Search engine marketing has two popular definitions, depending on who you speak with. The first definition is pretty simple. It involves the process of marketing a website for greater visibility in the search engines. Plain and simple. Or is it?

In actuality, this definition of search engine marketing has three components:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Paid Placement
• Paid Inclusion

The definitions of these three components of search engine marketing can be a little confusing, especially the two paid components. Search engine optimization, of course, is the process of getting one’s website ranked in the search engines through free methods involving onsite and off site SEO practices. Paid placement, on the other hand, is usually define as pay per click advertising, or a similar pay per action model. Paid inclusion is an entirely different animal. That’s where the search engine charges a website owner for including a listing in the search engine’s index. It most applies to smaller search engines. The major search engines don’t charge for this service. However, Yahoo! does offer a paid inclusion program that doesn’t guarantee inclusion, but instead offers a “review” that could land you with a listing in its index.

The second definition of search engine marketing is the process of using paid search listings to improve the free search listings of your company. This definition is a bit murky because there’s no hard core evidence that paid listings improve your free listings. All of the search engines claim this isn’t the case, but in practice, some webmasters have claimed that their listings in the search engines rise when they have their pay per click campaigns turned on. You can be the judge on whether that is true or not.

No matter which definition of search engine marketing you accept, one thing is clear: It is difficult to succeed online without a search engine marketing plan. At some point, most businesses will have to pay for advertising online in some form or fashion. Your main consideration should be your return on investment. You want one and you want it to be the best that it can be.

PPC is one of the most effective and quickest means of online advertising. However, with rising bid prices and increased competition, it’s important to be on top of the latest information that can help you increase your Return on Investment (ROI). Our team of experts and contributors will keep you up-to-date on what you need to know.

The above quote is taken from the website of the Search Marketing Standard. If you haven’t heard of it yet then you’re already behind. The magazine is relatively new. It got its start in 2006, but has already attracted 50,000 + regular readers.

Published four times a year, the Search Marketing Standard provides webmasters and online entrepreneurs from all over the world unique insights into the search industry. If you subscribe you’ll get the latest and the best information on every topic of importance to online marketers, including pay per click and search engine marketing.

The daily blog provides great information on search marketing topics that are relevant to any type of business and I can’t begin to tell you how important it is to get the best information about pay per click and related topics from the most knowledgeable experts in the field. That’s why I read it, and I recommend that you read it too.

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