Overview of search engines, how they work, and how you can harness the power of search to market your digital business.

3. Get your details in front of people at the precise moment they're looking for what you offer

4. More than 80% of web users rely on search engines to navigate the web

5. In March 2011 search engines fielded 16.9 billion requests for information

6. Search: dealing with HUGE numbers “ The first Google index in 1998 already had 26 million pages, and by 2000 the Google index reached the one billion mark. Over the last eight years, we've seen a lot of big numbers about how much content is really out there. Recently, even our search engineers stopped in awe about just how big the web is these days -- when our systems that process links on the web to find new content hit a milestone: 1 trillion (as in 1,000,000,000,000) unique URLs on the web at once!” Official Google blog post, July 2008

8. To attract advertisers they need an audience

9. To attract / retain audience they rely on RELEVANCE Improved Relevance = Better User Experience = More Users = More Advertisers = More Revenue Putting users first makes search engines richer!

11. User types a search query – search engine retrieves matches from the index

12. Search engine ranks millions of results for relevance based on complex search algorithm

13. Organic results presented to the user, along with relevant paid advertising based on the same keywords Google Explains Search: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs

15. Script based navigation: can cause problems for spiders. Have a text based workaround

16. Frames: bad for search, and bad for users

17. Image based navigation: again, you need a text based alternative if you use image based navigation Example of a Flash heavy website: www.leoburnett.com

19. It's not all about volume: focus on keywords specific enough to drive targeted traffic

21. high volumes of traffic

23. much lower search volumes individually

24. less competition and more likely to convert

26. REMEMBER: search engines rank pages, not sites – each page gives you a unique opportunity to rank

27. Optimise each page for your target keywords: 1-3 per page

29. Descriptive, keyword optimised phrase

30. Will be the clickable link in search results page

33. Focus on great content for your readers

34. Use headings (<Hn> tags) and lists to structure content logically

35. Use descriptive anchor text for internal links

36. Whenever possible have descriptive text alternatives for images and rich media content.

38. Links that don't comply with search guidelines will not count.

45. You only pay when your ad is clicked

47. Benefit focused headline and ad copy: attract attention and encourage click-through

48. Send people to a dedicated conversion optimised landing page

49. Monitor campaigns closely, apply budget constraints, measure and refine constantly

51. Use keywords unlock the power of search

52. Organic SEO can drive free targeted traffic to your site, but takes time and sustained effort

53. PPC Advertising can send instant traffic to your site, but you pay for each click, so conversion is crucial for ROI