SMEs 'should consider search marketing in downturn'

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should think about marketing their websites more aggressively as the downturn continues to bite.

This is according to Microsoft adCenter's Cedric Chambaz, who told Marketing magazine that most SMEs with an online site do not market them adequately on the web.

He emphasised the fact that online search is the second most undertaken internet activity after email and that businesses should be where their customers are.

Some tips offered by Marketing magazine for carrying out search engine optimisation (SEO) on a tight budget included implementing a basic linking strategy and using long-tail rather than generic keywords to stand a better chance of improving rankings.

"[SMEs'] size, flexibility, responsiveness and adaptability makes them eminently suited to online marketing - indeed, much more so than bigger, more established businesses," Mr Chambaz explained.

Meanwhile, SMEs in the US are deploying online marketing campaigns more in the run-up to Christmas to avoid being overly affected by the predicted drop in retail sales this year, according to Constant Contact.