20 January 2010

Talking soccer and SEM

Submitted by: Carla
{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.

What a lot of people aren’t thinking about, though, is what’ll happen once the games are over. South Africa has spent all this time and money on infrastructure for the games – and it’s sure to be a phenomenal event – but, once the matches are over and the sporting glitterati have returned to their Spanish villas, what’ll become of our massive stadiums and luxury hotels? It’s all well and good to pour so much effort into a grand event, but it’s also important to keep the momentum going once it’s over. That’s the only way to keep attracting visitors to the country and to continue to boost tourism-generated revenue in South Africa.

In a way, it’s much the same with an SEM campaign. For most websites that haven’t been optimised, significant work is required at the start of the project. The site structure is often overhauled, extensive optimisation is undertaken, and usability is improved. Following these initial changes, the optimised site begins to improve its position on the search engine results pages. It starts to attract more visitors, and it generates higher revenue. It looks great. The SEM campaign is doing exactly what it said it would. Fantastic!

Sure, these results are fantastic. But the problem is that this is where many companies or website owners decide to abandon their online marketing campaigns. A solid foundation has been laid for the site, and it’s attracting more visitors than ever before. So why continue with the campaign, is what many of them ask.

Because, just like a car or a building or a city, an online marketing campaign needs to be maintained, even after it has achieved its initial goal. SEO is an ongoing process that, once implemented, needs to be tweaked and adjusted from time to time to ensure its continued efficiency. There will always be competitors optimising their sites, improving their online visibility and attempting to eclipse your brand. It’s only through committed SEM initiatives that you’ll continue to attract visitors and generate revenue through your site. If you don’t maintain it, it’ll fall to ruin and your visitors will go elsewhere.

Essentially, an online marketing campaign is an investment that needs to be managed over time. After the initial energy and finances are invested in it, it needs to be monitored and maintained to ensure continuous returns. Although it requires less time and money once the right foundations have been laid, it still needs ongoing attention in order to offer rewards over the long-term.

So, whether you’re a mayor or a webmaster, the directive’s the same: Create a solid infrastructure to attract visitors, and keep it maintained to ensure that it stays foremost in their minds – and their search results.

About AlterSage
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