For Internet marketers, 2011 is off to a busy start. Google just finished rolling out one of the most significant algorithm changes that they have introduced in a long time. The reason this update was so significant is because it impacted over eleven percent of their US search results! When you think about how many searches Google serves, eleven percent of that gigantic number is a big deal.

Although Google doesn’t give official names to their algorithm changes, this one has been unofficially labeled by industry bloggers as the Content Farm Update. The reason is because the changes that resulted from this update obviously show that it was targeted at large websites with huge amounts of content. In most cases, these sites have content that spans across many different topics. The term content farm originally rose in the mainstream media as they learned more about how Demand Media operates its eHow property. While several of Demand’s properties were impacted during this update, eHow was not one of them.

Whether you were impacted by this change or simply want to stay informed about where Google is moving, this change is a big reminder about Google’s commitment to relevancy. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the idea of a big site that spans multiple topics, in practice this generally leads to a decline in the quality of content. Instead of taking this approach, it seems that most people will have an easier time keeping the quality of their content high if they focus on creating sites that dig deeply into a focused topic.

Basically, search engine marketing (SEM) is a way in which a website can rank higher in the results of a search engine for specific taglines or keywords. This means that the website is more visible to users and will be more likely to be clicked on by someone looking for goods or services in a particular field. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this and all have their up and downsides.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): This is the most common form of search engine marketing as a skilled optimizer can do this alone. Unfortunately it does take time as the keywords have to be updated and the website needs to be constantly kept up to date.

Contextual Advertising: This is done by showing ads to the user by what is being viewed, generally in the form of pop-ups. However, there are other methods that are more conducive to search engine use.

Paid Inclusion: Paid inclusion, also known as sponsored links or ads, are when a company or person pays to have their website listed on a page of a search engine when certain keywords are entered into the search engine.

Paid Placement: Using a paid placement program is done through pay-per-click advertising which is where advertisers have several ads on a site, generally through keywords, that earn money for the site every time one is clicked.

With the affluence of the internet and the sheer number of people that use search engines in their day to day routine, it’s easy to understand why internet marketing, and especially search engine marketing, has become one of the best ways to promote a business. Some of the most effective marketing is simply getting your company’s name at the top of the results for any number of search strings that are used to find products or services that are similar to what your company offers.

This type of marketing has created a lot of different positions available to those who are skilled at ensuring their website is on the top of the choices offered. Some of the jobs that are available include copy writing with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind to help increase the chances of the link being chosen as well as the improved likelihood that your product or service will be chosen. Another job in search engine marketing is the marketing of itself. Many companies find that simply by having an ad placed on a highly visible area of the search engine increases their internet traffic.

Finally, another one of the popular search engine marketing jobs that are available in today’s world are pay per click programs. These programs need writers, managers and marketing representatives to get particular websites out there and visible to the public. Both of the companies (marketer and marketed) make a certain amount of money which is tallied by the amount of visitors to a site from a particular URL or hyperlink.

The advantage of marketing online is the fact that reaching a large audience is only a few clicks away. This is where search engine marketing companies come into play. They can optimize websites to have maximum exposure as well as providing the required customized needs for the businesses which use these services. Internet search engines are a major marketing tool for many companies which rely on the knowledge that their products exist to sell. These search engine marketing companies use every legal trick in their arsenal to get a website to the top (when possible) and make the site more receptive to positive increases in traffic flow.

The process of creating an optimized site does not guarantee the fact that it will be successful. This is where the actual website owners will require their own hard work to make the leap onto the profit bandwagon. The best options offer a list of targeted services, not simply a ton of useless actions which they can charge their clients for. Many of these search engine marketing companies will offer services which could help to increase and improve the professional quality of the image of websites.

Some of the services that are offered by search engine marketing companies will include:

Search Engine Submission – many websites need to be submitted to search engines to show up in listings. This is important for a marketing perspective.

Article and Content Creation – content is one of the reasons why searches pull up information. Websites with little content get little traffic. Building links which draw traffic to the main site is also an important aspect of this service.

Earning a Reputation for the Company – companies gaining a reputation will usually get more traffic from word of mouth as well as remembrance of the company and their web presence.