6)Contrary to endless marketing hype there are no quick solutions in this form of interactive marketing – it will take at least 1-2 months before you see any immediate results. And, for significant results; i.e. page 1-3 listings via top tier engines add another 2-3 months on top of this on average.

7)Nobody can guarantee absolute results in this market, if they do, then ask them for a bottle of snake oil! The only thing we can guarantee our clients are detailed reports of what we are doing and some references to other successful campaigns – it's a leap of faith, like most marketing expenditures.

8)Web site content development impacts good SE rankings. You need to develop content which is relevant to keywords. We use linguistic analysis software for our clients and then build a standalone "stealth web site" which has content expressly designed for SE spiders (bots). But, this level of sophistication and proprietary process is expensive and time-consuming, but very effective.

9)Remember Armand Hammer quote about Russia? "An enigma wrapped inside a box buried deep in ocean." This is apropos to Search Engine world, as top tier SE's all change their submission rules and algorithms on a regular basis. So, hire a SE firm that understands market – it can be very frustrating doing it on your own and in many cases unproductive!

After setting up your account, you are given a user name and a password so you can log in and add or delete listings at will and change your bid amounts. You’ll also be notified by email if someone overbids you and your listings are bumped, meaning you’ve been kicked out of top three. If you want to keep your place you’ll need to log in and up your bid accordingly. You’ll also be notified if money in your account is running low, so you can replenish as needed.

As more and more search engines and directories turn to a 'pay for listing' model, it’s wise to take advantage of programs like Google and Ask Jeeves to make most of your advertising dollar. At least you’ll be paying for targeted exposure and a top listing (instead of just a listing).You’ll also sleep better knowing your ad is being seen by those searching for your keywords/phrases and who are definitely interested in what you’re selling... and that, my friend, is your marketing dollar well spent.