Many growing businesses are placing increasing emphasis on Internet advertising because of its unprecedented potential for cost-effective lead generation. Of the many online advertising tactics now being embraced by marketers, search engine optimization (SEO) holds the most promise for driving sales leads, but it can be a complex undertaking. To help maximize the impact of your SEO efforts, Alexander Brunacci, vice president of sales and marketing at Maximosity, offers these six tips:

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1. Understand how search engines work. In scanning the Web for information, Google and other major search engines look at a site’s content, links, meta information, age, trust factor, and more. They also consider the volume of traffic to the site and where that traffic is coming from. The search engines then measure and assign a relative value to each of these components, as well as a combined value, to determine how relevant each Web page is to a user’s search terms. Suffice it to say that landing a first-page ranking on Google for a particular search term is hard work.
2. Plan and analyze up front. The first real step in any successful SEO program is to study all the ingredients that factor into a particular search engine’s algorithm. You must also consider your competitors’ Web sites. Are they ranked higher than yours? Why? Bringing in outside help will significantly reduce the time spent on this step. SEO experts are well versed in a variety of tools that aid in the process, and they know how to translate complex data into an actionable strategy.
3. Execute carefully on every Web page. Effective SEO starts with the architecture of the Web site, organized around what you learn in the planning stage. Critical, too, is optimizing content for the search engines by incorporating specific keywords related to your business. Choose no more than five keywords per page. And when selecting keywords, don’t try to appeal to multiple audiences; focus on a specific customer segment.
4. Take advantage of other channels. Blogs, news portals, video sites, social networks, banner ads, and other emerging channels can provide additional lift to keyword search campaigns. A traffic generation campaign that incorporates social media and multifaceted search engine marketing can really expand your reach.
5. Measure, measure, measure. It’s no exaggeration to say that things can change from one minute to the next on the Web. That’s why continuous measurement of your search engine results is paramount. But don’t waste your efforts delving into every last possible keyword. To achieve the best bottom-line results, focus 95 percent of your time on the keywords that will have maximum impact on sales leads. Then make adjustments accordingly to get the right people coming to the right Web pages.
6. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (too much). You may have pages that, through years of investment or luck, rank well and drive traffic. Unfortunately, any time you overhaul a Web site, you risk a decline in traffic in the short term. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Remember, the goal of SEO is to attract target customers, not random visitors.

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