Higher Search Engine Optimization or ranking in the search engines is the primary goal of new online businesses. Higher ranking in search engines equals more traffic and more money, right? Most small businesses and start-up companies spend the majority of their traditional marketing resources, and strategic time, on new business development. Some understand Social Media Marketing to mean networking or new business development. In this article, you will learn how to apply your knowledge of traditional social networking and marketing strategies to increase search engine ranking of your online business.

Social Media Marketing is the most rapidly growing marketing strategy, among small businesses, because it allows traditional advertisers and marketers to step into the world of Internet marketing, with very little expense, time, or knowledge of the industry. Social Media Marketing includes Internet Article Marketing, Social Network Marketing, and Blogs, which are used to educate consumers on specific products or services. The practice also includes many bookmarking and tagging sites which allow social networking of friends, family and people of similar interests to communicate about a wide variety of products, services, concerns, and interests. Social Media Marketing strategies work in every vertical market, for B2B marketing, consumer marketing and non profits. In economic times we find today, Social Media Marketing applications are crucial to the overall marketing strategy and are necessary to engage customers to act in the very competitive markets of a recession. Use the following Social Media Marketing and network marketing tactics and strategies to market your small business.

Social Networking can be found in sites like LinkedIn, Naymz, Perfect Networker, Xing and many very specifically industry marketed networks. They are used in Social Media Marketing strategies to develop new business, generate leads, build sales, and funnel traffic to affiliate sites, blogs, and other Social Media Marketing feeder sites, as well as main marketing websites. Join at least three social networks to begin the process of building your network. Ask questions within relevant sections, of relevant social network members, on subjects which will interest your network and eventually accomplish your marketing goals. Questions and Answers sections, Associated Links sections, and references of social network members can provide exponential benefits for SEO, marketing products online and offline, as well as lead generation of new business development efforts.

Article marketing is a crucial portion of Social Media Marketing, what could be described as the core of content for your social network. The second step to building a Social Media Marketing structure begins with knowing and understanding your product, subject or service through research and applying that knowledge within the context of article generation. Various applications of article distribution are found online in sites like Ezine Articles. The simplest way to explain article distribution can be found in Ezine Articles model. With an Alexa ration of approximately 270, the site posts articles within the homepage through links to content, on a daily basis. Search engines enjoy the frequently refreshed content and the thousands of newly associated links to the site on a daily basis. Those who market articles through this service, as well as other article marketing sites, benefit from association to the site and the exponential association to like site content through RSS Feeds. Use appropriate marketing keywords within article titles, article marketing copy, and make sure to include links to your network blogs, bookmarking sites, feeder sites and associated websites, within areas acceptable by article distribution sites. Article distribution sites usually require a small membership fee and some sites will pay you for your articles.

Blogs and Feeder sites are free to use and are the best place for article traffic to land. Think of these applications like a bridge between your article and your main website. Articles are written on specific subjects, usually found by consumers when they type in specific keywords into search engines. When clicking on a link from the search engine search, the consumer expects to find information relevant to the search. The blog and feeder pages allow marketers to focus on a couple of keywords and answer questions, market products, or educate the consumer based on those specific keywords. Links from the blogs and feeder sites go to other relevant sites within the marketer's network, as well as drive traffic to the main website. They can be found in sites like Blogger, Squidoo, Weebly, and Tarapad. These pages increase relevant links to the main website, provide added strength to website content through association and provide a place to drive article marketing, social network, and Social Media Marketing traffic.

Bookmarking and Tagging sites allow social networks of friends, family and people of similar interests to communicate about a wide variety of products, services, concerns, and interests. They allow marketers to market products through these network associations and provide a means to distribute Marketing links. They can be found in applications like the very popular Twitter, Digg, Delicious, and many others which have jumped on the Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0 bandwagon.

Building a Social Media Marketing network of social networks, blogs, feeder sites, articles, and bookmarking sites become a strong funnel for traffic in marketing a website. Social Media Marketing networks increase links to the main or brand website URL, therefore increasing the search engine perceived value of the site and increase ranking of the website within search engines. This is pure organic .