What Is Search Engine Marketing?

Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a hot topic among those who have business Web sites. And for good reason. The majority of Internet users use a search engine to find what they want. For most businesses,

There are two parts to search engine marketing: search engine optimization and paid search. Search engine optimization, or SEO, comprises all the tactics you should use to make sure that your business Web site appears on the first page of search results -- or, at least, as high up in the search results as possible. (If you have a lot of competition, this can be an everlasting, cutthroat battle.) For paid search, you pay to have your ad show up when someone's search includes a particular word.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engines regularly crawl the Internet, building an index of every page they find. When a crawler comes to your site, it will use proprietary formulas to determine what your site is about and how valuable its content is compared to other sites. These formulas are the source of endless speculation among search marketers. Your goal is to optimize the crawler's ability to understand your site structure and content. Here are some simple rules of thumb: