Because customers are spending more conservatively, they are pickier about what they buy. This means that they might spend as much as a month doing research online about a product before making a significant purchase.  Because of this, it is important to maximize impact in online search and get products visible to customers in the purchasing phase of the shopping process.

Pay Per Click advertising, commonly known as PPC, is the best way to target customers in the purchasing phase. By using keywords targeted to specific products, listing competitive prices, and incorporating other measures to optimize a PPC campaign, you can maximize your impact in an online search by appearing to potential customers who are ready to buy.

This is particularly important during the holiday season, as getting ad campaigns ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday can mean the difference between ending the year in the red or in the black.

The pros for PPC are many. Here are just a few, from Network Solutions’ Winning Clicks guide:

• Calculation – PPC is easily measured. Marketers are able to get raw numbers within seconds. Return on investment (ROI) and cost per acquisition (CPA) are easier to calculate than for traditional print and broadcast advertising.
• Cost – You only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
• Speed – Everything about PPC is fast. The campaign can be running in less than a day
• Timing – You can set up your ads to only run when you want them to.
• Targeted – You can easily tap your target audience by using the proper keywords and ad copy.

Network Solutions has a series of whitepapers available to help small businesspersons navigate the world of search engine marketing. The guide to driving sales using Pay Per Click is just one of the resources available from Network Solutions. Download this helpful resource, and others, today, and learn the basics of PPC, as well as the specifics of working with a PPC provider, different types of conversions, and how to get a good return on your investment.

Pay Per Click (commonly referred to as PPC) is the major advertising model used on search engines, advertising networks, content sites, and blogs. With Pay Per Click, advertisers only pay when a user actually clicks on an ad to visit the advertiser’s website. PPC is a great way to attract new, targeted customers, and, if done right, can capture customers right as they are ready to purchase.

It can be tough to jump right into anything new, and PPC is no different. There are many factors to take into account in order to run a successful PPC campaign, and without search engine marketing experience, it can be very intimidating. For this reason, Network Solutions has created a series of whitepapers to help small business owners get started with the basics of their online marketing campaigns, and to learn more about the specifics that can spell out success.

“Winning Clicks: Everything You Need to Know About Pay Per Click Advertising” is Network Solutions’ primer on PPC, covering the pros and cons of choosing Pay Per Click and outlining the benefits of bringing in expert help to manage a successful PPC campaign. Those interested can download the “Winning Clicks” whitepaper here.

On Online Advertising. In an eMarketer.com study conducted during 2008, $13.5 billion was spent on online advertising with a bulk of it spent on search engine marketing. Just how much? Well based on the research, 88% of money spent went to paid search and 11% went towards organic search (SEO). Should these things change in the future, especially during a recession? With budgets being tightened and everyone trying to save some money, I would imagine that while search marketing efforts are going to increase, the focus shouldn’t be on throwing out paid search ads, but on your content and truly understanding how your site is being noticed by search engines.

As part of an integrated campaign, search marketing should play a crucial role, especially now during the recession. With more people getting online and using search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN Live Search, having your site appear near the top of the page when certain keyword phrases are typed can generate tremendous traffic to your website and can often lead to conversions/purchases. So what steps can you take in order to make the most out of this?

One of the first things that you should probably do to help avoid firing blindly into the Internet world is to have someone come in and conduct a search engine audit on your website. Based on my past experiences in working with a consultant, they review your site and let you know what’s good and what’s bad about it – from a search engine perspective. Then they go about and take a look at what keywords will work for your site and the competitiveness of each of them. They will generate statistics, trends, reports, etc. that will help you moving forward. There are a few companies that would conduct this audit for you so look them up. The beauty is that these keywords can be used both for SEO and SEM placements.

But let’s look at search engine optimization for a second. This is probably the first place you should look when trying to promote your site versus jumping over to search engine marketing and essentially “spraying and praying” that your text ads will strike a chord with someone and have them click on your site. It is a debateable topic whether paid search garners more traffic/conversion than organic search, but it would make sense to make sure that your “house is in order” before promoting it. By this I mean make sure that your content is exactly the way you want it? Is it specific enough that if someone types in a certain keyword, that the page will have enough information for them or will it result in them clicking further which is a bad thing? Does your site adhere to search engine optimization best practices? The more care you put into your content and your website design/development overall, the better your search results will be.

However, search engine advertising/marketing should not be overlooked. In fact, the technology behind it has grown over the past few years and there are ways to make sure that you are getting your money’s worth. Perhaps the greatest asset to SEM is the geo-targeting approach. If you are only wishing to reach folks in the west coast of the United States, then you can have your text ads show up for those people with IP addresses located in one of the several states in that region. This will help avoid your text ads showing up for people who might convert but you weren’t targeting – thus avoiding wasting money. Something else to think about when you’re managing your campaign is the time and effort (and possibly cost) associated with managing this SEM campaign. Unfortunately you can’t simply choose a keyword, insert your ad and let it run for the duration. Why? Because the keywords are done through an auction-like process. The higher you are willing to bid on a moment’s notice, the greater your frequency of being seen (impressions). It’s always a state of constant monitoring, but you don’t want to break the bank to be seen all the time. That would cost thousands of dollars (depending on the keyword). One option is to check out a web marketing management solution that may wind up saving you some money overall – like Yield Software. These companies will help you monitor your campaigns and allow you to manage it on your own. So they give you the tools, you shape its path.

It should be important to note that when you’re looking at the keywords and the bidding price, if you have enough content on your site relating to that keyword, you should focus on doing organic search or SEO. The less competitive the word or phrase you’re targeting, the more you should go with SEM. I once heard an analogy “SEM is like renting your home while SEO is owning your home”. This definitely holds true. With a strong SEO strategy, your website/landing page can be the leading “authority” on certain keywords but if you’re only focusing on a temporary campaign or not sure about the effectiveness on a specific page, then you might want to also consider SEM. However, do NOT think that these are mutually exclusive. These should be woven together to help form a cohesive strategy in driving traffic to your site and when done correctly, can help bring you success during these times.

Guest post b

Advertising on the search engines seems simple at first. Sign up, write your ads, pick your keywords, set your bids and done. But do your ads really work? Here are five easy steps to writing effective search engine marketing ads.
(Photo attribution: HighPosition.net)
1. Match your keywords to your ads
It’s easy to get lazy and write one ad for all of your keywords. Don’t fall into that trap! On the search engine results page, keywords in the pay-per-click ads are in bold. Guess what? Your potential customers will click on those ads instead of the ones that are not in bold.

You can either enter the keywords in your ads manually or use the automatic keyword insertion code to save time. This is especially helpful when you make updates to multiple ads. An example of a keyword insertion code in Google is {KeyWord:Default Text} — you can use this code in your title, description and URL.

Let’s say you have a company called Yummy Yummy Cakes in Boston, where you sell custom cupcakes for special occasions. One of your keywords is “Boston cupcakes,” so make sure to have “Boston cupcakes” in your ad for that keyword. If you use {KeyWord:Yummy Boston Cupcakes} in your ad title, searchers will see “Cupcakes In Boston Ma” as your ad title. If they search for keywords that are longer than 25 characters (Google limits title text to 25 characters), the default text will be shown instead. So if they search for “delicious Boston Massachusetts cupcakes,” they’ll get “Yummy Boston Cupcakes” as your ad title.

2. Make your words count
You have a limited number of characters to tell your potential customers what your offer is, so be brief.
Long description: Chocolate, red velvet, almond cupcakes & more for your special occasion.
Make it count: Boston cupcakes for special occasions.

3. Have the keyword in the title, description AND display URL of your ads
To re-emphasize that you have what your potential customers are looking for, repeat that keyword in the description and display URL of your pay-per-click ads:

Keyword: Boston cupcakes
Title: {KeyWord:Yummy Boston Cupcakes}
Description: Boston cupcakes for special occasions.
Display URL: YummyYummyCakes.com/BostonCupcakes

4. Differentiate your offer
You still need to give a compelling reason for your potential customers to consider you as their vendor. Depending on your keyword, you may be competing with up to 10 other advertisers on a search engine results page, plus 10 natural search listings. Some examples of differentiating your ad are offering a special discount, featuring your award-winning service, or highlighting a benefit that your competitors don’t have. And yes, still be brief.

Keyword: Boston cupcakes
Title: {KeyWord:Yummy Boston Cupcakes}
Description: Boston cupcakes for special occasions. Voted #1 in MA.
Display URL: YummyYummyCakes.com/BostonCupcakes

5. Add a clear and urgent call-to-action at the end of your ad
The final step in writing an effective search engine marketing ad is to include a clear and urgent call-to-action at the end of your ad. Your goal is for those potential customers to take the next step; either to learn more about you or to purchase your service or product.

Keyword: Boston cupcakes
Title: {KeyWord:Yummy Boston Cupcakes}
Description: Boston cupcakes for special occasions. Voted #1 in MA. Free tasting today!
Display URL: YummyYummyCakes.com/BostonCupcakes

These 5 steps are pretty easy, right? Just start updating one ad and before you know it, you’ll play around with more ads and improve your pay-per-click ad effectiveness.

If you’re interested in getting some recommendations on your search engine marketing ads, leave a comment below!

presented by Network Solutions

Marketers, Business Owners, Entrepreneurs & Web Site Designers – this workshop is for you!

You can learn how to:

- Increase traffic to your site

- Best way to get customers searching for your products & services

- Understand the factors that affect your search engine rankings

- Impact of search engine technology on your bottom link

There are also a number of 30 minute time slots where you can get free web design evaluation by an expert from Network Solutions.

The workshops are being held around the United States at various sites. So choose the site that is the most convenient for you.

Portland – September 9, 2008

Doubletree Hotel Portland – Lloyd Center
1000 NE Multnomah
Portland, Oregon 97232

Minneapolis – September 11, 2008

Millennium Hotel Minneapolis
1313 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA

Salt Lake – September 11, 2008

Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown
75 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

NYC – September 16, 2008

Lighthouse Executive Conference Center
111 East 59th Street
New York, New York 10022

Tampa – September 16, 2008

USF Downtown Center
1101 Channel Side Drive
Tampa, FL 33602

Austin – September 23, 2008

The Mansion at Judges’ Hill
1900 Rio Grande
Austin, Texas 78705
1800.311.1619

Cincinnati – October 1, 2008

Bankers Club Cincinnati
511 Walnut St
#3000
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Pittsburgh – October 8, 2008

Doubletree Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh City Center
One Bigelow Square
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

Charlotte – October 9, 2008

Hilton Charlotte City Center
222 East Third Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

Las Vegas – October 23, 2008

Green Valley Ranch Casino, Resort & Spa
2300 Paseo Verde Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89052

This means that you must be on top of your game to make your web site accessible by search engines of all types so your Search Engine Marketing strategy must be a solid part of your overall marketing plan.

Many people talk about Search Engine Marketing in very loose terms but it is essentially separated into two parts – Search Engine Optimization and Pay-Per-Click Advertising.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the free part of Search Engine Marketing. The goal is to earn top rankings in free search engines which are called “natural” listings. In this instance you work to optimize your site giving the search engines what they’re looking for so that it is listed properly improving your ranking and hopefully making the front page. There are a few tricks to making this work and I recommend hiring a consultant or service provider that can optimize your site properly. Trust me, it will be money well spent. Here is a well accepted process to maximize your SEO:

- Find the most relevant keywords for your market
- Plug those keywords into the headlines, subheads and body copy of your web pages but use them sparingly
- Get inbound links to your site through things like blogs. It is what the spiders love the most because it is “natural”.
- Keep the search engine “spiders” coming back with frequent new content. Blogs are a good example of this.
- Use a site map because the spiders take a top level link and dive deep into your web page indexing all of your web pages
- Don’t be dense with keywords or the search engine spyders will see right though it

It is important to note that while this is the most cost effective approach to getting your site traffic, it will take time. If you need traffic immediately, you will have to add Pay-Per-Click (PPC) to your strategy.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

If you have used a search engine, and I am sure you have, you have seen results that are up at the top or off to the side and colored differently than the standard results. That is because someone paid to get there. The way it generally works is that the search engine company has keywords set at a certain price for a level of “clickthroughs” or when people actually click on the link to get to your site. You can also use various web site provider packages to help you manage this effort. There are some advantages and disadvantages to this strategy.

Advantages

- Your web site shows up immediately in search engines which is great when you are really trying to do time sensitive campaigns

- It is a great way to test keyword effectiveness that you will want to integrate into your natural SEO strategy

- You only pay for the clickthroughs to your site

Disadvantages

- It can be costly because you might pick expensive keywords that are so hot your marketing budget could get blown right out the window

- Competitors can intentially clickthrough to your site making your costs go up, although this has been fixed by search engine providers to prevent fraud

Combining Strategies is the Best Way to Go

As time goes on, a strategy utilizing both approaches is the way to go. Over time, your site will increase its ranking in search results and you can reduce your PPC for direct and general keyword hits. This will allow you to use PPC for more targeted efforts like product launches and specific campaigns. Lastly, it is important to note that you should not rest on what you have done and keep your site fresh and relevant. Techniques and search engine algorithms are updated all the time as more people learn to “game” a certain aspect of the system.