SEO is not the be all and end all - it is just one part of your Internet Marketing strategy. According to Brand Week Online Magazine: "Search engine positioning may be just one part of an online marketing strategy,but it is the fundamental part. It's the baseline."

It is found that Search Engine Effectiveness report on the brand lift from textual paid search results, found that high search engine listings drive the highest awareness or branding for a website. Consumers recall websites 60% of the time from search engine listings numbers 1-3, and only 20% for banner ads and tiles.

For years companies have identified audiences and target markets, crafted messages and used mass media to deliver those messages in the hope that the right person will read them and respond. Now we have people searching on the Internet for products, services and information. They are actively online looking for what they need and want.

When the keywords are tapped relevant to our industry and find the viable pockets of search that will lead qualified, interested people to your website, then also it is necessary to optimize the site because if you are not in those search results, your competitors will be.

Content will always be king - people go to a website for the content. A site has to be usable and interesting and it has to meet the expectations of the searcher. But it has to be found first. There has to be a balance between visibility and usability.

It's a two edged sword if your site is never found. You could have the most perfect website, but no one will ever see it. And if you are ranked number one on all search engines on all your major keywords and phrases, but when the visitor gets to your site there is no relevant and useful content that will deliver what they were online searching for in the first place, what's the point? They will be gone in two seconds.

Being visible and being usable are not mutually exclusive they are joined at the hip. Using SEO as part of overall brand and Internet marketing strategy positions the industry at the higher rankings.

This article was posted on January 30, 2006

About The Author

Prabhjot kaur working with A-1 as SEO analyst. A-1 internetdesign blog is a place to learn search engine optimization techniques for Free. Our SEO Blog www.thewebmarketingblog.com is a collection of search engine optimization news, tips, articles and commentaries As a professional services firm, A-1 internetdesign, will increase your online market reach to help you achieve greater business results.