Think about the last time you were looking for something. A solution to a problem, a product, a service, an answer to a burning question, anything. How did you begin your search? We’d be willing to bet a pretty penny that you did one of two things. You either 1) asked a friend, or 2) pulled up google on your phone or computer to look for West Palm Beach Search Engine Marketing Services.
Matter of fact, we bet that’s how you stumbled onto our page today. So, first of all–welcome! We’re THAT Agency. The go-to West Palm Beach SEM agency, although we work with clients from here in Florida to Washington State and lots of places in between. That’s the beauty of the internet.
In many ways, the internet is just the way of the world now. Convenience trumps most things. Speed of completion, quality of results, and ease of use. That’s the name of the game when it comes to search engines. That’s why Google has become so prevalent.
On this page, we’re going to attempt to answer all of your questions about Search Engine Marketing (we’ll refer to it as SEM mostly, not because it’s what the kids are saying these days, but just because it’s easier on the eyes).
However, if you’d like to cut to the chase and find out if we’re worth our salt, then give us a quick call: 561.832.6262
We’d be happy to talk through everything over the phone, or zoom, or whatever’s easiest for you. Convenience and ease of use.
But if you’re just beginning your search for a top SEM agency, and aren’t ready to jump on a call yet, then keep reading. Here’s what we’re going to cover:
Alright, let’s dive in. Search Engine Marketing goes back to the invention of the search engine itself. Basically, as the World Wide Web came into vogue, people started creating websites. In those days, we’d just type the www address into the ‘address bar’ in order to visit a site. The address bar still exists of course, but now it is almost exclusively used for searches.
So, as people created more websites, the index became vast enough that some other smart people decided to create a way to search by keyword. Simple enough idea, right? Well, billionaires are often created by taking a simple idea and making it convenient and easy to use for the masses.
Ok, that’s where we’ll leave the history lesson. If you want to read a more detailed history, then Wikipedia was created just for that reason. But save that for later.
For now, let’s look into how top SEM agencies in today’s world have built entire businesses on the backs of companies like Google and Bing. But mostly Google. Sorry, Bing. (NOTE: an honorable mention goes to DuckDuckGo, the search engine making a name for itself by having the most data protection).
Here they are: Organic Optimization and Paid Advertising.
As an SEM agency, we of course utilize more than just those two kinds of search engine marketing tactics, but for the initial purposes of this page, that’s what we’ll talk about; because that’s what we focus most of our time and energy on.
Any search engine marketing company worth considering attempts to leverage the algorithms and features of search engines to make your website more discoverable. That’s the goal: drive more people to click on your pages. All SEM companies share that goal for their clients. But, as is true in any industry, there are good SEM agencies, bad SEM agencies, and mediocre SEM agencies.
We’ll let you be the judge of which category we fall into. But what we will say, is that the top SEM agencies focus on results: Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). For demonstration purposes, we’ll focus on Google for the next part.
Because there is an easy way to measure progress and success when it comes to optimizing your site for Google, and that is with Google Rankings. If you’re looking for a quick how-to when it comes to increasing your site’s standing in the eyes of Google, then download our checklist:
10 STEPS TO INCREASE GOOGLE RANKINGSThere, we’ve given you the keys to your own success. But we’re not worried that you’ll steal our secret formula. There are thousands of free resources out there telling you how to make your website perform well using SEM; where we build our business is through the work–the practice.
It’s relatively easy to know how to do something. What’s difficult is the actual doing, and then, of course, succeeding when faced with obstacles and competition.
Now let’s talk about Organic vs Paid SEM services.
Many people believe that when they open a new Google tab and type in some search terms, they’re searching the web. It technically doesn’t work that way. As we mentioned, instead of searching the web, you’re searching Google’s index of the web.
What does this mean for your website? Well, your pages must be indexed so that potential searchers can find you on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) of Google. And, of course, you need a well-developed website full of high-quality content (think helpful blog posts and how-to videos in addition to information about your business, products, and/or services) in order to rank well.
Plus, your website’s speed, domain age and history, mobile-friendliness, and some 200 other aspects are integral when it comes to achieving a top-rank in Google. The best SEM agency is the one that can find the best path for your specific site, and map the route to success.
Something you should know: organic optimization takes longer than paid advertising when it comes to showing visible results. Organic optimization is compounding in nature. In the beginning, you have to focus on building a strong foundation. It depends on what you’re aiming for.
But as an example, we’ll use ourselves, THAT Agency. When we started focussing on search engine marketing, we used various web tools to analyze our starting position and rank on Google. We are a West Palm Beach SEM agency, so we found various keywords that people were searching for that related to Digital Marketing Services, and we started to try to answer those questions as best we could.
And that’s what we’re doing right now as we create this page–trying to answer your questions and provide you with solutions. In the beginning, our focus was primarily on local searches. While we still focus very heavily on West Palm Beach and the surrounding areas, we have expanded over the years.
Organic optimization is not all about keywords, but it is a large piece of the puzzle. Going back to the history of search engines, Google tries to connect the searcher (you) with results that most directly relate to what you are searching for using keywords. A top SEM agency excels at helping its clients be found by those searching for topics or questions related to their product or service.
The name of the game is content. That’s a whole other discussion, so if you want to read more about content marketing and how we incorporate it into our organic SEM strategy, then visit our Content Marketing page.
Alright, those are the fundamentals behind Organic SEM. Now let’s talk about paid advertising.
Paid advertising, in the traditional sense, means billboards and magazines and radio and TV. All that jazz. Paid advertising in the world of SEM means those few sites at the top of Google’s SERP that say ‘Ad’ next to or below them. It can also mean every ad that you’ve ever seen on the edges of a web page you’re visiting.
If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that there aren’t any ads on this page. Or on any of our pages. That’s because we don’t sell advertising space on our website. But we’re sure you’ve been on sites that have more ads on them than content.
Again, this has a lot to do with keywords. Though there are many other pieces of Google’s algorithm. But on a fundamental level, you can pay to have your site appear on SERPs or on other sites with topics or keywords that you think to relate to your business.
Google’s model for this form of advertising is called Pay-Per-Click (PPC). In PPC advertising, companies bid on keywords that they want to appear for. The cost per click depends on how broad or specific the keyword is. For instance, ‘marketing agency’ is very broad, as there are thousands of marketing agencies around the US alone.
But ‘West Palm Beach SEM agency’ is much more specific. Like any auction, people’s bids determine the price. So if there are a lot of companies that suddenly decide to move operations to West Palm Beach and want to advertise themselves as a West Palm Beach SEM agency, then the cost per click for those keywords will likely increase.
Alright, we’ll pause there. Again, there are many free resources out there for you to take a deeper dive into paid SEM (Search Engine Marketing) if you’re wondering about the algorithms, the bid process, and more of the technical specifics.
But if you’re still reading this page, then you’re probably looking for US to do the SEM for you. Or someone like us. Not putting words in your mouth. But that’s Perfect! Because this means that our organic SEM has delivered us to you. You have been matched with (hopefully) the exact solution to your problem!
At this point, we’re going to go on to talk about how we interweave SEM into all other aspects of digital marketing, and vice versa. But if you’ve read enough, and you want to have a discovery conversation with us, then reach out! Here’s our Contact Us page, and again, our number is 561.832.6262
At THAT Agency, some of the other parts of our marketing service mix include Content Marketing, Website Design, and Social Media Marketing. Of course, we do other things as well, but these are the most directly related to SEM.
We won’t go on too much about each since we’ve built separate pages for those. We’ll just talk about how they relate to SEM.
What makes up your website? It’s likely filled with copy, photos, and videos. The most straightforward approach to that content is a good foundation. If your site accurately describes what you do, make, and/or sell, then you probably have a good base of optimization for some keywords without realizing it.
In the early 2000s, that might have been enough to drive a good amount of business to your company through your site. But in today’s online landscape, it takes fine-tuning and the right touch to stand out.
You have to cater to the algorithms, and the algorithms themselves are always being changed and fine-tuned. Let that be our job. We enjoy solving those kinds of problems. We like writing blog posts that are optimized for the right keywords. We like creating videos, including them on the right pages of your site, and writing the copy for those pages too. It’s what we excel at.
Alright, that was a lot. Now that you have a tighter grasp on the problems we help you solve, let’s talk about the next steps. Well, first of all, if you’ve reached this point and are now ready to have an initial conversation, reach out. Here’s the Contact Us page again.
But, if you’re looking for a little more, well here are some notable benefits of working with a top SEM agency like us:
Time to think. Ask yourself: Does your company have a handle on the fast-paced and ever-changing world of search engine marketing?
The way we look at it, you can either hire a full-time employee who will, every month, try to accomplish even a third of what we can, AND it will cost you more. Or you can hire an agency with a wealth of experience. One that is optimized for efficiency and results. Contact us: THAT Agency for a free consultation and audit of your website’s optimization.