Internet Marketing - 101
Let’s break down the essence of what makes the Internet tick and how it can be utilized and we’ll do this without a lot of the techno babble.
First - it is important to understand that the Internet can be a direct access directory or a bit like a maze put together as a puzzle. If a person knows the exact URL (website) address of their desired location it is a straight forward process of just typing in the address and click; simple and direct. But if you don’t have a specific site or link in mind and are looking for “something” in the area of your inquiry then the Net becomes more complex. Just like being a store within a busy city block, the only way people will find you will be either by shear chance or if you do something that will attract their attention - advertise and market.
Picture a configuration in which a person places a piece of a puzzle, (your search query) into the gateway of the maze, (the web search engine’s algorithms). Your search phrase or search criteria; known as a keyword or keyword phrase, alerts the search engine’s web crawlers to what you are looking for. Logically it is assumed that the more precise your search phrase is, the better your chances are that you will locate your exact listing. In practice this is true except that in order for it to work a website needs to have your particular inquiry imbedded into its programming and content so the crawlers will identify your site as a match. But there is even more to it than that which makes Internet marketing the art and science that it is.
Let’s take an example;
A simple search for “shoe store” on Google will generate about 8,330,000 listings with usually the bigger names in shoe retail outlets appearing on the first page and at the top of the listing. Why some listings rise to the top while others languish in obscurity is a mystery unless you are proficient in Search Engine Optimization and other disciplines of Internet marketing. Now the phrase “shoe store” is very general so let’s narrow it a little more because if you are looking for shoes chances are you want to find a store that’s within driving range so you can try your selection on. Say you live in the Los Angeles area, so we’ll search using the phrase “shoe stores in Los Angeles”. The web shows we’ve narrowed it down now to just 5,390,000 listings. Less, but are we getting exactly what we want and even more important to the business owner, is their business the one that is showing up at the top of that 5 million item search.
The general rule of thumb in the digital jungle is if you don’t get on the first page of search engine results, you have a slim chance of being discovered.
As important as it is to be specific in the search inquiry, merely placing possible search criteria within the framework of your website isn’t going to guarantee Google will recognize your site as “the one” to choose. Getting ranked by the search engines is a complex formula that involves various facets which work within a site and on the plane of the net’s constantly changing programming protocols. Because the algorithms used to determine how a website or link is chosen for higher rankings are kept secret from the general public, Internet marketers are forever developing, rediscovering and altering their methods for successful website recognition.
