How to get found and generate traffic? To achieve this, a couple of tools and channels are available in the online marketing mix: banner ads, e-mail links, web links and search engines.

Efficiency wise, these online elements can be qualified as follows:

• Banner ads have a very low click through rate of 0,03% on average.
• E-mail links are generally included in a newsletter and are ideal to communicate with clients and prospects but not with regular surfers who haven’t (yet) found their way to your site.
• Web links are efficient because the surfer finds himself already in a certain interest field and a quality link means the broadening of its surf experience.
• Search engines surpass all prior online elements to generate traffic.

90% of all surfers use a search engine to find information, a service or a product (source: Nielsen Netratings). So search engines have become the “Gateway” to your site.
A survey into the use of search engines form iProspect learns us that:

• 48% of the surfers expect an answer on the 1e result page after entering a keyword in a search engine
• 78% don’t go beyond the 3e result page in a business to consumer environment and the 5e page in a business-to-business environment.
• 55,70% expects that top brands will be among the first results.
• 33,30% perceives a brand which appears among the first results as a top brand in its branch.

These figures show the importance of appearing among the first result pages in a search engine.
Search Engine Marketing can contribute greatly to get your site in those first result pages
Furthermore it can generate:

• A good click-through rate to your site and not the one of the competition.
• More traffic (up to 30 to 40 %)
• Targeted traffic
• Sales & prospect leads with a low acquisition cost

And it contributes to a positive perception and awareness of the brand.