Search engine marketing uses online promotional techniques to enhance a business’s brand recognition while slowly and consistently (aka “organically”) increasing the uptick in visitor traffic to an organization’s web design. Due to the great results yielded through this online promotional approach, businesses in virtually every industry have raced to embrace SEM as part of their comprehensive advertorial initiatives. Who could blame them? Successfully incorporating a strategic version of various search engine marketing innovations has helped many a business level the competitive playing field, dominate search engine results and entice online users to click.

Stay Focused On What Defines Search Engine Marketing Success

But what happens when a search engine marketing campaign isn’t successful? In today’s global commerce, even detracting factors that only slightly dilute a campaign’s overall potency can prove costly for businesses of every size and scope. Maintaining a sharp focus on every detail of a plan is crucial to guaranteeing your missives overall impact and return on investment.

When navigating through your company’s search engine marketing tactics, always avoid:

Inadequately gauging the competition’s SEM initiatives: Many businesses spend countless hours and internal resources strategizing the specific techniques that will yield success for their organization without first determining what’s working for their main competitors. Why reinvent the wheel? Always put yourself in the position of your potential customer pool and see how other businesses within your industry are targeting the masses. Not only will you be able to see firsthand what’s working, but you’ll also be able to quickly identify what isn’t working.

Going it alone: All too often, businesses decide to manage every component of their online promotional efforts internally, which results in utter conundrum. Always partner with a reputable search engine marketing consultant to help best manage your business’s campaign. Not only does teaming with a professional firm grant you instant access to their experienced staff, but you will also be able to delegate most of the heavy promotional lifting to them so your own core business functions don’t suffer.

A boring web design: As previously mentioned, search engine marketing efforts are designed primarily to drive an uptick in traffic to a business web site. Businesses that flawlessly execute with their online advertorial tactics can ultimately drop the proverbial ball if they direct visitors to a poorly formulated or nonuser intuitive web design. It’s the online equivalent of shouting at the top of your lungs to get everyone’s attention…and then having absolutely nothing to say. Always complement every new SEM effort with a visually appealing and user-friendly web design for maximum impact.

While attempting to gain purchase in the virtually endless realm of online promotion can feel daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Keeping an emphasis on these three already established common but costly search engine marketing missteps can help ensure your organization truly maximizes results throughout the process.