Search Engine Marketing

by Katin Imes

A number of members have asked me about SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, for their web sites lately. There is a lot of confusion and hubub around this topic, and I want to supply some big-picture about it that will hopefully calm concerns about it.

SEO "experts" will make it sounds like being listed at the top of Google is your number one business goal (PS - it isn't). "SEO has made fortunes and broken fortunes," they'll say. "You can't get new customers if they can't find you," they'll say. They'll say that they have a "secret bag of tricks" they use to get your site listed at the top of the search results. And they'll use their bag of tricks on your site for the low, low price of only... whatever.

While there is a grain of truth in all these soundbites, and the technical aspects of SEO are a fascinating puzzle and challenge for some people, the average hypnotherapist with a web site shouldn't be too concerned about spending money on SEO.

My advice to hypnotherapists is: don't worry about SEO, and certainly don't pay someone to "boost your site rankings" through SEO.

This video might be called, "Google maps for hypnotherapists". Learn about how 82% of people (according to a Google video on the Google Local Business Center, linked below) search for the business services they want, including hypnotherapy.

Not everyone knows it yet, but word is spreading quickly: the easiest, fastest and most comprehensive way to find the businesses and services you are seeking is online searching, not the yellow pages.

This video shows how amazing and sophisticated the searching has become in Google maps, as an example.

If you are planning your advertising for 2010, be sure you know about this before you commit to spending dollars on the dozens of yellow-pages books that are around now.

Video is 10:03 in length. See the video by clicking the 'Read More' link, below.

We are seeing disruptive the effects of the Internet and new technology on the traditional forms of media advertising: newspapers and radio are struggling to find their new niches, and even television viewing hours are down (along with advertising revenue).

Meanwhile, 2008 showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Internet is the new place for finding goods and services, as well as information about whatever it is that consumers want. Blogging proved to be the marketing darling of the year.

AAPH is committed to helping its professional members thrive in this new age of advertising, marketing and 21st century business. Listen to this five-minute podcast from AAPH President and technologist Katin Imes to learn more about how professional blogging can help you.

Click here to listen to AAPH EP-001: An Introduction to Professional Blogging.