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SEM - Search Engine Marketing

What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

After hitting the 'Search' button in search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, for any particular keywords you are taken to the search engine results page (or SERP) where you can see a list of results matching the terms you typed.

The 'organic' search results are the results for websites that are ranking on particular keywords without paid advertising for their SERP placement.

Sitting to the right-hand side of the organic results, and sometimes above them are paid advertisements or PPC (Pay per click) ads. The paid search results are bid on in an auction system, and the position of each ad is determined by a combination of relevance, the amount the advertiser bid, and the ad copy used.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) such as Google Adword campaigns can be a very effective way to gain more traffic to your website and for your business to get found on relevant searches.

Google Adword Campaigns

Google Adwords are the pay-per-click advertisements you see for businesses when you do a search on Google.

Every time someone clicks on one of those ads a small fee is charged to the ad holder’s adwords account. The more competition a keyword has the more the pay-per-click rate is.
In order for Google Adwords to be effective, keyword research and analysis is required with on-going monitoring of the ads to make appropriate changes to ensure campaigns are successfully hitting target markets.

For any SEM campaign it is essential to start with thorough keyword research and analysis to find out what terms you should focus on, what your competition is and how your campaign ads should be written. Selecting the right keywords significantly influences the results of SEM campaigns.

Can I do keyword research myself?

Sure, there are loads of great tools available to get you started such as Google's free keyword tool   https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal, this tool is essentially created for Google Adword campainging so you can enter a list of key terms and compare the competition and cost per click rate to build up your Adword campaigns. You can also use this tool as part of your keyword research for developing copy on your website to increase organic search results.

Note: the competition results you see using the Google Adword keyword tool is the competition in Google Adword campaigs itself - not the direct competition for organic search results - this requires further investigation and analysis.

However I must warn sometimes it is really worth investing in the services of a professional, unless you really know what you are doing or have the time learn, you may not achieve the results you were after.

 

GemStar Interactive takes an integrated approach to Search Engine Optimisation - offering our clients a complete SEO solution - a combination of best Organic SEO practices to ensure your website is search engine friendly and othe option of PPC (Paid Per Click) advertising campaigns to significantly improve their online presence. You may like to ask about our 'Ultimate grow your business online' packaged bundle.

Contact GemStar Interactive today to talk through the web and SEO needs of your business.

Google Adwords are the advertisements you see for businesses when you do a search on Google - they display at the very top of the page and along the right hand side of the page.

This is pay-per-click advertising, every time someone clicks on one of those ads a small fee is charged to the ad holder’s adwords account. The more competition a keyword has the more the pay-per-click rate is.

In order for Google Adwords to be effective keyword and analysis is required with on-going monitoring of the ads to make appropriate changes to ensure campaigns are successfully hitting target markets.

GemStar Interactive Web Design Process

Your New Business Website through GemStar Interactive is made Easy with Friendly Service & Professional Advice.

5 Easy Steps to get the website you want - first time round!

Step 1: Contact GemStar Interactive to talk through your web design needs

email or call GemStar Interactive

Send us an email or give us a call, we would love to talk to you about your web design and development requirements.

Brochure websites, social & networking interaction, ecommerce, directories, job boards - whatever it is you require, our dedicated team of professionals will work with you to build the web solution you are after - First time round.

Step 2: We will provide you with a quote and provide options & recommendations for your consideration

Free Quote with Friendly Service

We strive to provide quality in service as well as delivery, whilst remaining competitive in price.

Step 3: Once you have approved our quote, we will put together a mock-up design for your new website and provide it to you for your feedback

design and feedback

Our designs are strategically developed to reach your desired demographics and to achieve results for your business online.

We value your input, and most of the time our clients are happy with the first version of the design provided.

Step 4: We will work hard to build your new website and make sure it is Search Engine friendly, easy to navigate, meets your delivery requirements and your required time-frame.

seo-time

This is what we do!

Web design and development is our passion - and we love our work.

We also love making our clients happy - you can read some of our testimonials here.

Step 5: We can provide on-going support and advice to ensure the success of your business online.

We can provide training, easy to follow instructions for the management of your website, on-going marketing advice and services.

We are always a phone call or email away if you need any assistance.

SEO tips to help your website get found

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is the practice of improving a site’s ranking in web search engine results (such as Google, Yahoo and Bing) for specific search queries, or keywords.

It is often assumed that if a website is online - the world will visit your website, masses of people will start signing up for your services, purchase your products and you will receive a flood of enquiries all within minutes of the site being launched to the World Wide Web...

Unfortunately it doesn't quite work like this... if your website is not search engine friendly what is going to invite search engines such as Google to visit the site and understand what your website is all about?

This article is to provide your business with an overview on SEO best practices and tips to help your website get found online for the right reasons!

The difference between Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Whilst SEO - Search Engine Optimisation and SEM - Search Engine Marketing both relate specifically to search engine applications - their goals and techniques are quite different.

If you own or run a website you will most likely be approached by organisations or individuals offering SEM - Search Engine Marketing services.

More than often they will claim they can "Get Your Business on the First page of Google Search Results" - what they are often referring to is paid per click advertisements (such as Google Adwords) not organic search results.

Whilst search engine advertising can be quite effective for many businesses to gain traffic to their website, it can get expensive over time, especially if there is a lot of competition, and if it is not done properly with thorough keyword research and analysis the results may not be successful.

We will discuss SEM - Search Engine Marketing techniques further in depth in another blog article.

This article discusses best SEO practices to help improve the ranking of your website on relevant organic search terms - the ideal place to start for your business to succeed online.

Why is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) important?

There is no point on investing in a website unless it is going to be found!

It is all about connecting people with your business based on relevant searches.

There are four main elements to SEO - a quick overview of each is below:

1. Keyword Research

Click here to read an overview

This is the practice of researching and analysing actual search terms people enter into their search engines when conducting a search.

For example: If you were doing an online search for your local fruit store, you would most likely type the words 'fruit store' or 'fruit shop' and your location into your search engine to determine a relevant search result e.g. Fruit stores The Gap Brisbane.

By using keyword research tools you can find out what terms people are actually typing that are relevant to your business - by weaving these keywords into your website copy, page titles and meta data will help your website get found on relevant terms.

Keyword Research is one of the best steps to start with when establishing a new website as all the following elements can flow from the keyword analysis.

For optimal results continual commitment to keyword analysis and implementation should become part of your marketing agenda.

Here are some great Free SEO Tools to use if you want to do some of your own keyword research:

Google Keyword Tool - there are loads of third-party keyword tools you can purchase, but we find Google's free keyword tool to do the job well:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

SEO Book - offer a great range of useful freebie SEO tools and resources.:

http://www.seobook.com/

And of course GemStar Interactive can also conduct, analyse, report and implement relevant keyword research for your business to succeed online.

2. Content Development

Click here to read an overview

When it comes to SEO -Content is King!

Try not to stuff your copy with keywords just for the sake of having them there - Google algorithms for ranking websites are getting smarter all the time and honour relevancy of content to establish ranking, rather than just a bunch of words that have been mashed together.

One of our web developers told me an SEO joke the other day -

"An SEO copywriter walks into a bar, pub, cocktail lounge, grill, tavern, public house, Irish, bartender, drinks, beer, wine, liquor...."

Just because you list that you offer a bunch of services, or service a city so you list all the suburbs individually doesn't really do a lot for you in terms of being found on these keywords.

Content needs to be unique, relevant and consistent - if you keep copying and pasting the same copy across each page it looses relevancy.

For maximum benefits page titles, meta data and meta keywords need to be relevant to the content on each page.

Create headings that are consistent with the body text and keep the context relevant for each page of your website - this will help search engines such as Google to understand what your website is about and to help your site get found on relevant search terms.

Keep your website content fresh and relevant this not only helps to keep people interested it also encourages search engine crawlers to keep visiting your site.

3. Web Design and Development

Click here to read an overview

We at GemStar Interactive build all of our websites with SEO in mind

The architecture of a website needs to be designed and developed so that search engine crawlers can go through the entire site and place relevancy on what is on each page.

Search engines cannot read images so it is best practice to ensure all images should have a relevant alternate description (alt tag) so that search engine crawlers and screen readers can tell what it is an image of.

Menu items need to be readable and have selectable text - If the menu is made up of rollover images and the menu text is embedded in the image - how is google meant to know what it says and what the page is for?

A good way to test how search engines such as google see your website is to turn off images and javascript in your web browser - does it still make sense? can you still see the menu items? is there enough copy on the page for someone to understand the relevancy of what the page is about?

4. Link Building

Click here to read an overview

Try to get your website linked on as many relevant high ranking websites as possible, this is highly regarded by search engines.

External links from other websites to yours increases traffic to your site and can assist in building the recognition on what your website is about.

If possible try to have the link to your site include other relevant keywords such as GemStar Interactive Web and Graphic Design  this will help google (and other search engines) place relevancy on what the site is about and the search terms you are trying to get ranking for - it will read the link then follow on to the website, see that the content is consistent and this will help to improve ranking on relevancy.

You might like to consider having a links page on your website so you can offer exchanging links with other businesses and organisations.

A few other tips to help your website get found:

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  • Promote your website on all marketing material for your business, include the web address in your company email signatures, stationary and any other printed marketing material.
  • Keep writing regular content, new articles, information on product releases and encourage people to visit your website to stay informed.

We at GemStar Interactive build all of our websites with SEO in mind and provide practical marketing advice to help your business succeed online.

Contact us today to talk through your web requirements.

Subscribe to the GemStar Interactive eNewsletter to receive further Tips & Tricks for Effective Marketing Tools and Techniques, Industry News, Web Specials and Freebies.

Why Your Business Needs A Website

Are you thinking about getting a new website designed for your business?

This article is to help you to determine not only WHY your business may need a website, but also WHAT it could achieve for your business, and How GemStar Interactive can deliver quality professional web design solutions to help your business succeed online.

A business website:

Promotes your business, products and services

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Your website showcases what you have on offer, connecting people to your business and providing a means for people to contact you. Many people use the Internet to locate or research a business before going to the physical address or picking up the phone to make an enquiry. Letting your potential customers know up-front what is on offer and what they can expect encourages customers to your business.

Reaches further demographics

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Whether trying to gain more local customers or entice a global market, a business website is accessible at all times. Potential customers can locate information on your business's products and services at all times of the day and night, every day of the year.

Provides 24/7 Customer Service

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By providing essential information and answers to questions on your website, sales and information enquiries can be processed automatically and immediately. Products can be purchased and payments processed. Potential customers can also request quotes or ask questions by completing contact enquiry forms on your website.

Is Your Online Brochure / Catalogue

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You can provide potential customers with comprehensive information and keep information on your products and services up to date without the expenses of printing and distribution.

GemStar Interactive:

Understands each client's online needs are unique. Our website design and development process is individual for each of our clients.

We believe customer satisfaction is essential, we listen to what you have to say and provide knowledgeable advice all the way through from concept to delivery. We want to make sure your business gains the most from your new website.

An effective website needs to be well thought through and developed with search engines in mind - there is no point to a website unless it can be found by your potential customers.

All of our web solutions are designed and developed to be Search Engine Friendly and strategically devised to reach desired demographics - so you can rest assured your investment will not only be worthwhile, but made easy through friendly service and support.

Whether you require a brochure-style website, an ecommerce website or a complete custom web solution, GemStar Interactive's team of dedicated professionals can deliver quality web design solutions to help your business succeed online.

  • We take pride in meeting deadlines
  • Our prices are competitive
  • We work hard to achieve results

Read more on our web design and development services here

Check out our Web Design portfolio for examples of our work.

Contact GemStar Interactive Today to get a Free Quote.

Optimising Images for Web Design & HTML Email Newsletters

It is important to optimise every image for web design and also html email newsletters.

What does optimise mean?

To achieve maximum efficiency and optimum results. By optimising your images for use in web design and html newsletters means reducing the file size to reach the best outcome for the reader / end user.

Why optimise images for Web Design and HTML Newsletters?

If you have lots of images that have large file sizes,  your website or email will take a long time to load – and let’s face it no-one wants to wait – your most likely going to have your customers ignore your website or your email without reading it.

Some email servers will even reject emails with large image sizes labelling them as spam so the email never reaches the inbox.

It’s all about getting the right balance between file-size and picture quality.

As a rule images should not go over 150kb as an absolute maximum and you should aim for them to be under 30kb (ultimately around 10kb if possible).

What type of images should be used on the web and in emails?

Jpeg (.jpg) is best for photographic images and .gif for drawn graphics. You can also use .png however this will often result in larger file-size. Images for email and for the web should be RGB colour formatting and 72dpi resolution.

Imaging programs such as Photoshop and Fireworks offer a great ‘save for web’ feature enabling you to scale the reduction of the images and visually view the results. Of course not everyone knows how to use (or has the budget to purchase) such advanced imaging software, fortunately there are many great free imaging programs available online.

Here are some great free to use advanced imaging editors:

http://www.splashup.com/splashup/ A powerful online image editor similar to Photoshop.

http://www.gimp.org/ A powerful GNU Image Manipulation Program.

To techy to understand? Try using the easy to use tools listed below, they have less flexibility with options but make optimising much easier.

http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/imageoptimizer/ just browse for the image on your computer, and click convert to – choose jpeg for photo images and gif or png for graphics.

http://www.imageoptimizer.net/Pages/Home.aspx You can use the online editor or download a copy to use on your computer.  This is a simple to use program just follow the instructions provided (works on PC only).

There are many great tutorials on image optimisation available on the web, so try a quick google search if you need more information.

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