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No online marketing strategy would be complete without incorporating SEO as a key element. Due to the perpetuation of misinformation and SEO firms only looking to make a quick dollar, many are reluctant to invest marketing resources in SEO efforts. As the internet continues to grow in size and scope, companies who don't work with an ethical online marketing company to make the most of their search engine presence are hurting themselves.

Much of the negative sentiment surrounding SEO is due to the false assumption that the end goal of optimization efforts is high search engine rankings of certain keyword phrases. High rankings are only a means to an end, however, not an end in and of themselves. All effective SEO campaigns should increase the number of visitors to a website and more importantly increase sales or conversions. To accomplish this effectively, you must figure out the keywords that potential customers search for when researching or buying the products and services you sell.

This is where the importance of keyword research comes into play. All effective SEO campaigns should begin with a deep dive into the keyword space you're targeting. Elements of this include search volumes for potential keywords, search volume trends, the commercial value of keywords, and the intent of searchers using these keywords. It's important to analyze the spectrum of keyword phrases that are relevant to your business to gain a better understand for which ones it makes sense target and how difficult they will be to rank for.

Once your keyword research is complete, there are 3 basic aspects of any SEO strategy: a) Onsite structure, tags, and code optimization; b) Useful, original content generation; c) one-way link building. A veritable plethora of materials have been written about SEO practices, tactics and strategies, but at the end of the day, almost every aspect of SEO falls into 1 of these 3 categories. Unless your SEO campaign encompasses all 3 of these pillars in a cohesive manner, your efforts will generate less than optimal results.

With the confusion surrounding SEO, some companies choose to stick with PPC for their online marketing efforts. While, PPC can certainly be effective, more often than not, working with a quality seo firm is a better long-term investment. This is because with SEO, you are building on online asset that will continue to generate traffic and returns after your SEO efforts are complete. A useful analogy is that SEO vs. PPC is comparable to buying a house vs. renting. Although buying a house may require more upfront capital and research than renting an apartment, you will own an asset that with proper maintenance will appreciate over time. It should be noted that like all properties, online properties require upkeep to maintain search engine rankings.

With the social media platforms that arose out of the Web 2.0 movement now ubiquitous, finding a way to include social media marketing in your online strategy will strengthen your SEO efforts. Social media marketing can seem daunting at first, and some companies are weary of spending too much time writing blog posts, staying active on Twitter, developing Facebook pages, etc. While social media campaigns can certainly be extensive, you can begin with something as simple as a blog where you post company announcements or answer customer questions several times a month. Social media's power is in its ability to enable brand building, strengthen customer relationships, and follow what people are saying about you online. Like SEO, it's important that you develop a cohesive strategy when creating your social media campaign.