While working for a retail shopping portal, I was able to observe over 2,500 businesses as they struggled to make money online. Some were successful but many more were not…and although my stock options never paid off due to a certain bubble…there is no question the experience and inside look did.

Learn more about he parties involved in Search Engine Marketing and the environment in which they come together. Business owners, find questions and answers to challenges you will face in your effort to form an expert search engine marketing strategy for your Web Property.

Search Engie Marketing Today

I believe there is a significant problem with the search engine marketing industry today. This problem exists because of the parties involved and the environment in which they come together. As such, I will first discuss the party’s involved, and then go on to talk about the resulting environment. Lastly, I will discuss what seems to be the most logical solution.

The Search Engine Optimization Expert

True Search Sngine Marketing Experts must spend an immense amount of time doing testing and research to maintain the knowledge necessary to achieve significantly successful search engine results. On top of this, it takes an incredibly unique ability to visualize that which cannot be seen…it is truly a special talent.

Most truly successful search engine marketing experts are able to provide an income sufficient to work for themselves and are not willing to be underpaid to give away what part of it they can, even if it is only today’s picture. This does, however, leave them in a position where they are left to work with comparatively limited resources a good portion of the time, especially when considering product and services support. On top of this, they are probably not left with the time, or most often even the skills, to assemble the resources necessary to support an incredibly successful enterprise.

The Search Engine Marketing Company

Most times a search engine marketing company will be an overrepresentation of an individual or a small group of people who are willing to share the applicable skills for an adequate fee (usually sold as an enterprise level solution when it is a small group). These situations are very much like the above.

The other side of this is when you have a larger search engine marketing company that sets out to do this work but doesn’t necessarily have what it takes, although the get by for a time since they have significant resources. In these instances, clients will be provided with more or less a ‘plug-in’ service, whereas the client website is basically plugged into a core value network. This methodology can and does work in the beginning. The problem is that this type of value isn’t re-creatable to the extent a larger search engine marketing company needs it to be, especially when they aim to support a large number of clients to cover largely inefficient overhead. Clients in this space see good results upfront, but as the network is relied upon more heavily as the provider takes on new clients, the value and results tend to fade away.

The Search Engine Marketing Client

In contrast, we have companies or wealthy individuals with all the resources necessary to create and sustain a highly successful online enterprise, but in that, can never fully understand the finer points of achieving search engine success for a website. Most times, this group simply doesn’t have the time or inclination or even insight to adequately position this piece of their business, as necessary as it most often is.

The Search Engine Marketing Climate

Quality of worldwide search engine results aside, these parties working together as they do result in an incredibly difficult business situation. On one hand, we have business owners or managers looking to hire a search engine specialist, but in their mind view the need as simply another employee or employee level contract. And on the other hand, we have self-supported search engine specialists with all the ability and knowledge necessary to make all the difference for an online enterprise, but feel it necessary to be compensated adequately for this rare and valuable talent.

All this brings us to the current situation, where true search engine optimization experts seek to charge extremely high monthly fees, not necessarily for the work being done (unless it is a large company where these funds are utilized in a largely inefficient fashion), but as much for the information they have no choice but to give up as they work on a project. In this, you are left with an intricate game of cat-and-mouse where sooner or later upper management or the business owners themselves find it necessary to seek understanding about exactly what is going on in an effort to justify costs. Search engine experts, in turn, become consumed with protecting certain levels of information as not to give the company a false sense of security, as it many times creates a perception that the specialist is no longer needed.

In the end, the company or business owner will normally decide to bring the program in-house once they feel they have a handle on things. The problem is that even if they did understand everything perfectly at the time, as unlikely as that may be, the search engines are almost constantly changing. Algorithms continue to grow in complexity, and once these owners and managers are forced to deal with a few setbacks (which sooner or later happens to everyone), they quickly go from a feeling of confidence to a feeling of confusion.

Can you simply train a Search Engine Optimization Expert?

There are a few reasons why training a Search Engine Optimization Expert is an incredibly difficult task. First, you have to find someone with a background in marketing online and off. Given this, they also need to be what I call a “statistics freak”. Now, if you are lucky to find someone who fits the bill with regard to these two things, you have a shot. You can get them reading the forums and doing the research and even attending Internet Marketing or SEO conferences.

Given a level of success in all of this, you just might start seeing marginal results, but unfortunately, to achieve true success one must also be a visionary. You can have someone read and read and read, but when the answer is found in the reading, it is already too late. You end up being just another of the masses chasing the game while getting a taste here and there. Truth be told, the real gravy in this space is seeing things before anyone else and being able to execute on that foresight.

To achieve success on the web, one must be focused on acquiring free traffic mainly through search engine optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). For this reason, a Search Engine Optimization Expert must have vision which includes long term strategies for premium organic rankings on Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Search Engine Optimization Expert

To be successful these days, a search engine optimization Expert must be both an artist and a statistical analyst, and must also possess inherent integrity. Most website owners don’t have the time or understanding to effectively form their marketing and content delivery strategies and are often unable to overcome their initial mistakes. Given the level of competition that exists on the web today, coupled with the increasingly intricate nature of search engine algorithms, even most “experts” are lacking in one or more of these areas and have little chance of sustained success.

The Search Engine Optimization Artist

Artistically, a search engine optimization expert must be able to create blended on-site content within and between website pages while developing and maintaining clear paths to conversion. Simply put, website pages must be optimized for the search engines and at the same time must provide an inspiring experience for potential customers geared towards conversion. If an effective balance is not achieved here, or when one goal is pursued without much, if any, consideration for the other, the website will never become a viable entity. This is normally the first place website owners make a mistake by focusing too much on one or the other.

The Search Engine Optimization Analyst

Through statistical analysis, a search engine optimization specialist must be able to identify and understand potential sources of qualified traffic. This is where website owners normally make their second mistake by choosing a short list of basic and highly trafficked keyphrases for all their marketing initiatives. In truth, these terms are normally inefficient with regard to visitor qualification and also happen to be the most expensive and most difficult to get at due to higher levels of competition. In the beginning, the goal should be to acquire the least expensive and most qualified or targeted traffic possible, and intelligent search engine analysis must be done to achieve this. Simply put, an effective search engine marketing and optimization expert will first identify the least expensive traffic that will convert at the highest rates in an effort to maximize initial budgets making significant reinvestment and compounded growth rates possible.

Search Engine Optimization Integrity

With regard to integrity, many website owners first make the mistake of overloading their homepages with a wide array of marketing keyterms which will compromise the page and website theme. An effective search engine optimization expert will define and organize keyterm targeting by creating secondary level pages within a website in support of very directed homepage content. In essence, a reasonable number of secondary level category pages are created in an effort to acquire traffic through more specific and concise content and messaging. In some situations, 3rd or tertiary (or sub-category) level pages might be created in support of the secondary (or category) level pages.

The next place most website owners make an integrity mistake is when they are simply unable to understand the many options available to them as they begin building and/or marketing their website. Basically, not only does one need to understand the actual service being delivered and possible traffic benefits directly associated with it, they must also understand the supporting technology and any related risk with regard to optimization and/or being penalized or even banned by a search engine. These types of optimization mistakes are normally made because either the website owner or claimed “seo expert” simply has a lack of information or understanding, or they have taken a risk that they probably knew was crossing the line. Some might consider these to be difficult decisions, but the best question to ask before making questionable decisions might be, “if I was not at all concerned with my search engine rankings, would this type of advertising make sense?”

By possessing inherent integrity, a search engine marketing expert will often save website owners from themselves. Simply creating a level of understanding for the website owner should truly be viewed as the search engine expert’s most important task. Next, identifying mistakes or inefficiencies with regard to website architecture or marketing initiatives should be sought after by the specialist. Finally, a fully situational plan should be created not only to remedy current issues, but to grow both long-term website success and an increased level of awareness and understanding for the website owner or manager.

SEO – Search Engine Optimization Consultant

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can make or break an online business. Search Engine Optimization in it’s truest form is an internet marketing strategy reliant upon competitive analysis, search engine research, tactically implemented website architecture and optimization, social media marketing, and pay per click advertising setup, along with continued search engine tracking, pay per click program management and website polishing.

While balancing these things as an internet marketing strategy is created, one must never lose sight of the ultimate goal…which is to continually grow your wesite content and value proposition for both current and prospective visitors.