Ripped Website or R.I.P. Website:  The Case for Search Marketing

Everett, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to do a guest post.

Fellow readers, imagine the following scenario:

You’re lounging on the couch with your favorite junk food when suddenly; you see this TV ad for a fitness video featuring lots of magnificently good-looking hardbodies. At that very moment, you have an epiphany and make a commitment to getting yourself into the same shape as those fitness models.

You adapt yourself to the holy trinity of health:

• Exercise
• Diet
• Supplementation

Yet, despite all your efforts, you are unable to transform your body to match fitness celebrities like John Basedow and Billy Blanks.

However, you start noticing changes in your life:

• Your energy level has increased.
• Tight-fitting clothes are a benefit, not a burden.
• You have much higher self-esteem.
• Attractive-looking people are giving you the eye.

Clearly, the results gained are well worth the investment.

Where am I going with this analogy?

Non-optimized websites are the proverbial couch-potatoes of the Internet.  Many business owners are getting the message that they have to get their internet presence “off the couch”, but many enter the process with unrealistic expectations and when they aren’t met, they become disenchanted.

Search Engine Marketing isn’t about attaining top Google Rankings…it’s about increased sales / lead generation and having a positive return on investment. If done properly, you will have your website transformed into a revenue-producing asset that will help your company grow.

View your Search Engine Marketing professional in the same manner that you would view a personal trainer at the gym.  Follow their advice.  Complete the tasks they ask of you. Don’t make excuses for non-performance…just do it!  He / she has raised the business health for other companies…he / she can do it for you too if you allow it to happen.

To conclude, the case for search engine marketing is nearly identical to the case for healthy living.  Follow the program and gain a multitude of tremendous benefits. Ignore this advice at your own risk:.)

Todd Mintz is the Director of Internet Marketing & Information Systems for S.R. Clarke Inc., a Real Estate Development and Residential / Commercial Construction Executive Search / Recruiting Firm headquartered in Fairfax, VA with offices nationwide. He is also a Director & Founding Member of SEMpdx: Portland, Oregon´s Search Engine Marketing Association.