Online Marketing Never Stops

There's one immutable key to effective online marketing: You can't stop.

Ever.

Building links, testing conversions and creating quality content is a never-ending machine, a beast that must be fed constantly. Business owners and entrepreneurs have to focus on analytics and customer interaction like there's no tomorrow.

At the same time, business owners have to focus on a different kind of linking -- tying together the back end of their business with their online marketing efforts.

Search Engine Marketing Myths

Entrepreneurs face a couple ingrained, popular "truths" or "conventions" about online marketing that are actually misconceptions that can wreck your bottom line.

There's a lingering belief that businesses should simply set up their organic or paid search and leave it alone. This is a short term fix at best. And that's an "at best" that's highly unlikely it itself.

Today you can't just build a site, tweak your SEO options once and forget about it. This industry changes constantly. Daily, even. Competitors crop up overnight, and so does the potential for the search engines to do the same. Businesses that set and forget about their online marketing can be in for a rude awakening.

They don't see the changes on the horizon and wind up blindsided.

The other predominant misconception is that you can hire a consultancy or "SEM expert" to take care of everything in three to six months. You might be golden for the length of that contract. Beyond that? Good luck.

The search engines and your customers rely on constant interaction. Creating quality content and building links takes time and repeat efforts. You can't rely on tactics that can't keep up with changes in your industry, your product sphere or among your consumers.

Search Engine Marketing Solutions

The reality is companies have to treat online marketing like the nerve center of their business. The folks working on your online marketing need to be inextricably linked to the rest of your business. They should be chasing links, creating content and interacting with customers on a daily basis.

There's no other way to keep up -- with the search engines, your competitors and your consumers. This has to be an everyday exercise.

Businesses and entrepreneurs can no longer expect to have a self-sustaining online marketing operation. There is no stopping.

About the author

Chris Birk, a former newspaper and magazine writer, works for Missouri-based GrowthPartner.com, a unique firm that provides angel investment and online marketing expertise to emerging companies. He is also a principal with SuretyBonds.com and a part-time college professor.

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