With research tools such as bidding reports, keyword suggestions and real-time statistical reports, search engine marketing (SEM) enables marketers to drive more cost-effective, targeted traffic to their sites than ever before. Yet too many companies are losing out on higher SEM returns because once the user clicks on a paid link, a disconnect takes place.

The scenario goes something like this: A prospective customer searches a generic Web search engine for a keyword you’ve purchased. They scan the paid and organic results and determine that your paid link best fulfills their purchase intent. They click through to your site and attempt to pinpoint that product by searching for the same keyword phrase in your on-site search engine. The search often fails in one of two ways: a “No Results Found” message or irrelevant listings immediately frustrate the visitor. They persevere, altering the search phrase slightly. Again, no matching results found and no suggestions for an alternate course of action. They leave, discouraged and frustrated that companies buy keywords for items they really don’t sell.

Sadly, your company did indeed stock that product but it’s tagged with corporate speak, not consumer language. You lost a customer because your search engine doesn’t speak your audience’s language.

A recent ClickZ article by Pete Blackshaw, entitled “Practice What You Search” pinpointed the yet-extant issue of poor on-site search results. Mr. Blackshaw, chief marketing and customer satisfaction officer of Intelliseek, stated, “If search is the Web's killer app, why are marketers so lousy at applying the fundamentals of consumer-friendly search in their own backyards?”

He questions why companies would even waste a couple million dollars on a Super Bowl ad when their site’s search engine had absolutely no results to correlate with the marketing message. Identifying the root cause, he said of marketers: “We spend a fortune on advertising designed to spark actionable curiosity, but we fail to provide outlets to act on that curiosity.”

Mr. Blackshaw concluded, “Your brand equity is the sum total of your search results. If a no-brainer search term yields blanks on your site or takes a useless detour, your brand simply isn't in touch with the consumer. His dictum to marketers is, “Practice what you search!”

Revamp your overall search strategy by first understanding what your customers search for and what results they click on. Then modify elements such as keywords, titles and descriptions in your on-site search engine to speak their language, not yours. Regularly practice popular searches at Web engines and your own site to ensure cohesiveness. Connect the dots for your prospects by pairing up marketing messages with SEM, organic keywords and especially, on-site keywords, and discover what a well-connected search campaign will do for your brand.

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