James MacAvoy, a Definition 6 Project Coordinator, conveyed his thoughts on an article about search engine marketing he recently read on ClickZ...

As opposed to just bidding on and optimizing for keyword pharases that get the largest number of searches, local companies can bid on highly specific phrases.  This is not only cheaper when it comes to PPC bids but also allows for a higher conversion rate because users who search with these more specialized terms will help find content the user is seeking.

James brought up three key points from the article:

1. Most companies go for keyword phrases that get the largest number of hits, however this can be expensive and have a great amount of competition.
2. Long-tail terms do not get as many searches but since the searches are so specialized their conversion rate is generally higher.
3. Its all about keyword research.  Think of specific terms your customer will be looking for, then specific locations and specific products or services you offer.

James's closing point to the group was that with overall industry declines in traffic it is now important to research alternatives to keep the traffic rising.  Since budget has been a constant concern and many common keyword phrases are taken by portal sites, this may be a cost effective way to integrate keyword phrases that get a better return on investment. The full article about web search engine optimization can be viewed at: http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3630757