Kenneth C. Laudon,Jane P. Laudon Management Information System 12th Edition pdf

search engine marketing

. When users enter a search term at Google,

Bing, Yahoo!, or any of the other sites serviced by these search engines, they

receive two types of listings: sponsored links, for which advertisers have paid to

be listed (usually at the top of the search results page), and unsponsored

“organic” search results. In addition, advertisers can purchase small text boxes

on the side of search results pages. The paid, sponsored advertisements are the

fastest growing form of Internet advertising and are powerful new marketing

tools that precisely match consumer interests with advertising messages at the

right moment. Search engine marketing monetizes the value of the search

process. In 2010, search engine marketing generated $12.3 billion in revenue,

half of all online advertising ($25.6 billion). Ninety seven percent of Google’s

annual revenue of $23.6 billion comes from search engine marketing

(eMarketer, 2010). 

Because search engine marketing is so effective, companies are starting to

optimize their Web sites for search engine recognition. The better optimized the

page is, the higher a ranking it will achieve in search engine result listings.