{pp}It’s 2010 – the year that South Africans have been breathlessly anticipating since 2004. We’ve had six years to prepare, and now, with a few months to go until the kick-off of the FIFA World Cup, South Africans are white-knuckled with excitement at the prospect.

{pp}In May 2009 Google reported 239-million searches per day. How can you ensure that some of that traffic reaches your website? The answer lies in search engine marketing (SEM).

{pp}If you need qualified traffic fast, Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is still the easiest and most efficient way to target the right audience. PPC goes hand in hand with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as the foundation of search engine marketing (SEM).

{pp}Social media has been around for a number of years although we’ve only recently seen an increase in the number of South African social media campaigns. With South African Internet usage escalating and consumer behaviour changing, more and more brands are starting to see the array of possibilities presented by social media.

{pp}Businesses in all sectors are feeling the pinch of the current recession, and very often the first thing to the get chop is the marketing budget. Many companies are wising up to the opportunities available online – and this has been reflected by a marked increase in online ad spend year on year.

{pp}PPC and SEO are the elements that comprise search marketing, and if the correct synergy is achieved, the two prove to be powerful marketing tools.