Prior to 2000, promoting your web site business was a much easier process. By placing "Meta Tags" at the top of you html web page code, which at that time was about 3 lines of code and then submit your web pages to the online directories, submitting them to search engines was pretty much unheard of at the time. However, today is much different, while you can still do the meta tags, they only serve to confirm what the search engine finds out about your page. They play a role, just not as significant as it once was.

   Promoting a web site has become a full time gig for many web developers who use to code websites, in fact they now call themselves Search Engine Consultants or Firms. Marketing websites is now a class you can take at college or online. The fact is just about everything they teach you goes back to the basics, firm concise structure, with short to the point ads win every time to the business person with money. Anything large and extravagant, is pretty much listed as entertainment. Why do you think search results look very similar to old ad listings or telephone directories? Google knows this, that is why there is a director to keep the simplicity of Google's webpages and search results as plain and simple as possible.

   So how do you rethink, rework or consider hiring a web consultant, you better make sure they are on the same page as you. While they may have some new gimmicks, the fact is the web has a human element that must be considered. So in looking for your client base, your desired audience, sit and listen to the consultant, do they match your corporate image, your mission statement, or do they want to change you business through their marketing ideas?

Prologue:

   Often people get confused as to what marketing on the Internet is all about and it's worth. It is just a different form done digitally with the possibility of reaching millions world wide instead of just thousands. Face to Face interviews were the first step in marketing, then came print, then came other various forms including seminars, radio, television and webinars. In keeping with the times web marketing is every changing, borrowing many techniques from the other medias or venues and is quickly putting the newspaper and phone book advertising out of business.