What are the best SEM choices for my business?

Paid Search or Organic Search? Where should I start?

Capitalizing on internet marketing for growth or sustainability of your company? You have a few options. You can try to figure out on your own what is the most effective, cost-efficient and quickest solution. You can hire an SEO/SEM company. Or you can say that internet marketing is simply a fad that will fade out soon; and hope to weather the storm and wait it out. What is the best solution short-term and long-term?

Considering the short-term analysis, waiting it out could be fatal to your business. Trying to figure it out on your own is not a quick solution, nor is it probably going to be an effective and cost-efficient solution. This leaves you with the option of hiring an SEO/SEM professional. However, hiring an SEO/SEM company can be nearly as scary as going to the car lot to buy a used car. Long on promises and short on delivery can leave you with a dwindling bank account and no new customers to show for it.

Analyzing the approach for sustainability and growth over the long term inherently includes a short-term plan that is also consistent with you long-term goals. A number of other factors, including social media marketing, mobile marketing and the best blend of advertising methods to incorporate will all need to be considered when developing this plan.

What is the first thing you can do to minimize your costs? To start with ask some questions. Find out how the SEO/SEM company is going to help you get conversions and deliver ROI. Find out where they suggest you should spend your marketing dollars. You may want to follow that up with a question as to what they base that marketing decision on.

This is part one of a series on SEM choices. Click Here for Part Two. Use the subscribe button at the top left of this page, to make sure you receive the other parts to this series.