Firms of all sizes who want to sell themselves had better start looking at new ways of marketing their services. The old days of local yellow pages advertisements are quickly going to the wayside. You also cannot assume that clients only hire local services. It is time to expand your knowledge and expand your vision of the horizon.

So what is the new world of marketing? It is called Search Engine Marketing. Search Engine Marketing is an umbrella term for a variety of disciplines, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), Local Search and other forms of those activities. PPC has been the domain of product resellers for the past few years. As more and more clients turn to, and are more comfortable with search engines, PPC is quickly being applied to professional services as well.
 
The most important benefit of Search Engine Marketing is this: You get your Web site in front of people who are looking for what you offer. It is akin to shooting fish in a barrel. Consider a small preschool in Tallahassee, Fl., that wanted to quickly get its name out, at minimal cost, and attract highly qualified, prospective customers. With a minor cost, they hit their target audience at a fraction of traditional paid advertisements and are not wasting time with unqualified and unproductive leads.

To achieve a better understanding of these new approaches, here are some of the terminologies and activities to help you get a better understanding:

As with Web site advertising and e-newsletter sponsorships, Search Engine Marketing is highly trackable, which is something that most other forms of traditional marketing can boast. The online space provides an enormous opportunity for accountability in all online marketing efforts. You have some responsibility to track the success rate as you pay per click -- whether the person buys from you or not. By tracking those people who come to your site from paid search engines and those that make a purchase (for a service or product) you can manage your cost and know your results. You can also see where customers abandon your site. If you see a trend, you can revise the page to help them stick around longer and convert (perform a desired activity, such as buy or request information).

How can you analyze and optimize what you don't measure? The metrics for success and a baseline of traffic must be established up front. There are plenty of metrics programs available. Some are free or come with your Web site hosting package. These programs track traffic in different ways, but typically gather the same information: page views, how did people get to your site, number of visitors, how many were repeat visitors, etc. Without a system of measurement, there is no way to determine your return on investment.

Now that you have a basic introduction to Interactive Marketing, it is time to do a position check. Most firms opt for a SEM specialist to do this, but you can also start on your own. Google your site and see where you show up. Try Yahoo!, MSN, Ask.com and any other engine you can think of. Do you ever look past the first page? Neither do your clients. If you aren't where you want to be, it is time to assess your Internet marketing situation. Take advantage of SEO, but in the meantime, establish a PPC campaign to get you on the first page right away. You can visit www.SpencerSEM.com using the resource button for more information and white papers on basic SEO and PPC, or you can look into each engine for more information, which will take more expertise and time. You must also look into hiring a specialized firm versus bringing Search in-house. In most cases, it makes sense to hire a specialist who is familiar with industry techniques compared to the value of your time, and what must be learned to be effective.

Your Web site has the potential to make your business much more visible or to have minimal impact for the expense. The most important point is to think like the client. Try an outside-in approach to determining keywords and how clients will find you. Make the most of your investment in this new world of Internet marketing. It is your choice to help your Web site boom or fizzle.

Randy Johnston is Executive Vice President of K2 Enterprises, a technology consultancy serving the accounting profession. He is a nationally recognized educator, consultant and writer with over 30 years' experience in Strategic Technology Planning, Systems and Network Integration, Accounting Software Selection, Business Development and Management, Disaster Recovery and Contingency Planning, and Process Engineering.

Justin Spencer is an Internet Marketing consultant and President of SpencerSEM. He develops interactive marketing strategies and baseline metrics for leading education, professional, hospitality and retail firms nationally. For more information and white papers, visit www.SpencerSEM.com.