The latest advances in measuring and optimizing online marketing and the advantages of implementing such strategies in a competitive marketplace were discussed at a seminar on Search Engine Marketing hosted by Dubai Media City, a member of TECOM Investments. The two-hour interactive workshop was organized in association with WSI Internet Consulting, a leading provider of internet solutions to businesses worldwide. The event witnessed the participation of 95 regional marketing professionals, representing advertising and PR agencies, media buyers and other professional organizations, keen to optimize the online presence of their companies and clients. Mohamed Almulla, executive director, Dubai Media City, said: “The seminar is in line with our objective to offer a suitable platform for corporate leaders based in the UAE and the wider GCC market to benefit from latest technological trends. We are confident this event will further reinforce Dubai Media City's mission of launching initiatives that are geared towards nurturing the region's knowledge economy.” Husam Jandal, internet business consultant, WSI Internet Consulting, said: “With the highest growth rate of Internet users in the world, the Middle East represents a vast opportunity for the business community to promote their products and services online.” “With more than 90 percent of all traffic generated on the Internet coming from search engines, it is important for the local business community to identify various ways of utilizing these Internet tools to achieve the desired visibility for their businesses.” He added a majority of the regional companies are yet to realize the immense benefits that could accrue through the use of the Internet, which can be tapped for generating fruitful business leads and for building brand recognition. “There is a huge gap between demand for information and the supply of relevant content in the business arena. There are people who are desperately looking for certain products and services but unable to find relevant links because business offerings are not available online, or at least not visible on search engines.” “As an essential marketing tool for businesses, search engine marketing has become one of the world's most preferred marketing strategies due to its flexibility, accessibility, accuracy, and cost effectiveness,” he pointed out. Focusing on the details of regional internet usage, experts who led the seminar found Yahoo, Google and MSN as the most preferred search engines, a trend akin to the Western world. The workshop also underlined the findings of market studies that the Internet is the best vehicle for addressing the youth segment as a key target audience with more than 65 percent preferring the Internet as their main source of information, according to a recent study by Maktoob Research, another regional internet market research company. __
