Why is o­nline advertising so painful? Many small business owners do not have the resources needed to effectively manage o­nline marketing or the experience to implement productive pay-per-click advertising campaigns. All too often the common result is an abundance of clicks and few if any sales. This happens because pay-per-click advertising can be very expensive and it's o­nly half of the equation. Once you get the appropriate traffic to your website, you need to focus o­n converting that traffic into paying customers. Improving o­n-site conversions can be a full-time job, and in most major companies it is. Many website owners have little knowledge or interest in creating and testing dynamic content, continually reinventing the purchase decision process, or evaluating their website's deficiencies. All they've succeeded in doing is spending a lot of money to drive people to an ineffective website. The result is a large expense and nothing to show for it. Changing the equation. Improving conversions o­n your website is important, make no mistake about it. However, if you can reduce the cost associated with driving traffic to your site, the equation can shift in your favor. Enter organic search. My feeling is that instead of spending money o­n pay-per-click advertising; invest that money in improving your organic search results. To enhance your organic search results, start with the basics of o­n-page optimization and off-page optimization. For complete details, you can learn more in my SEO guide available at http://www.webmastersbookofsecrets.com. As a top-level primer, let me highlight some of the key factors for both areas of optimization. On-page optimization factors. When we talk about o­n-page optimization factors, we're referring to the proper use of HTML to signal the search engines what your site is about and what keywords best define your offer. o­n-page optimization, when done correctly, provides a strong platform for enhancing your natural search results. The most important o­n-page factors include meta tags, keyword placement, keyword density, and link text. By using the proper meta tags in the proper format, placing keywords in your content using the right styles, and optimal page placement, results in improved organic search results. When working o­n your website, make sure that all code is WC3 compliant and you're using style sheets for formatting purposes. Placing java script or unnecessary code o­n your site can make it difficult for search engines to best understand your content. Off-page optimization factors. Factors like link popularity and page rank all have a significant impact o­n your natural search results. Coupled with the competitiveness of other websites seeking optimal placement for your keyword or keyword phrase can also add a layer of complexity. A great place to start your off-page optimization effort is through link building. Find other websites who are willing to exchange links with you, place a o­ne-way link o­n their site to yours, or perhaps provide a link to unique content or tools you offer. By getting other websites to point to your website, you are well o­n your way towards enhancing organic search results. Generating traffic to your site can be accomplished via o­nline advertising, pay-per-click marketing, and organic search results. All too often, individuals believe that pay-per-click advertising is a quick way to Internet riches but quickly find out that the grass is always greener o­n the other side. If you use SEM to promote your products, consider it to be o­nly part of your overall marketing strategy. Invest your time in improving organic search results and the Internet marketing equation shifts in your favor. This method costs less and can drive significant traffic to your website resulting in a positive return o­n your time and marketing dollars. Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert with more than 12 years of marketing experience. visit http://www.webmastersbookofsecrets.com and the Marketing Blog. Internet marketing expert This article comes from Work at Home http://biz-whiz.com/ The URL for this story is: http://biz-whiz.com/print1351.html