The power of integrated search marketing

The total is more than the sum of its parts – this is the principle of synergy. And we can apply this principle to online marketing as well.

If properly done, you can get good results with a single PPC advertising campaign, or with an isolated SEO campaign. Or maybe just focusing on social media. Yes, of course you can. But you will get optimal and much stronger results only when combining different strategies and channels. You will definitely see the most efficient results of your online marketing efforts when multiple channels are combined in a synergic effort.

Following a multichannel approach will strengthen each of your strategies adding more value to your overall online efforts. These are some ways in which an integrated search marketing approach will benefit your business:

1. Domination on search results. Being present in the top of the organic results and in the paid search ads will result on you dominating the search engine result pages for your keywords and products, causing an extended exposure that your potential customers will notice. Your target audience will consider you a big authority for that particular keyword or product. In the brain of your customer, this fact will consolidate you among the leaders of your industry, giving you an invaluable branding opportunity.

2. Social signs are a ranking factor. Actually, a really important ranking factor. The more Likes, +1s, tweets and other shares your website has, the higher it will rank on the search engines. Having an established presence and a high popularity on social networks will boost your search engine rankings, and eventually, increase the traffic to your site.

3. Going mobile helps you going social. Having a mobile-friendly site, such as a responsive website, will greatly improve user experience. Your audience will get a better image of your brand, and therefore there will be more chances that they will Like your Facebook page, click on your PPC ad, or eventually buy your products.

4. Going social improves CTR and brand awareness. Investing in Social Media will generate more exposure of your brand, and people who heard about you before will be more likely to click on your natural listing or PPC ad on the search engine results pages, thus improving your CTR (clickthrough rate). And improving your CTR will consequently improve your search engine rankings.

5. Connect your profiles / accounts. Connecting your profiles on social networks and other platforms will allow your audience to see the whole picture of your brand. It can also help to boost SEO and PPC campaigns – e.g. there will be a link to your Google+ page / Google Maps profile on your Google AdWords ads, by linking your Google AdWords account with your Google Places for Businesses account.

These are just few of them. There are hundreds of ways in which investing in a multichannel approach will benefit your online marketing efforts, because in the end of the day all of these channels are part of a massive network called Internet and are all connected.

Iñigo Etxebeste, July 2, 2013