Is Search Engine Optimization right for you?

In July 2007 Google was the largest search engine on the planet, controlling more than 65% of the online searches. With more than 200 million searches per day, gaining exposure on the Google search engine is essential for any business serious about success in 2008 and beyond.

Google is not only a profitable source of qualified prospects for nearly any business imaginable, but ranking in the top 5 positions for a competitive keyword phrase establishes credibility and market leadership - when a website visitor sees your website at the top of Google they assume that you are one of the leading companies in that space.

But with such large traffic volumes and opportunity for profit, the online landscape, in particular search engine optimization (SEO), is becoming increasingly competitive and will soon become unaffordable for most businesses

Forrester Research, a leading online research company, estimates that e-commerce sales will reach $228 billion in 2007 and $316 billion in 2010, or 13% of all retail sales. With so much profit available in nearly all online markets, the competition is becoming so fierce that most businesses will find it financially impossible to compete online.

There exists a unique opportunity for businesses to achieve top 5 rankings in Google, and profit from the ample website traffic available every second of every day. Having said that, as each day passes, and larger corporations become aware of the critical importance of top rankings on search engines, it becomes more and more difficult to achieve a top 5 ranking and keep it.

It is now more important than ever to establish a presence online. Once you have secured your ranking in Google it is far easier to keep that ranking than to try and rank from scratch.

Understanding the true values of Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of securing a top 5 ranking in Google, the leading search engine, for competitive keyword phrases. A competitive keyword phrase is a word or group of words that most people use to search for the product or service you offer. These keyword phrases are usually expensive in pay-per-click advertising, costing upwards of $2 per visitor.

To determine the value of a top 5 ranking in Google, we take the estimated cost-per-click of an equivalent pay-per-click ranking, then multiply it by the traffic that you would receive from that ranking.
For example, let's say you were paying $2.50 per click for a website visitor through pay-per-click advertising, and you were receiving 100 visitors per day. The value of an equivalent ranking in the (free) search engines would be $250 per day.

Unlike paid advertising, such as pay-per-click advertising, where you are limited by your daily budget, with search engine optimization (free listings) you are not limited by daily budgets and instead receive the maximum number of website visitors each day.
Keyword Research

Deciding what it is you want your website to sell is the first step in designing a website. Designing a website around something which people are not looking for can potentially be a waste of time and money. The key to making money online is finding the topics which have the largest number of people searching for online and to target either your website or particular web pages to that topic.

For example, let's say you own a bakery. The number of people who search for 'bakery' online is very low, but the number of people who search for 'wedding cake' is very high. So to get the best results for your business, it would be wise to either focus your website or focus a particular web page on wedding cakes and then send people who are looking for wedding cakes to that page. By doing this you ensure you achieve the best results for your business.

Akilika researches what people are looking for online and determines what information you should include on your site to cater for this need.

Copywriting - Words that Sell

The most important part of any website is the words you use. The words you use will literally make the difference between success and failure. When people are searching online, they are searching for information. And the best way to communicate that information is through writing.

To get the best results you must use compelling sales copy which leads the reader down a path with the ultimate outcome being to buy what you sell or to pick up the phone to get more information. One of the biggest mistakes most website owners make is not using enough copy to communicate why somebody should do business with them. Another mistake is providing an overload of irrelevant information driving away potential customers.

Akilika specialises in writing compelling website copy that produces results for your business. We consult with you and learn everything we can about your target audience, your business, your offer, your products / services and your competitors after which we write your website copy for you.

Choosing the right SEO Agency

Due to the fierce competition on Google, ranking your website requires the service of an experienced search engine optimization agency that has achieved results not only for other clients, but for themselves as well.

One of the biggest issues which holds most businesses from implementing an SEO campaign is that it will take an investment of time of between 3 and 12 months and an investment of capital of between €3,500 and €14,000 before a top 5 ranking is achieved.
For this very reason, the importance of choosing the right search engine optimization agency is critical to achieving online marketing success. If you select the wrong agency, you won't know it was the wrong decision until 3, 6 or even 12 months down the track after spending thousands of Euros on SEO, without reaping the rewards of a top Google ranking.

For further information about how Akilika can assist you with your online services requirements, kindly contact us on info@akilika.com