Search engine advertising is one of the most effective means of advertising currently available. Why PPC (pay per click) search engine advertising? First, you want to meet your customers when they are actively looking for your products or services on a search engine. Second, advertising via the search engines is cost effective. Third, statistics can be gathered from web server logs to determine the efficacy of an ad campaign. How do you know if a TV ad is working? Fourth, a poorly performing ad campaign can be corrected without having to build a new campaign from scratch. Try that with a print ad. Perhaps the better question is this: Would you like some tips to help you with your PPC search engine advertising?
For an executive overview, read Search Engine Advertising is Essential for Modern Marketing (PDF), an article I wrote for a BusinessWeek advertising section. Buy PPC ads on Google and Yahoo! They are the leaders in the search engine advertising space. Google's PPC advertising product is called Google AdWords. Yahoo! purchased Overture's product and rebranded it Yahoo! Search Marketing.
Google AdWords Tips
- Tip #6 - Set Higher Bids on Exact Matches
- Include both broad and exact matches for a keyword phrase. Set the bid higher for the exact match. This allows you to control the position of the ad for the exact search. For example, if your ad group bid is set to 10 cents, you might set a 25 cents bid for the exact match. Read this article for more information on exact match bidding.
- Tip #7 - Use Negative Keywords
- Your ad will not be displayed if the search includes a negative keyword. Add more negative keywords at regular intervals. As your negative keyword list grows, your ad group's CTR will increase, saving you money and/or improving your ad's position. For example, if you sell products or services at a premium, include negative keywords like: free, cheap, discount. Read this article for more information on negative keywords.
- 11 Tips for Google AdWords Success
- Read all 11 of the Google AdWords tips.
Yahoo! Search Marketing Tips
- Tip #3 - Take Advantage of Bid Gaps
- Large advertisers blindly set bids across all keywords. This creates a tremendous opportunity to save money. Bid on a keyword by keyword basis rather than setting bids by category. Read this article for more information on bidding strategies, including bid gaps.
- Tip #8 - Try the Plural Trick
- The keyword selector tool doesn't usually differentiate between plural and singular forms of a keyword. However, there are instances where this is not the case. Always check both forms of a keyword. Creating ads for the plural form when it's available will increase your keyword inventory and will lower your overall CPC as most advertisers don't know to bid on these keywords.
- 10 Tips for Yahoo! Search Marketing Success
- Read all 10 of the Yahoo! Search Marketing Tips.
Search Engine Industry Links
- Yahoo! Search Marketing
- Yahoo! bought Overture, a PPC advertising network that pioneered this space.
- Google AdWords
- Google's PPC advertising system
- Yahoo! Search blog
- A look inside the world of search from the people of Yahoo!
- Inside AdWords
- The official source for information about Google AdWords
Apogee Weblog
Blog for Apogee Web Consulting LLC
Topics covered include search engine advertising.
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