One of the trendiest takes on Internet marketing these days
seems to be this notion that securing top search engine
rankings "no longer works." Where it started, I have no idea.
But rarely does a week go by when I don't see one or more
Internet marketing "experts" claiming that search engine
positioning is largely a waste of time and should not be a
primary focus of web site owners.

Well.as the saying goes, "there are two sides to every story."

But let's not make this article about my side, or your side, or
anyone else's side. Let's forget about my opinion and other
"experts" opinions and stick to the indisputable facts, as
reported by highly credible 3rd party sources:

=> According to a Forrester Research Media Field Study,
getting a loyal audience in the first place is best done
by Search Engine Placement.

=> According to a GVU Users Survey, 84.8% of Internet
users use Search Engines to find websites.

=> In a study released by ActivMedia Research in September
1999, Search Engine Positioning was ranked as the #1
website promotional method used by eCommerce sites.

=> And look what I just found in the April 2000 issue of Target
Marketing Magazine. (Source: IMT Strategies - imtstrategies.com)

"Top Ways Websites are Discovered"

Banner ads: 1%

Targeted email: 1.2%

TV spots: 1.4%

"By accident": 2.1%

Magazine ads: 4.4%

Word-of-mouth: 20%

Random Surfing: 20%

Search Engines: 46%

You've now seen the numbers and know that search engine
promotion is very much alive and kicking. But let's take this a
step further. Let's talk about the *quality* of prospects coming
to your web site through search engines as opposed to other
advertising mediums.

Every time your potential customers use the search engines,
they qualify themselves as *hot prospects* by conducting
searches on keywords that are directly related to your product
or service. Their choice of keywords is proof that they have a
genuine interest in what you offer. These people spend their
valuable time exploring the search engines for your type of
product or service.

Think about that.

They didn't stumble upon one of your ads, or wander past a
hyperlink to your site. And they didn't get a banner ad thrown
in their face. They made the *decision* to actively search the
keywords that brought them to YOUR website. And when they
get there, they are ready and willing to do business with you.
At the very least, they're seriously considering it!

But merely getting your website "indexed" or listed in the search
engines is not enough. In order to get any significant traffic from
the search engines, your website must be listed within the top
30 search results (preferably the top 20).

Very rarely will anyone look beyond the first 30 results returned
from a search. This makes perfect sense because the most
relevant sites are always listed at the top. So if your prospect
doesn't find what they want within the first 20 to 30 listings,
they'll simply do a new search.

If your site falls anywhere below the 30th listing, you don't
stand a chance against anyone in the TOP-20. Hence, it
should be your goal to achieve Top 20 positions.

So how do you get your website listed in the top 20?

1) You can attempt to gain these Top 20 rankings yourself.
However, this can easily become a full time job. (I think
this is why so many marketers advise against focusing
on search engine positioning.)

2) You can hire a reputable company who can achieve AND
maintain your Top 20 rankings for you (be sure they
guarantee their service and have several verifiable clients
that currently have multiple Top 20 rankings).

3) You can do nothing at all. But as you've seen from the
third party statistics I referenced above, search engine
positioning is something you can't afford to ignore.

Whichever choice you make, I hope that your eyes have been
opened to the tremendous profit potential that exists with top
search engine placement.

About the Author
Michael Buck is a marketing consultant & Director of Marketing for
SearchEngineWebPromotion.com. To find out more about top search
engine placement and how you can attract targeted traffic with multiple
Top 20 rankings - visit http://www.SearchEngineWebPromotion.com.
You may also call Mike at (310) 798-0467.