Web Marketing is the active practice of optimizing a web site by improving internal and external features in order to increase the traffic the site receives from search engines. Firms that practice Web Marketing can vary; some have a highly specialized focus, while others take a more broad and general approach. Optimizing a web site for search engines can require looking at so many unique elements that many practitioners of Web Marketing (Web Marketing's) consider themselves to be in the broad field of website optimization (since so many of those elements intertwine).

This guide is designed to describe all areas of Web Marketing - from discovery of the terms and phrases that will generate traffic, to making a site search engine friendly, to building the links and marketing the unique value of the site/organization's offerings.

Why does my company/organization website need Web Marketing?

The majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines - Yahoo!, MSN, Google & Ask.com (although AOL gets nearly 10% of searches, their engine is powered by Google's results). If your site cannot be found by search engines or your content cannot be put into their databases, you miss out on the incredible opportunities available to websites provided via search - people who want what you have visiting your site. Whether your site provides content, services, products, or information, search engines are a primary method of navigation for almost all Internet users.

Search queries, the words that users type into the search box which contain terms and phrases best suited to your site, carry extraordinary value. Experience has shown that search engine traffic can make (or break) an organization's success. Targeted visitors to a website can provide publicity, revenue, and exposure like no other. Investing in Web Marketing, whether through time or finances, can have an exceptional rate of return.

        Yahoo 29.7%
        MSN 15.8%
        Google 37.3%
        AOL 9.0%
        ASk.com 6.0%
        Other 1.6%

Why can't the search engines shows my website without Web Marketing help?

Search engines are always working towards improving their technology to scrub the web more deeply and return increasingly relevant results to users. However, there is and will always be a limit to how search engines can operate. Whereas the right moves can net you millions of visitors and attention, the wrong act can hide or bury your site deep in the search results where visibility is almost minimal. In addition to making content available to search engines, Web Marketing can also help to uplift rankings so that content that has been found will be placed where searchers will more readily see it. The online environment is becoming increasingly competitive, and those companies who perform Web Marketing will have a decided advantage in visitors, customers and clients.