Paid Search Advertising - The Best Insurance Policy For SEO

By Paul Burani

SEO (that's Search Engine Optimization) seems to have started 2008 on the wrong foot. A lot of clients are telling mus that they have experimented with it in the past, saying they hired someone who promised top rankings in Google but never came through. Jeremy Schoemaker even compares SEO's to slimy car salesmen.

Make no mistake-any guarantee from an SEO is a red flag. There simply is no way to guarantee results, and anyone who does so should be dealt with cautiously. To understand why, let's have a look at the business strategy behind search engines. (As always, Google serves as the best example, since it holds about two-thirds of the search engine market.)

Google, Inc. pulled in almost $17 billion in revenues in 2007. Where does the bulk of this money come from? Despite a wide array of all-stars in Google's product line, only one program really runs the show: AdWords.

The reason AdWords is such a strong product, constantly growing its base and reshaping the entire global advertising industry, is that it provides targeting opportunities that were previously impossible. And Google is such a good search engine that the volumes of users create unheard-of economies of scale.

For as far as the eye can see, Google and the SEO community will be locked in a battle to outdo each other. Why? Because any compromise in the ability to target audiences threatens Google's ability to keep making money. Its engineers continuously refine the algorithms that match keywords with web content. Yet despite the well-guarded secret recipe behind these algorithms, thanks to effective communication and tireless trial-and-error, SEO's eventually uncover these secrets and sell their intelligence to the business community.

When you put it that way, SEO sounds a bit criminal, doesn't it? But a lot of SEO's (the "white hat" variety) are simply in the business of getting their clients to the top of the search rankings for their niche or area of expertise. This might be deemed a responsible use of SEO.

The problem is, not all SEO's (and their clients) are this modest. So much like the one kid who acted out in grade school, because of these rogues, we all have to be punished.

Google wants its algorithms to decide who is #1. SEOs want to wiggle through the algorithms and force their clients into #1. The bigger guns tend to prevail, which is why SEO's will almost always fall short of their guarantees.

Now for the irony: if these clients want a sustainable stream of new business from the internet, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising programs like Google AdWords are usually the best way to go. And targeted search results are the bedrock of an optimized campaign.

The moral of the story? It pays to invest in SEO and PPC concurrently, for a few reasons:

1. You'll maximize exposure in both the sponsored and organic Google results.

2. You'll be protected against the inevitable and frequent search engine algorithm changes.

3. You'll inspire confidence in prospective customers who see that you haven't just paid your way to the top.

Google tends to know a bit more about search engines than a consortium of mere mortals. If we play by their rules, the pie will be bigger for everyone.