Top Search Engine Marketing Companies

Below is a list of the top 30 Search Engine Marketing Companies in the United States. These Top Search Engine Marketing companies were put together by Ad Age about 6 months ago. Now, what makes them the 'top' Search Engine Marketing Companies is something that I am not aware of. Perhaps it is their volume of clients, number of employees, or the size of the clients they have. I highly doubt this list was put together on the most important aspect of being a 'Top Search Engine Marketing Company' which would be results. That is, what are their clients return on investment. But anyway, I wanted to give you the list of the Top Search Engine Marketing Companies, and compare. And also show how effective Skislak Digital Advertising can be, with providing the exact same services for a much lower price. The reason for this blog is because, Yesterday, I was searching adwords companies on Google, and noticed there was a company, that will remain nameless, that is charging companies $399 to post their site to Google Maps. Now creating an account on Google maps is something that takes literally 2 minutes, and is very easy to do. And after thinking about it, I realized that businesses are being taken advantage of, simply because they don't know. With all of the new Internet marketing mediums, it's very easy to put a price tag on every aspect of Marketing online. By the way, this is a service that I provide to my clients for free.

Ok, so here they are:

1. JumpFly, Inc.
$2,495 start up fee.
BUDGET MONTHLY SPEND

$1,000 - $3,000	$400
$3,000 - $5,000	$600
$5,000 - $10,000	$1,000
$10,000 - $15,000	$1,500
$15,000 - $20,000	$2,000
$20,000 - $30,000	$3,000
$30,000 - $50,000	$4,000
$50,000 - $75,000	$5,000
$75,000 - $100,000	$7,500

2. Intrapromote PPC Agency
Intrapromote integrates its service offerings into a customized strategy based on each client's goals. By building its customers' campaigns on a solid organic (natural search) foundation then developing the strategy to involve optimization, syndication and promotion through Universal search channels, Intrapromote helps companies reach their target audiences online.

3. SEOP- No Pricing provided

4. WebiMax
We have experience growing campaigns from as little as $2,000 a month to over $200,000 a month in online PPC marketing. While no one can guarantee they can remove click fraud from your account, we do mitigate any potential losses by being on top of managing your campaign in a very hands-on format. Our sophisticated PPC Management program will provide your company with an increase in coversion rates and will ultimately offer a significant improvement on your overall return on investment.

5. Increase Visability Inc.

6. Bruce Clay Inc.

We approach PPC Management with a very different philosophy than most. Our pay per click philosophy is that keywords should be selected and managed if they convert and achieve your business goals. Conversion for a PPC search engine marketing campaign can be defined as immediate revenue or delayed revenue such as a lead.

As a result we do not typically advocate clients have hundreds or thousands of keywords. Instead most of our PPC clients generally have 150-300 keywords and we manage them to achieve a targeted conversion metric such as Cost Per Sale/Acquisition or Cost Per Lead (if conversion can be measured.)

Our base rate for our pay per click management services starts at $1,950.00 USD. Each month, the Client must provide:

1. A deposit on this account ("Service Fees") equal to the largest Monthly Fee plus the largest monthly PPC Spend which must be made five business days prior to the end of each month. The deposit must be accomplished in advance of the spend.
2. A monthly deposit of fees equal to the Monthly Fee plus the current month's PPC Spend which must be made five business days prior to the end of each month.
3. We will retain the Monthly Fee then deposit the Pay Per Click Spend into search engine accounts.
4. Failure to provide Service Fees via wire transfer five days prior to the deposit date required by the search engines may delay the monthly continuation of this project. We will only continue PPC management services once Service Fees have been received at our bank.

The example of this is that a $25,000 PPC Spend (amount deposited in, for example, your Google account managed by us) with a calculated fee (based upon keyword distribution) of $4,000 service (for a total of $29,000), must be deposited (wired or company check) in our bank account five business days prior to the end of each month. We will retain the Monthly Fee and distribute the Pay Per Click Spend into the Google, Yahoo!, etc. account with an intended activation date of the first of each month. Having us handle the distribution allows us to balance the PPC Spend as appropriate between the various search engines to maximize the traffic and project goals.

7. SEO Image Inc.

8. Oneupweb

9. ThinkBIGsites

Monthly Advertising Expenditure	Local PPC $100-$9,000
Management Fee	$660*
Keywords	150
Additional active keywords	$4/keyword
Phone meetings	1/month
Reports	Weekly

** Note that you are only allowed 150 keywords, which is extremely small. After that, you are charged $4/keyword.

10. Customer Magnetism
11. WebMetro
12. SEO Inc.
13. Web.com Search Agency
14. Location3 Media
15. First In Search Inc.
16. Effiecient Frontier Inc.
17. Maximum Hit
18. Reprise Media
19. Enquiro Search Solutions Inc.
20. Morpheus Media LLC
21. Target Logics
22. KeyRelevance
23. Response Mine
24. Page Zero Media
25. eVision LLC.
26. SpriderPlat Consulting Inc.
27. Pure Visibility Inc.
28. NetSetGoMarketing
29. Point It, Inc.
30. Top Click Media

Now, I realize that Skislak Digital Advertising hasn't made the "Top Search Engine Marketing Companies" list, but perhaps after reading the rates, and knowing what you are getting for your money, Skislak Digital Advertising will be on YOUR Top Search Engine Marketing Companies list.

Emerging From the Recession as a Leader

This topic assumes we are emerging from the recession. Truth is, jobs are still being lost in America. The cost of oil is on its way back up. Customers are not exactly flocking back to stores. And that means your clients are still nervous and hesitant to spend on marketing at the level you would like them to.

What can you do to make a positive difference? There are several things you ought to start talking to your clients about, if you haven't already.

First, consider why some marketers continue to thrive in a recession while others retreat and reduce spending. Some, like Walmart and McDonald's, are uniquely well-positioned for a slow economy. Walmart was prescient when it repositioned its brand just prior to the slowdown, touting the lifestyle message, "Save money. Live better." McDonald's simply offers the right product at the right price at the right time. But there are marketers thriving without any particular value positioning. So what are they doing that your clients should take note of?

Step on the gas. History has proven that marketers who increase spending in tough times, when others retreat, gain meaningful market share. Procter & Gamble, General Mills and Hershey are giving a clinic in this right now, and reaping the rewards with increased revenues.

Go where their eyes are. Many advertisers are still reluctant to embrace new media. Yet that's where many of the eyeballs are now, on sites such as Daily Candy, Facebook and Yelp. Traditional media is still important, but integrating online vehicles is critical if you want to reach consumers where they are spending more and more time.

Be relevant. Understand the voice and mind-set of the consumer today, and you will be more successful in selling your products and services. Consumers have been roughed up: Their savings have shriveled in a volatile stock market; so-called experts like Madoff and Stanford have stolen their hard-earned money, evoking distrust and cynicism; and the unemployment rate hovers just under 10%. So you must speak to the consumer directly and in relevant ways. Hyundai has done this best, in my opinion, with its Assurance Program, which allows you to return your car if you lose your job. Hyundai was first to take this bold approach, in January, and now imitators abound. Results for the Korean auto manufacturer have been remarkable, according to a recent study by the Wharton School: "As American automakers struggle for survival, South Korea's Hyundai Motor appears to be gaining on the pack with bold marketing and broad-based initiatives to improve quality."

"There's a sense that what Hyundai is doing on many fronts is working in terms of actually gaining some advantage during the crisis," says John Paul MacDuffie, a Wharton management professor and co-director of the International Motor Vehicle Program. Hyundai's global unit sales rose 2% in 2008 -- a brutal year for the auto business -- lifting revenue 5%. In the first three months of this year, the company's global market share rose to 47%, compared with 4% a year earlier.

Join the conversation. Many companies shy away from giving their customers a voice in online forums, for fear that they will embarrass the company. But other, more enlightened companies embrace the opportunity to bring customers into the conversation. Comcast, for example, maintains a team of Twitterers to communicate about customer-service issues and answer any questions users may have. This allows customers to be heard and increases loyalty.

Don't advertise. Instead, create a platform for your client's customers to start a dialogue, learn about your client's products, share stories and -- well, just to be in your client's hosted environment. Your client's brand can take a back seat and foster a community where customers are invited to spend a lot of time on your client's site. Think of the many unique benefits that quality time with customers provides.

These are but a handful of ways to take control of your message, and emerge from the recession with the wind at your back. What survive-and-thrive tactics have you put into play?

What is Bing?

This has been the question. What is Microsoft up to, For the past 2 weeks we have been hearing about Microsoft spending $80 million dollars in advertising to launch their new search engine, Bing.com. Ops, sorry, it's not a search engine, its a 'decision engine'. At least that is what they are calling it. Bing.com is suppose to revolutionize search by giving searchers fast and clear information on exactly what they are looking for. There position is to exploit Google, by mentioning how much of an inconvenience it is to hit the back button on Google. (Comscore says 25% of clicks on search engines are the back button) This is what Bing.com is going to change, giving searchers relevant search results, while allows them to view web pages, and important information before even entering the website.

I will admit, I hit the back button just as often as the next searcher, but I have a strong connection with Google, it is something that has been with me for a long time, and someone, yes someone, not something, I trust. All of my web browsers are set to default to Google.com, which I'm sure many of yours are as well. I don't see many people going to their tool bar and changing it to Bing.com anytime soon.

Typically, when I am sitting in a room with friends and someone asks a question that no one knows the answer to, I hear, 'Google it' I have heard this for many years, I don't see us saying, 'Bing it' for a long time.

64.2% of all searchers use Google.com, Yahoo has 20.4% and MSN has 8.2%, while I understand that Microsoft wants a piece of what Google is holding, I don't think $80 MILLION dollars is enough.

Bing.com's main focus is Travel, shopping, products, local and health, all highly commercial areas. But, I believe those are the areas that Google is the best in delivering.

I suppose we will all have to wait and see what happens.

Bing Search Results Are a Mess

So, I just tried finding my company on Bing.com. I search "digital advertising agency, mi" and I came up in the 6th spot. Great news right!?!?!??!

No, When I click my link to enter my site there was a problem with the page loading, The destination URL for my site is www.skislakdigitaladvertising.com. The destination url in the bing search engine shows 'skislakdigitaladvertising.com. For my site, I need that www infront of my url or else it won't show.

OUCH!

Give All You Have To Your Clients

I have successfully managed to keep my SEM company running for over 1 year now. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but considering I started the company in a bad climate, and the economy has considered to get worse since I started, I am proud.

Currently I am working with 9 different clients, I haven't been able to hit the magical 10 yet, which, by the way was my original goal when I started. I have 9 clients, 9 different products, 9 different problems, and 9 different needs. I have learned so much in the past year of running this company, I wish there was a class in college, like, entrepreneurs 101, where you can run your own company for 3 months and deal with all the problems that come along. It's a great learning experience and what a blast. I must say, there is no better feeling in the world then waking up in the morning and know that you day is whatever you make it. Everything is on me, I decide what I am going to get paid, what business I am going after, and how I am going to do it.

I have succeeded thus far under one approach: I give my clients all I have. There are no secrets. They have a full understanding of what I am doing and when I am doing it. Agencies that I have worked with in the past made many of their advertising strategies a secret to their clients, fearful of losing the business, and having the company take the advertising over themselves. I have taken the complete opposite approach, I am an open book with all of my clients, not only am I advertising, but I am teaching, I try to educate my clients as best on can on what I do and how I do it. Knowledge is a powerful tool, and when I team up with a business and we work together, yes WORK TOGETHER, that is when advertising becomes great. I need a complete understanding of their products, and they need a complete understanding of marketing strategies. This is something that is getting lost between client and agency. Things are soo rough out there right now, agency's are pulling inward, instead of pushing outward. Let people in! Teach, and build a great relationship that will last through the tough times.

What are Good Search Enging Marketing Rates?

There are so many Search Marketing firms starting up, and the pricing structure varies greatly, making it very difficult to understand what you are getting for your money.  So companies can do SEM for about $20/month, where others are charging $2,000/month.  What is going on here?  What is the big difference? Why are the rates so different?  Well, the easiest answer is, Results.  The more you pay typically means the better results you are getting. Remember, the most important aspect of SEM, or paying for website traffic, is that you need to make sure you are paying for traffic that is highly related to the products or services that you provide.  The last thing you want to have happen, is paying someone to drive traffic to your site, with customers who are not ready to make a purchase, or not interested in what you are providing.  When choosing a SEM firm make sure you have a clear understanding of what you are getting for your money.   Obviously, the $20/month deal isn't going to do anything to maintain your account, and typically they are going to bid on about 20-30 keywords.  On the other end of the spectrum, the $2,000/month deal is going, or should give you everything you need, from all keywords related to your website, to managing your ad copy on a weekly basis.  And that is crucial, Adcopy.  It's very importan that ad copy is changed at least twice a month.  These ads often grow stale, and arn't as appealing is they are displayed for a period longer than 90 days.  

Twitter 101, Part 1

There's a lot of buzz right now about Twitter, which has emerged as one of the most popular social media tools. This three-part article is for those who are just getting started with Twitter or who simply want to know what it is and how it works. I'll cover everything you need to know about setting up and using a Twitter account, and share some tools and resources to help you leverage Twitter to market yourself or your company.

What Is Twitter?

Twitter is a social media tool that lets users send out short messages (or "tweets") that are picked up and read by anyone who decides to follow you. This is also referred to as micro-blogging. I like the idea of keeping your message down to 140 characters, because it forces you to be succinct and to the point.

Some have started a Twitter account, sent out a message or two, and then wondered what the big deal is. The big revelation to me came when I found all of the supporting applications and tools that were an adjunct to the Web site. Once you start using some of these tools, the light bulb will go off and you'll find many uses for Twitter. Here are a few:

• Personal promotion and broadcasting
• Business promotion and broadcasting
• Reputation/brand monitoring
• Competition monitoring
• Event monitoring
• Information gathering/research
• Search engine

Setup

The mechanics of setting up Twitter is relatively straightforward. Just go to Twitter's site and click the Join button. But before you do, it's important that you take time to consider a few things before you send out your first "tweet."

First, think about what you want to accomplish and how you want to be perceived. What is your brand strategy, personal or business?

When picking a user name, consider using your name or your company's name instead of a nickname. This will allow people to know who you really are. This is important if you're interested in branding yourself or your company. Also, a real name or company name allows people to find you easier.

Here are some tips about setting up your Twitter account:

• Personal Bio: Consider what to use as your profile description. Again, Twitter forces you to keep it short -- 160 characters, to be exact. Use a couple of professional statements (or more) followed by a personal statement. For example, my bio is: "Internet Marketing Specialist, Trainer, Speaker, Columnist and Avid Cyclist." Regardless, let people know who you are and what you do so potential followers have enough information to decide if they want to follow you.
• Profile Picture: Please take the time to get a real picture of yourself or company logo. You won't be taken seriously if you use the default picture. Think of how you want to be perceived. A professionally shot photo of yourself can go a long way to promoting your personal brand. Smile and give followers some insight into your personality, be creative. Headshots stand out more when your picture has to be condensed down to fit within some applications.
• Background Picture: Next is your background picture. Twitter has some template backgrounds you can use. Pick something that is contextual to your brand strategy. Create your own if you really want to stand out. If you do, remember that people use various screen resolutions, so you need to make it big enough so it doesn't tile. Also, Twitter doesn't give you much space for your bio, so you can use the left side of your custom background picture to display more information about yourself, like your blog or another related Web site.

Following and Listening

You're almost ready to start tweeting. But first, here are a couple more things to consider.

Find people who have similar interests to you and "follow" them. In the top menu, select "find people" and search for friends or companies you'd like to follow. Now look at all of those tiny picture icons representing people they're following. Click "view all" to see the entire list. Click on anyone you'd also like to follow. In short order, you'll be following 30 to 40 people.

At this point, just take the time to "listen" to the conversation. See what's being said and how it's said. You'll probably see some strange language or symbols like RT, @ or #. Don't worry about this yet, I'll cover this in Part 2. Just get a feel for the conversation.

Building Relationships

Before you begin tweeting, think about your conversation and what you can provide your followers that will give them value. You're basically building relationships. To do so, you need to give before you receive.

People like tips, statistics, opinions, and links to relevant articles. Once you have a good handle on your messages, tweet away.

In the next two installments, we'll discuss some of the syntax, and review tips on taking Twitter to the next level. I'll share a boatload of links to tools and resources that will enhance your Twitter experience. And feel free to follow me at twitter.com/ron_jones.

By Ron Jones, Search Engine Watch