Now with these facts in mind I’m confident you can clearly see what a top 10-search engine ranking can mean for your bottom line. Although it does leave a question unanswered in my mind, what has a higher ROI… organic search engine optimization or paid search?

According to SEMPO’s key analysis, U.S. & Canadian SEM Industry Size Estimate by tactic in 2004, organic SEO accounted for 12% of market share or $492,057,200 while Paid Placement accounted for $3,341,878,176 or 81.8%.

Interestingly, 9 out of 10 respondents are actively engaged in organic SEM marketing programs accounting for 89% of respondent advertisers. This trend can be contributed to average cost of popular keywords continuing to escalate.

If escalation continues to rise it could make paid search engine advertising exponentially cost prohibitive for all but largest advertisers… 900lb gorillas!

Simply put, ROI is outpacing inflation: SEMPO’s key analysis indicates advertisers could afford to pay on average 33% more for their keywords and remain profitable, while they say prices have gone up 26% on average in last 12 months. That’s leaves a 7% advertising margin to maintain current profits for 2005!

SEMPO’s data also noted that advertisers will get smarter about managing their paid placement programs before they cut back on spending.

This is also consistent with a report released by Nielsen/NetRatings indicating that growing demand for search engine advertising is outstripping supply of currently available advertising space.

These findings seem to indicate inventory of keywords is approaching a critical demand problem however; most advertisers felt they still have some degree of price flexibility in their paid placement programs before they will reach threshold of diminishing returns.

Is there any wonder why organic search engine positioning has gained popularity for online marketers in 2004? Could it be higher (ROI) return on investments?

SEMPO also cites that 43% of advertiser respondents have shifted their budgets away from other marketing programs for Organic SEO.

So what does it all mean? Let numbers speak for themselves.

Organic SEO is undeniably gaining favor over lower ROI paid advertising. This is evidenced by virtue of fact that paid advertising is becoming less profitable.

Although paid advertising will continue to hold a large portion of market share, as paid advertising returns diminish and keyword costs soar my early 2005 forecast is for materialization of a progressive organic SEO market trend to facilitate need for advertising space.

How do you develop "content" linkage? By writing content! You can create outgoing linkage to key high activity sites by including a link to their site in your content. You can create incoming linkage by getting others to write content and include your link in their site content. Or, you can write content about almost any topic, post it to others sites with a link back to your site within content.

What makes a Press Release one of best methods of web site promotion? First, it's content. Second, it's content relevant to your web site. Third, it's content, relevant to your web site, with a link back to your site. And fourth, it's content, relevant to your web site, with a link back to your site, that is maintained in a high activity sites database where Internet Public and search engines get to see it. Is there a pattern forming here?

Want a demonstration of my theory? Use any major search engine. Type "datajam's Internet" in search for space. How many links have you found? Now look closer. What are a majority of links? Most are links created by distribution of a Press Release. And if you look closly, you will find linkage created by a press release distributed over five years ago.

So, in a nut shell. My linkage theory is simple . . . any questions?