Last year's spectacular growth rate for paid search ad spending makes it possible to overlook three equally vital elements of the entire search marketing process (as detailed in this white paper). One, optimizing a Web site for organic search is just as important as paying for position - especially as the cost of keywords rises. Two, when paying for clicks, consider contextual search-but only when the value makes it competitive. Three, if your product or service lends itself to local search, look closely - the coming year is a great time to get on the still new bandwagon. Finally, while SEM may be a highly effective marketing tool, remember that it acts mainly as a direct response device-don't ignore the power of branding to establish a Web presence and entice customers.