Problem solved.(NetMarketing)

Web site: Problem: Making Web site more credible to visitors.

Solution: When potential customers are looking to establish a relationship on the Internet, credibility is a major factor in their decision. Big companies are very effective at creating powerful brands and name recognition by investing in marketing practices. While the Internet certainly allows small entrepreneurs and midsize companies to compete side by side with the big multinational companies, smaller players need to work harder to establish that sense of trust. So what can you do to accomplish this?

Design: The first thing visitors see when they visit your site is the design. If your site looks old and dated, you could lose a lot of credibility. Make sure your design is up-to-date for your industry.

Reviews: Third-party endorsements in the form of testimonials and media coverage from industry publications can go a long way to establish credibility.

Awards: Web site awards are also very good for your credibility. When a visitor sees a logo from a well known award program, they know the site has been reviewed and meets a certain level of standards.

Search engine rankings: Not only will high placement in the search engines drive traffic to your site, it will add credibility as well. Conversely, not being listed in a search result for an important keyword-like your company name-can damage your image.

Page rank: Google PageRank is an algorithm Google uses for ranking Web pages based on the number of incoming links and their importance. A PageRank toolbar can give visitors a quick indication of how Google views the page. If your site does not have a PageRank or it is below 5, invest in search engine optimization to help improve your scores.

William Rice is president of the Web Marketing Association and has judged Web sites as part of the annual WebAward competition (www.webaward.org) for more than a decade.

Search: Problem: Convincing senior management that SEO/SEM is a good investment.

Solution: Search marketing has proven to be a profitable investment for many companies-probably including a few of your competitors-yet some senior managers are still hesitant to move advertising dollars in that direction. Below is a list of the top five killer value propositions any marketer could use to pitch SEO/SEM to senior management.

1) Return on investment in SEM is 100% "trackable.'' Search engine marketing is unique for its sciencelike precision in acquisition tracking. Most desired conversion events can be tracked by a free Web analytics solution such as Google Analytics or by a more comprehensive tracking system such as Omniture. Return on search advertising investment is reflected in X number of prospects visiting your site and Y number of sales generated as a result. No offline channel offers the granularity of data available in search campaigns, which allows for ongoing optimization and constant campaign efficiency improvements.

2) It's a relatively small investment. Upfront costs associated with paid search advertising are relatively low compared to those of offline campaigns. Plus, the information derived from a test search campaign could serve as a solid projection baseline for a full-scale campaign involving SEO and paid search.

3) It works for brand awareness and customer education. Search engine marketing-whether paid search or organic optimization-generates targeted impressions. Your brand is displayed to thousands of Internet users and serves as a great product/service branding vehicle. Additionally, bottom-line cost-per-thousand rates compared to offline channel counterparts could be substantially lower at times.

4) It helps with market discovery. Larger companies often engage in market research and market discovery through search engine marketing. Low costs associated with research, set up and execution of test campaigns prove to be priceless for brands looking to branch out. Whether your company is testing a new marketing angle or you're trying to hit a new demographic, precision of search marketing could help.

5) Your competitors are doing it. This often proves to be one of the most compelling arguments. If the "800-pound gorilla'' in your niche is fully engaged in search advertising, there is no reason why you should be left behind. Convincing, free competitor intel is available on Web sites such as Quantcast.com to demonstrate your point.

Greg Laptevsky is an SEM/SEO specialist, Certified Google Professional and Yahoo! Search Marketing Ambassador. He can be reached at greg@clickinclu sion.com