It depends on your objectives, of course. A good search engine marketer should be able to understand your objectives and customize a program to meet them. Some companies are simply looking for more traffic to their website. Others need more leads as efficiently as possible. No matter what your objectives are, be sure to set at least one conversion goal and measure all of your online and offline marketing efforts against it. Calculate your ideal cost per conversion and keep tweaking your programs until you’re in your goal range.

Never let your programs run on autopilot. This isn’t a “set it and forget it” proposition. Changes in program ranking algorithms, competitors’ PPC bids, blog posts or other user-generated content can affect your SEM program during a moment’s notice. Be sure to watch your SEM campaigns and make frequent adjustments to stay yourself on target to accomplish your objectives.

Now that you have the basics down, you are one step closer to building your business by tapping into the power of search engines. It will soon become a really effective weapon in your arsenal and will help increase your visibility beyond your wildest expectations.