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I have always found humor in how things sometimes get their name. For instance, do you know what the difference is between an herb and a spice? Do you the people that know the difference say, “Hey honey, can you pick me up some spices at the store?”

In any regard, I’ve always struggled with the notion of search engine marketing (SEM) actually being labeled “marketing” when most companies/professionals refer to it as search engine optimization and pay per click advertising. These alone are great mediums for marketing products and services, however, aren’t enough when you consider all the elements that are involved in really marketing online.

Developing solid search engine marketing strategies involves more than a process of getting high search rankings and managing a pay per click budget. To really market and be successful online, you need to know your customers and how your company’s offerings will solve their problems. Once these important questions are answered, they need to be communcated in a way that not online increases traffic, but also communicates how the company competes, the kind of demographic that uses their products, and how to get them. These are done in a variety of ways:

• Web Design & Development- you website needs to look in keeping or better than its competitors as consumers re savvy and will likely shop around before making a decision. It should present a compelling story that answers “Why should i buy from you.” Additionally, your website should include vital information that makes it easy to understand how to purchase or get in touch with your company.

• Website Content- your website content is the voice of your company and should be written in a way that communicates value to your target market. This is definitely not as easy as it sounds, as web objectives do vary company to company. As a general rule of thumb, starting from the end result you want is a good point of reference. For instance, a technical company that markets to electrical engineers may want to place more emphasis on finding spec sheets so that they can determine if your products fits their specifications.

• Interactive Features- using a video or a flash demo can do wonders for waking up a website and make it convert. Those companies that offer complex products and services usually benefit the most out of these features since consumers are increasingly demanding easier ways to disseminate information.

To put it clearly, i don’t deny search engine marketing as a marketing practice. However, achieving high rankings or buying keyword traffic alone is only a component to the above equation. To really be successful, fundamental marketing principles apply. Use you website as a tool for your target audience and you’ll reap all the benefits of what search engine marketing as to offer.