Internet Marketing and Advertising Strategies - Circumventing

Most website owners spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars (or hours) trying to get their

websites to appear on the first page of Google's natural search results and, more often than not,

their placements are restricted to a number of obscure keyword phrases few use to find related

products and/or services. What may come as a surprise to many, the expense could have been

avoided had they taken a simple but dramatically different approach to online marketing.

In a recent article published by OneUpWeb® of the Fortune 100's websites only 13 have "properly

optimized" their websites for natural Google placement. Of the remainder, 42 have only done a

partial job, while 45 have done little or nothing. Why aren't the 'big boys' participating in the

game? "The answer," says Ron Scott, an internet publicist, "is really quite simple - they don't

see the need.

"The 'big boys' have wisely chosen to focus their marketing efforts on branding and brand

recognition," Scott says, "and the logic behind the strategy is certainly understandable when you

think about it. You don't need to "compete" if you can induce consumers and B2B prospects to

conduct their searches using your brand name(s) instead of generic keyword phrases."

Scott points to Microsoft as a perfect example. "Overture reports over 100 different keyword

phrases that currently include the company's name and they generated over 2,500,000 inquiries

last month," he says. "Yet, when one enters the keyword phrases 'word processing software',

'operating systems', and 'software' and Microsoft's site is no where to be found.

Googling a brand name instead of a generic keyword phrase, the consumer will, if the company has

taken steps to even nominally optimize its site for that brand name, see its site as well as the

websites of its dealers, distributors and affiliates sitting pretty on the first page of search

results. If trademarked, no one outside "the family" can use that brand name without violating

the company's exclusive right to use it so the only results to be found are going to be directly

related to that company and its products/services.

Frustrated by the unpredictability of search engine algorithms, Scott decided a few months ago to

trademark a brand name he could use to promote his services as an internet publicist.

"Admittedly, I winced when a colleague suggested 'The PR Guru Guy' - I'm sure it gives most a

sense that I am full of myself - but it didn't take long for me to realize that it was ideal -

it's a brand that is directly related to my profession and easy to remember," he says.

"Now, if any B2B prospects recall the brand name and enter 'the pr guru guy', 'pr guru guy', or

'prguruguy', they'll find my site (Fasttrackrankingandplacement.com) occupying the top position

on MSN as well as all Google driven search engines - Google, AOL Search, Alexa, Netscape,

Information, A9, Amazon, Att.net, Compuserve, and Earthlink," he says.

Scott, of course, had to optimize the company website for the keyword phrase and its variations,

but the process only took four days from start to finish - finish meaning that's the length of

time it took Google to cache and index the changes.

Once the branding concept is understood, business owners need to think about how they're going to

develop brand awareness, ultimately getting B2C and B2B prospects to call to mind their brand

when they are in need of a particular product and/or service. Obviously, it's not enough to just

select a clever name.

To succeed, prospective clients have to not only call to mind the brand, they have to correlate

it to a particular need or desire because the real value of branding lies in the prospect's

perception that the product or service associated with the brand name is the ultimate solution to

a particular problem. "Building brand awareness 100,000 or more prospects at a time, this is

where an internet public relations program can be of immense value," Scott says.

Branding, of course, won't work for everyone but those in highly competitive industries or who

have a unique product or service, might well consider branding as a viable alternative to

traditional website optimization and the hit-and-miss marketing strategies they're been using to

date.

"For those who have a unique product or service that consumers and B2B prospects are unfamiliar

with, it's a strategy that shouldn't be dismissed," Scott says.

About the author: For business owners wanting to know more about the comparative value of branding, traditional

website optimization, and pay-per-click advertising, the "PR Guru Guy" offers a free, one-hour

introductory webinar. To learn more, visit www.fasttrackrankingandplacement.com. Service by www.nuttymarketer.com