Usually, people use search engines to figure out how to do something, where to go about something, find out what happened, who did what, when or why something happened.
Search engines have become one of the internet’s strongest resources and an integral part of our everyday lives in today’s digitalized world. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing help billions of internet users find the content they need at a rapid rate by consolidating and organizing the wealth of knowledge available online. As search engines rank search results in order of importance, which ensures that the most important links are listed prominently on the results page for user searches, high rankings have become one of the world’s highest digital priorities for businesses.
The internet is full of useful knowledge. It is still the number one way for individuals to learn about new products, programs or even new websites. You need to learn how to properly leverage the power of search engines if you want to empower your online digital marketing. The first thing you can do is consider why search engines are used by individuals.
What is a search engine?
Search engines let users use keywords to search the internet for content. There are many search engines that people can use, even though the market is dominated by a handful. A search engine results page (SERP) is returned when a user enters a query into a search engine, ranking the found pages in order of their importance. Across search engines, how this ranking is achieved varies.
To enhance the user experience, search engines also adjust their algorithms (the programs that rank the results). They aim to understand how users search for their questions and give them the best response. This means giving the best quality and most important pages priority.
Why do people use search engines?
Usually, people use search engines to figure out how to do something, where to go about something, to find out what happened, who did what, when or why something happened. A browser enters a Word or Term search and then generates 7 ‘Organic’ results plus a supported Google Advertising load. The browser typically selects the best-looking choice from the 7, usually the first or second, by ignoring the 3 top adverts.
The browser aims to get the best answer possible when choosing one. The answer may be on the resulting tab, so the quest is over. But, if the response in the page navigation is not there or is not immediately apparent, the browser returns to the search page and selects a different alternative. This usually continues until a response is found or a question can be posed in the form of a forum or web. So, it’s important to be found at the top of Page 1. But it is just as critical to have relevant page content and easy tools for conversion. The descriptive text of the search result has to be rational, welcoming and 100% appropriate.
Research
When users need to do research, the Internet is always the first place many individuals go to. Although this may be the first place to search for basic knowledge, knowing how the Internet works and how it can work for you starts with knowing how to use the Internet wisely.
In the online world, an Internet search engine is akin to a library. Bits of information you can use for your analysis are contained inside millions of domain names. You can find a large collection of tools, no matter what search engine you decide to use. Before all the others, many people select one search engine and you may choose to do the same.
Evaluate how easily the search engine can get to your necessary materials while gathering your data and then select the search engine that works reliably for you. Using one search engine is much simpler than using multiple ones.
Shopping
The Internet has become the perfect place for you to find out about a product or service that you are considering. Search engines are used by people all over the world to find information about a product before buying it.
A core aspect of doing business online is content marketing. After all, if people don’t know you exist, and you don’t bring value to the lives of people, it can not be as profitable to sell online as you would like.
Entertainment
You are more than likely to find out more about something by searching about it online, whether it is a music festival, a night in the city or a place of interest. A searcher may simply be trying to find a location for the event or reviews from review sites or influencer blog posts.
Search engine marketing
Search engine marketing is about gaining visibility on search engines when users search for terms that relate to your business. For most companies, ranking highly in search results isn’t luck – it’s a result of solid effort in one or both categories of search marketing:
- Organic search (SEO): When you enter a keyword or phrase into a search engine like Google or Yahoo!, the organic results are displayed in the main body of the page. When your prospects search for information about your products and services, you want to rank highly in search engine results. By “optimizing” your site, you can improve your ranking for important search terms and phrases (“keywords”). You can also improve your rank by getting other important sites to link to yours.
- Paid search (SEM) enables you to buy listings in the “sponsored” area of a search engine. There are a variety of paid search programs, but the most common is called pay-per-click (PPC), meaning you only pay for a listing when a prospect clicks your ad.
Studies show that most business people investigate their concerns, prospective transactions and online vendors and use a search engine in the process. And the higher the product/service price, the sooner they look for it.
Generating only a handful of additional serious prospects will make a significant difference in sales for many companies. Knowing how to effectively use search engine marketing will generate these additional prospects efficiently.
Rauf is a co-founder of Palindrome Communications. Find out more about what we do here
