Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs).

According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, SEM methods include: search engine optimization (or SEO), paid placement, and paid inclusion. Other sources, including the New York Times, define SEM as the practice of buying paid search listings.

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In recent years, search-engine marketing has seen triple-digit growth, gaining both more efficient opportunities for marketers as well as serious steam from millions of users.

The online search industry is expected to reach nearly $7 billion in worldwide revenues by 2007, according to Safa Rashtchy, senior research analyst for U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray. She sees "search as the most efficient way to find products and information, and simultaneously the rise of search as the best way for advertisers to find and acquire customers."

Even so, getting results remains complicated, demanding close monitoring and measuring. To make the most of marketing through search engines, here are options to consider as well as five common mistakes to avoid.

Search engine power:
The idea, of course, is that you figure out which keywords your customers use to search for the products or services you market and then submit those keywords to search engines such as MSN Search or Google. When customers input the keywords, your site is prominently displayed in the results, leading to better sales or exposure.