By David Lee Cummings, Top Dog Marketing Group

Cincinnati & Columbus, OH – A misconception we often hear from prospective clients about search engine optimization (SEO) has to do with its time frame. Some have gotten the idea that through SEO their website can be elevated in the search engine rankings virtually overnight. That is simply not true; at least, not for useful keywords. Truly effective SEO takes a little time and TLC.

Keywords that web users are actually searching for in any meaningful volume naturally become highly competitive keywords as many site owners optimize for them. Therefore, ranking highly in the search engines for those keywords becomes no quick and easy task, and it takes a concerted effort using many different strategies to effectively target those keywords. And it takes time.

It can take four to six months’ time or longer to achieve top rankings for competitive keywords. The activity required for best-practice, effective SEO is significant, too, and that’s why proper SEO is no bargain basement service. Good SEO simply can’t be. And that’s also why businesses with a healthy marketing budget—and a willingness to delay gratification—can dominate the search engine rankings for the most valuable keywords: they’re willing to invest the money and time to fund the type of comprehensive SEO campaign necessary for premium results. Also, once they’re ranking at the top, there’s no time to let up on the reins, because competitors are constantly gunning to knock them off their perch.

For the business owner without a strong budget for SEO, however, there is an option. They can aim for what’s called the “low hanging fruit.” These are keywords that are not especially competitive yet typically not searched for in an especially high volume. High rankings for these keywords are easier to achieve and can be had for a lower budget—and sometimes a shorter time frame—although the ROI likely won’t be as significant as what is offered by keywords of greater value. But sometimes limitations require the pursuit of low hanging fruit, and that’s okay. They’re an easy target until the budget can be increased.

For the business owner with a very healthy marketing budget and a desire for immediate results, there’s an option for them too. They can combine their SEO efforts with other online strategies, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. With adequate funding, a PPC campaign can yield immediate results. For example, effective advertising in Google AdWords can place a business among the paid advertising links above or beside the natural search results at the top of the page. This strategy allows a business to be visible to web users immediately while their natural search rankings ramp up through consistent SEO efforts.

One must be very cautious, however, when employing a PPC or any other paid advertising campaign. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can burn through your budget quickly with little results. You should always use a knowledgeable and experienced campaign manager to handle your online advertising initiatives. Managed properly, a PPC campaign should target keywords that are not only in demand but also have a high rate of sales conversion—an inexperienced campaign manager may not properly make this distinction. As well, a well-run PPC campaign should be testing a number of different keywords to discover the ones that provide the highest ROI. This also benefits your SEO strategies because it identifies valuable keywords you can integrate into your SEO efforts. A mixed strategy of PPC and SEO, therefore, is an ideal one for most commercial websites.

So, now, depending on your budget and tolerance for gratification postponement, you have a few options for SEO and other online marketing initiatives. Just make sure you are realistic about the time frame and results, willing to sufficiently fund the required efforts, and employ a team that truly knows what it is doing. With the right combination of expectations, budget, and expertise, your online business venture should be a tremendous success.