Define Goals & Objectives

The first step in developing a search engine marketing program is reviewing the client's business. Specifically, we want to learn about the following:

  • Primary Target Markets - This can help us evaluate geographical targets and identify link and submission opportunities.
  • Core Competencies - Allows us to focus our research on promoting those products or services that are most likely to convert to sales.
  • Competitive Advantages - Helps in determining whether competitive sites are truly competitors or merely companies that offer similar products. This can be very important in managing pay per click bid programs.
  • Growth Markets - Are there certain product lines that should yield higher conversion rates simply because the market is growing?
  • Promotional Goals - Outline specific goals for the program.
  • Other Marketing Activities - How can search engine marketing be integrated with your other marketing activities?
  • Organization - Does the company have systems in place to handle inquiries or process online sales effectively?
  • Measurement - Are systems currently in place to track the return on promotional dollars spent — both online and offline?

The answers to these questions will aid us in developing a program tailored to your company.