Do you know how many times  the search engines (Google, etc.) were used last month? Well if you guessed 15.9 billion times then you win the prize! And that’s only counting searches done in the U.S. market… according to comScore, a digital research firm.

Cool factoid, by why should you care? Because many were prospects searching for products and services like yours. So the name of the game is making sure your website shows up in search results!

Your website can appear in search results in two ways:

1.  Natural Search. The search engines find (index) all the websites on the Internet and then decide what to show when a user does a search. This is called natural or organic search. The search engines determine how relevant your website content is for a given search… based on their own (super-secret) algorithms.

The good news is you don’t have to pay when your website appears in natural search results. That’s the whole point of search right? The bad news is that Google and the search engines have millions of other web pages to choose from besides yours.

But you can influence this. That’s what search engine optimization (SEO) is all about!

2. Paid Search. As the name implies, it means you pay to have your ad show up in the top and right hand side “sponsored listing” sections of a search results page. Of course, your competitors want those spots too… so you get to bid against them to see who’s ad gets the highest ranking (what fun!)

In either case, if prospects can’t find your business when searching the Internet… then you won’t be in business very long. That’s why whole industries (and lots of consultants) have sprung up to help with your search engine optimization and paid search efforts.

So which should you do, SEO or Paid Search?

Let’s do a search “smack-down” before we answer that question:

Natural search is free. It’s worth repeating this one. You don’t have to pay Google or any other search engine to show up in natural search results. With paid search, you pay, and pay, and pay (you get the idea!)

Winner: SEO and Natural Search

With paid search, you control what, where, and when… your ad shows. You control what your ad says and in which search results it shows up. You can also start and stop your ad at anytime to stay within budget. Plus, it’s easy to test different paid search ads to see which works best… since you’re in control!

Winner: Paid Search

People mostly click on natural search results. About 80% of the time users click on natural search listings versus only 20% on sponsored listings.Why? Because people trust natural search more since they know that the sponsored listings are ads.

Winner: SEO and Natural Search

Changing natural search results takes time. Figure it may take 6 to 9 months before your search engine optimization results really pay off. SEO is an ongoing process of big and little changes to your website… to make it easier for search engines to find you, understand what your business is about, and to see that other website owners think you’re important too. And that just takes time.

Winner: Paid Search

Now we’re (finally) ready to answer the question of whether you should do SEO or paid search. The answer is… both!

If you’re starting a business or just bringing your offline business onto the Internet then you can’t wait around for your SEO efforts to work. You need to find prospects and generate sales now. This is why paid search is so great. Once you’ve set up your paid search ad, you’ll start driving potential customers to your website right away.

But don’t put off your SEO efforts. Otherwise, you’ll be kicking yourself later… and running out of cash since paid search bills add up quickly (that’s why Google makes tons of money).

Even if your business has been online for quite awhile… you’re probably still looking to increase your website traffic and find more qualified prospects online… without spending an arm and a leg to do it! So you’ll want to do both SEO and paid search for all the reasons we’ve already outlined.

Once your SEO efforts start paying off, you’ll have a steady stream of (free) visitors coming to your website from natural search. Plus you’ll still be able to tap into paid search… for when you launch new products, need to generate more sales fast, or want your website traffic growing while your search engine optimization efforts continue to improve.

So, definitely do both SEO and paid search.

Now it’s time for a word of caution regarding SEO and paid search (sorry!)

Remember, if you’re website doesn’t show up in search results then your business doesn’t exist… as far as your online prospects are concerned.

You or someone on your team must invest the time to learn at least the basics of SEO and paid search. Read blog posts, download white papers, or buy a few books on the topic. It’s that important. It really is. Or hire an expert if you have the budget. It will be worth it!

Here are some good blog posts (including ours) to get you started:

Guide to Search Engine Marketing for Small Business

SEO Flows Through Everything

SEO Copywriting

Don’t Make These Search Engine Marketing Mistakes

Do You Want to Know What Keywords to Use for Your Website?

And as always… let us know if we can help!  Just give us a call at 888-330-3236.

Did you know that fewer than half of all small businesses advertise online? That’s what Nielsen Online reports. Surprising, huh? Well, maybe not… if you’re a small business owner who finds Internet advertising confusing, complex, and cluttered (we sure do!)

But the fact is that most consumers now search the Web for local products and services like yours. And if your competitors aren’t already on the Internet they will be soon. So like it or not… it’s time to jump online.

Seriously, how else are you going to become comfortable with Internet marketing if you don’t begin doing it? (Tough love, I know.)

Here’s the good news: There are lots of services now available to help you market your business online. From making it easy and affordable to build a website; to getting a listing with the Internet Yellow Pages; to helping you manage search advertising with Google.

Not sure where to start? Read on…

1.  What if you don’t even have a website?

Our recent post: Does Your Business Need a Website? lays it out for you… including the must-have pages that every local website needs. And here’s our list of the Best Free and Affordable Website Builders. You’ll be seriously amazed at how easy it is to build a great looking website. Best of all… no technical degree required!

2.  Want to have your business found on the Internet?

Listing with the Internet Yellow Pages and other online directories is really important. Here’s our list of the Best Local Directories for Your Online Advertising. With these directories, it’s mostly free to create a listing for your business… and if you’re willing to pay ($25 to $50 monthly) you can also add photos, special offers, user reviews, and more!

3.   What if you’d like to find more prospects online?

Using a service to help you with search engine marketing may be the way to go. Check out Yodle and ReachLocal to see if they meet your needs. Both specialize in helping small business owners advertise on Google and other search engines to find prospects looking for local products and services.

4.  Still trying to get a handle on this online advertising stuff?

We understand. As a matter of fact, we’ve written a few blog posts on this very topic:

Why Advertise Online? Here are 7 Important Reasons

Getting Started with Local Online Advertising?

Your Local Online Advertising Options

And remember… when you’re ready we’re here to help too!