Once a Web site gets created and tweaked, it won't do to just sit back and hope that people visit. Heavy site traffic requires serious marketing strategy, as Bethpage-based Prime Visibility well knows. Founder Andrew Hazen talks about lazy students, search engine marketing, and his theory of search evolution.
How did the company get started?
While I was in law school back in 1996, I was fascinated with the Internet and started a venture called LazyStudents.com. I didn't have enough money to advertise so I started studying how the search engines worked and figuring out how to get the site to rank high and noticed. The results were great, beyond what I imagined, and I got hooked on the fact that by optimizing my website, my business could compete with the big names. Soon thereafter, I started optimizing other company's websites and eventually it turned into Prime Visibility.
Why do you think there is a need for your services?
The popularity of "search" and the growth of e-commerce make search engine optimization and Internet marketing a natural progression. Next to checking and composing e-mail, performing a search query is the second most common activity being conducted online.
We know what people are searching for and businesses need to make their sites visible to those potential customers. Businesses need more than just traffic, they need qualified traffic and that is what search engine optimization (SEO) provides.
Unlike traditional marketing, consumers search and find what they want; as opposed to flipping through a magazine and hoping to catch a readers eye. A smaller company may not have enough money to pay for a huge traditional advertising and marketing campaign to compete with the big guys, but a smart investment in SEO can work wonders.
Why is search engine marketing so important?
It levels the playing field. A small business doesn't need expensive television or print ads to compete with the big companies. There are people out there who are looking for just what your business has to offer. They actually type it into a search engine. Search engine marketing allows you to attract these qualified leads to your Web site.
The thing that I love most about search engine marketing is that it levels the playing field amongst businesses. It doesn't matter if your company is a start-up or a major brand name; if you optimize your site effectively a company of any size can compete with even the most well-known and established businesses.
What are the largest challenges you see in providing your service?
Finding the right keywords and key phrases that receive the highest conversion rates and staying on top of the ever-changing world of search engine algorithms. Search engines are constantly evolving. What worked to get your site ranked high in 1999--or even as recent as 2002--doesn't necessarily work today. We need to be aware of all the changes and adjust our techniques accordingly.
The other thing is that the business of search engines is also in constant change. When search engine companies consolidate, and pay-per-click campaigns are thrown in the mix, it's a lot to keep up with. But it's a vital part of what we do.
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