“Search engine marketing represents only 3% of all funds spent, yet generates 70% of all leads”. A catchy headline such as this in your newspaper or on a website is enough to spark you into action. As a proactive entrepreneur, you are likely to waste no time in enquiring about advertising design agencies or web marketing firms in your local yellow pages or over the net, compare rates and pick one to handle your internet marketing.



However, soon you find out that your website is up and running but as far as bringing in business is concerned, you have nothing to write home about. Now you start wondering about the whether the figures quoted in the report were cooked or you did something wrong.

So what went wrong, where?

Only one in 10 websites do it right

Research associated with web marketing reveals there are more than 10 million websites of which approximately 60% are commercial. Yet, less than 10% of these follow the right steps to make the web work for them.

As an entrepreneur you can draw two important inferences from these statistics. First, despite there being millions of websites, you need to worry only about a few of your competitors.

Second, when most of the web marketers still groping in dark you have the fair chances to carving a niche for your products or services by taking smart web marketing steps.

A strategic plan to launch your product or service on the web is the backbone of your web marketing efforts. To set up a website was your immediate goal and you did it on time. But the key to its success lies in the question, how you have done that and what next? If you want to grow and use internet to generate business for you then you need to harness the potentiality of this e-platform smartly.

Need for targeted traffic

Attractive design, crisp and compelling copies, easy navigation, well planned graphical illustration and most importantly creating strong brand image are some of the most important aspects that goes behind architecting a successful website.

But the task doesn't ends here. What next? Think why people are ready to pay exorbitant rates for buying an office space or shop in busy commercial area. The same rule applies here. You need to have traffic on your website to make it work. Now ‘traffic' again is a little vague unless I prefix the word ‘target' to it. You need ‘targeted traffic' on your website.

Internet advertising revenues exceeded $5.2 billion for the third quarter of 2007, representing a 25.3% increase and $1.1 billion increase over Q3 2006.

The figures simply suggest advertisers and marketers have started realizing web as a powerful medium of advertising. If your web is not working for you then you need to find an interactive advertising agency that provides full array of web development services along with marketing solutions. This can help you to:

• Increase online traffic

• Increase conversion

• Dominate your competition

• Lower client acquisition cost

• Earn fast measurable ROI

• Broaden market share

Five vital checkpoints for choosing an advertising and marketing firm

Can't finish this piece without a word of caution! Choosing an interactive advertising agency is not something to be done in haste.

** Study their work expertise to find out what kind of specialized services they offer – it is always preferable to opt for an agency that offers end to end web development and marketing services.

** Check out the portfolio of the agency or firm (most have their work on display online).

** Find out whether they give guaranteed search engine rankings for targeted keywords or not.

** Browse the About Us pages to know the people behind the company, their experience and expertise.

** Cross check testimonials to ensure whether the company enjoys a satisfied client base.

Search engine marketing is exploding and so are the incomes from it. If your equations right, there will be no looking back for you!