Search Engine Marketing & Optimization

"...he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ." ~ Ephesians 4:7

So, you have a new website and you want to know how to begin receiving traffic from search engines. Just like with any other type of business, it is important to remember that simply creating a website does not guarantee results. Websites are not "build it and they will come" or "get rich quick" solutions. They must be treated like the businesses or professional organizations they represent.

So how do businesses and organizations grow? How do they get new sales and acheive greater results? Marketing. There are many methods of marketing your website, like listing the address on all of your business cards, letterhead and marketing materials - but this particular section is focused on internet marketing through Search Engines.

What is Search Engine Marketing?

Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is simply a marketing method to promote your business or organization through the internet. Search engine marketing encompasses many areas of online marketing, including Search Engine Optimization. However, Search Engine Marketing can involve several other methods such as:

social networking
paid directory listings
press releases
link building
and other specialized services

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is simply a group of actions (usually in the form of a monthly campaign) to naturally acheive higher search engine rankings. Search Engine Optimization involves many factors such as:

standards-compliant coding
inclusion of the robots.txt file
keyword research
proper titles, headings and other tags with the site code
relevant content writing
link building through reputable resources
consistent site updates through articles