what is the search engine marketing?

“Search Engine Marketing” was once was used as an umbrella term to encompass both SEO (search engine optimization) and paid search activities. Over time, the industry has adopted the SEM acronym to refer solely to paid search.

At Search Engine Land, we generally use SEM and/or “Paid Search” to refer to paid listings, with the longer term of search marketing used to encompass both SEO and SEM. Below are some of the most common terms also used to refer to SEM activities:

Paid search ads

Paid search advertising

PPC (pay-per-click)

PPC (pay-per-call) – some ads, particularly those served to mobile search users, may be charged by the number of clicks that resulted in a direct call from a smartphone.
CPC (cost-per-click)

CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions)

Most search ads are sold on a CPC / PPC basis, but some advertising options may also be sold on a CPM basis.

SEM For Beginners

Google AdWords is by many measures the most popular paid search platform used by search marketers, followed by Bing Ads, which also serves a significant portion of ads on Yahoo.

Beyond that, there are a number of “2nd tier PPC platforms” as well as PPC advertising options on the major social networks.

In addition to covering general paid search trends, you can find the most recent news about SEM and helpful tips to get started with PPC ads on the major search marketing platforms below:

Google: AdWords
Bing Ads
Yahoo: Search Ads
Each platform offers its own getting started guides and helpful tutorials. Another beginner resource is Google’s Insider’s Guide To AdWords (PDF). Since the guide was last updated in 2008, the Google AdWords UI (user interface) has changed, along with several features, but the guide may still offer a useful introduction.

What is the Social Media Optimizatin?

awareness of a product, brand or event by using a number of social media outlets and communities to generate viral publicity.

Social media optimization includes using RSS feeds, social news and bookmarking sites, as well as social media sites and video and blogging sites. SMO is similar to SEO (search engine optimization) in that the goal is to drive traffic to your Web site.

Three things that every startup should consider Tech Crunch | Posted By: Image Height

Noah Schottenstein is an associate at Baker Botts LLP.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem has seen an unprecedented rush of investment over the past five years. But deal activity slowed considerably in 2016 and has leveled off during the first part of 2017. As trends continue to revert to the pre-2013 means, entrepreneurs should be careful about continuing to operate under the assumption that a fresh equity round on company-favorable terms will always be available.

Now is the time for startups to engage in strategic planning so that future liquidity needs will be met. This article discusses market trends and how debt financing and other protective measures can engineer optionality that can help a startup not only survive, but potentially thrive during a period of financial distress.

Pay attention to market trends

As Brad Feld recently wrote in a piece reflecting on the internet bubble, although a shift in the markets can sometimes feel like it comes overnight, there often are warning signs. The power of the phrase “it’s different this time” means that most companies are operating “in a state of blissful denial” and are not prepared for market changes, Feld warns. So take heed.

Although it is impossible to predict exactly when a crisis will occur, disregarding the general warning signs is a recipe for disaster. And many of those warning signs are appearing on the horizon. For example:

Investor-favorable deal terms are on the rise, with a notable increase in deals containing 2x-3x liquidation multiples and participating liquidation preferences.
Deal activity and financings have been flat or falling across most sectors, stages and geographic regions, with a few notable exceptions such as a recent spike in “mega” investment rounds for a handful of late-stage companies (Lyft’s $600 million round, Houzz’s $400 million round) and life science/real estate sectors (PitchBook, PwC).
A number of well-funded startups have encountered fundraising difficulties and either closed (Beepi) or have been forced into severe cost-cutting measures (SoundCloud).
Overall exit activity remains in a prolonged slump, with exit values propped up by a limited number of outsized deals: PitchBook reports that the investment-to-exit ratio has never been higher and that just four exits account for 48 percent of total exit value to date in 2017.
LinkedIn reports that hiring growth across the software sector is flat (and down a seasonally adjusted 11.1 percent in the San Francisco region).
The Federal Reserve is “pressing ahead with plans” to normalize interest rates, which may cause investors to lose their taste for funding startups — a particularly significant possibility considering that, according to a report by Upfront Ventures, “a large correlating factor driving our industry is large pools of capital chasing higher yields due to low interest rates affecting other asset classes.”
None of this is to say that a crisis is about to happen. But there is enough economic headwind that startups should start paying closer attention and develop strategic liquidity options while it can be done on favorable terms.

Avoid funding tunnel vision

It is imperative for startups to become knowledgeable about all of the various tools that can help meet long-term and emergency financing needs. This includes taking on debt and planning for organizational restructurings, neither of which are issues that the typical entrepreneur is inclined to consider, especially after just closing a new round of equity financing. But both methods can prove invaluable in extending a startup’s runway and are best done when the startup is on financially solid ground.

Debt: Many companies avoid debt because of the negative stereotypes about it. Investors, in particular, often sound the alarm about the dangers of debt, particularly the recent growth in convertible notes. But when used correctly, debt can serve a valuable role in a company’s capital structure. That is, not as a substitute to using equity to fund growth, but in lieu of having to raise more money than is immediately needed — with the attendant equity dilution — for cash-flow smoothing and emergency purposes, i.e. building runway.

If a startup has closed an equity round, then debt may be available on attractive terms. In fact, debt is most often available immediately after closing an equity round. And when markets are open and lenders are eager to lend, startups can obtain debt on favorable terms.

Organizational restructuring: When done correctly, restructurings can significantly extend your runway. But a successful restructuring requires a significant amount of planning and forethought, and is always full of tough choices.

It is critical to identify how costs contribute to cash-flow generation, how to focus the organization on the best business opportunities and to facilitate buy-in from all affected stakeholders. Identifying solutions can be particularly difficult for fast-growing companies, particularly those that are operating in new and untested markets.

So don’t make it unnecessarily difficult by approaching the issue of restructuring as a last-minute solution. It is well established that companies that downsize as a knee-jerk reaction to their own financial difficulties cause significant detrimental impacts on productivity and revenue generation. This is playing out right now in the case of SoundCloud, which deliberately delayed taking preventative measures and created an employee morale crisis as a result.

Create financial optionality

Finally, no matter what you do, make the conscious choice to create financial optionality. For instance, both equity and debt can come with good terms or bad terms — an equity round on unfavorable terms can be just as dangerous, if not worse, than the challenges that can be associated with taking on debt. After all, the debt can be repaid if you can improve your cash flow, but a value-destroying liquidation preference or ratchet may stick with you for life (or recapitalization).

Plan for contingencies and develop options that the company can utilize if needed. A common example is obtaining a revolver or line of credit that can be set aside for emergency purposes. Working with a professional can help identify which structures work best in a given circumstance.

Although the markets are tightening, they still remain open. Strategic thinking and the willingness to make small concessions in the present can lead to great protections for the future. So strike now, while the iron is hot. You may not get a second chance.

Featured Image: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Latest Google Penguin Update

Google propelled the Penguin Update in April 2012 to catch the websites that are spamming Google’s search results. This update is mainly aimed at decreasing search rankings of websites that violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and use black-hat SEO techniques to artificially increase ranking of their websites, by obtaining or buying links through some wrong practices. The primary reason behind this update was to penalize websites that use manipulative techniques for achieving high rankings. 

As per Google’s estimates, Penguin influences approximately 3.1% of search queries in English, and approximately 3% of queries in languages like German, Arabic and Chinese, and an even much bigger percentage of them in “highly spammed” language categories. Pre-Penguin sites normally utilized some negative external link building tactics to rank good in SERPs and boost their traffics.

However, once Penguin was introduced it implied that content was vital and those with incredible content would be recognized and those with little or spammy content would be punished.

Some confirmed Google Penguin SEO updates are
Penguin 1-on April 24, 2012 (impacting around 3.1% of queries)
Penguin 2-on May 26, 2012 (impacting less than 0.1%)
Penguin 3-on October 5, 2012 (impacting around 0.3% of queries)
Penguin 4(a.k.a. Penguin 2.0)- on May 22, 2013 (impacting 2.3% of queries)
Penguin 5(a.k.a. Penguin 2.1)- on October 4, 2013 (impacting around 1% of queries)
Penguin 6(a.k.a. Penguin 3.0-) on October 17, 2014 (impacting less than 1% English queries). On December 1, 2014, Google confirmed that the update was still rolling out with webmasters continuing to report significant fluctuations during Google SEO updates 2014.
Penguin 7(a.k.a. Penguin 4.0)- on September 23, 2016

The digital world is now more hyped-up, dynamic and influential than ever before. It is more focused and competitive as well. With the end goal for you to achieve high search engine rankings and to maintain them, you have to look after the latest Google SEO updates 2017. This is the initial move towards staying aware of the latest SEO trends and remaining focused.

The SEO updates are directly proportional to Google’s algorithm updates that search engines receive. Since Google is the pioneer in the search marketing, new changes in Google Algorithm Update 2017 are vital to enhance optimization of your website. Website admins need to have phenomenal understanding of all the latest search algorithm updates and related procedures, as only this can let them know latest SEO updates 2017 essential to optimize websites, ensure better DA and high rankings in SERPs.

Largely, Google is centered around enhancing its web search administrations for online users, and by keeping a track of changes in Google’s Algorithm updates, marketers can increase ranking of their sites. Google has a long history of famous SEO algorithm updates that channelize ranking mechanism of SERPs.

To find latest Google SEO updates, marketers need to check latest updates of the following SEO algorithms-


10 Google SEO Updates & Algorithm Changes in 2017
(1.) Google Hummingbird Update

 

Introduced around August 2013, Google Hummingbird Update is Google’s new search algorithm that plays a significant role in deciding ranking of websites. It is made up of 200+ factors that can affect search results and website ranking.

The biggest changes made in Hummingbird were capability to have a sharp eye on mobile marketing, which is not surprising at all given the explosion of the smart phones in recent years. The name ‘Hummingbird’ comes from its ability to be “precise and fast” and it is mainly designed to better focus on meaning of a phrase or keyword rather than individual keywords.

 Hummingbird looks at the entire phrase to decipher the meaning of that phrase. Google Hummingbird SEO updates aid pages matching the meaning do better in search results.

 

On-page SEO factors

ON-page SEO factors

On-page SEO factors are all the things you can influence on your own website. All kinds of technical aspects of your website are important for the chances of your website to rank in the search engines. WordPress actually is a rather SEO-friendly platform. Combined with our Yoast SEO plugin, most technical challenges are covered.

Off-page SEO factors

 Next to on-page SEO factors, there are off-page SEO factors. These off-page SEO factors are a bit more difficult to influence, though. The most important off-page factor are the links to your site. The more (relevant) sites link to your website, the higher your ranking in Google will be.

Yoast on “What is SEO?”

SEO should never be a trick. It should be a sustainable long-term strategy. Using tricks in order to fit Google’s algorithm only works in the short run. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google wants to show their users the best result for a specific keyword. If you want to rank for that keyword, you should simply try to be the best result.

Why does my website need SEO?

Why does my website need SEO?

The majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Although social media and other types of traffic can generate visits to your website, search engines are the primary method of navigation for most Internet users. This is true whether your site provides content, services, products, information, or just about anything else.
Search engines are unique in that they provide targeted traffic—people looking for what you offer. Search engines are the roadways that make this happen. If search engines cannot find your site, or add your content to their databases, you miss out on incredible opportunities to drive traffic to your site.
Search queries—the words that users type into the search box—carry extraordinary value. Experience has shown that search engine traffic can make (or break) an organization's success. Targeted traffic to a website can provide publicity, revenue, and exposure like no other channel of marketing. Investing in SEO can have an exceptional rate of return compared to other types of marketing and promotion.

Why can't the search engines figure out my site without SEO?

Search engines are smart, but they still need help. The major engines are always working to improve their technology to crawl the web more deeply and return better results to users. However, there is a limit to how search engines can operate. Whereas the right SEO can net you thousands of visitors and increased attention, the wrong moves can hide or bury your site deep in the search results where visibility is minimal.
In addition to making content available to search engines, SEO also helps boost rankings so that content will be placed where searchers will more readily find it. The Internet is becoming increasingly competitive, and those companies who perform SEO will have a decided advantage in visitors and customers.

Can I do SEO for myself?

The world of SEO is complex, but most people can easily understand the basics. Even a small amount of knowledge can make a big difference. Free SEO education is widely available on the web, including in guides like this. Combine this with a little practice and you are well on your way to becoming a guru.
Depending on your time commitment, your willingness to learn, and the complexity of your website(s), you may decide you need an expert to handle things for you. Firms that practice SEO can vary; some have a highly specialized focus, while others take a broader and more general approach.
In any case, it's good to have a firm grasp of the core concepts.

How much of this article do I need to read?

If you are serious about improving search traffic and are unfamiliar with SEO, we recommend reading this guide front-to-back. We've tried to make it as concise as possible and easy to understand. There's a printable PDF version for those who'd prefer, and dozens of linked-to resources on other sites and pages that are also worthy of your attention.

Each section of this guide is important to understanding the most effective practices of search engine optimization.