The pursuit of higher ranking is one of the most passionate quests in Internet Marketing. It is no secret the higher you rank in search engines the more quality traffic will flow into your website. Poor rankings can kill a well-run business while being atop the chart on Google, Yahoo! and Bing can make even the most inferior product seem indispensable.

In the past few years Social Media has exploded on the interactive scene and has forever changed online marketing. From bookmarking, to Twitter, to Facebook to Blogging, social media offers many different channels through which users can connect with each other. For search marketing, and in particular, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media offers a vast pipeline through which inbound links can be established to help boost keyword rankings and site traffic.

If we go back a decade, the focus of search engine marketing was optimization. The Pay-Per-Click (PPC) model was just heating up. Yahoo acquired a thriving paid search company by the name of Overture and Google was rising in popularity. Then the race was on for PPC dominance with Google on top, Yahoo in second and Microsoft trying to figure out how to copy and take over another market (emphasis on trying). Just when you thought it was going to get pretty boring, a PPC party has erupted with hot new players on the scene.

Similar to the way Starbucks made gourmet coffee available to the masses, the explosion of Smartphone devices has taken search to something consumers do not just enjoy at work or at home, but anytime and anywhere they please. The capability of browsing the Internet is now available wherever a smartphone user has service. From finding customer reviews to specific applications that enhance travel or shopping experiences, search functionality is fueling the consumption of mobile marketing