| At first glance, search-engine optimization (SEO) and search-engine marketing (SEM) seem to be the same thing. This stems from the marketing mindset that anything that has to do with search engines must be a programming function. It's not. The two activities are very different: SEO is a programming function, whereas SEM is purely a marketing function. Briefly, search-engine marketing consists of two types: Paid inclusion For an example of paid inclusion, look at a page of Yahoo! search results. At the very top of the list, above all other search results, you probably see one, two, or three listings with a tinted background (see Figure 14.2). These organizations have paid to be listed in the top of the search results when a particular search term is used. Figure 14.2. You can pay to have your advertisement listed on top before the search results on Yahoo.com.  Paid placement or pay-per-click For an example of paid placement, look at just about any search results page from major search engines such as Yahoo! (see Figure 14.3). The paid placements appear in the right column of the page. But unlike paid inclusion systems, advertisers don't pay for these link listings to appear; they pay only when the listing is clicked. This is called pay-per-click (PPC) or pay-for-performance marketing. With PPC marketing, you choose a search term and bid on the termthat is, how much you're willing to pay if someone clicks your listing. The higher your bid, the higher your listing appears in the search results of search engines that use PPC search engine services, such as Yahoo! Search Marketing or Google's AdWords. Figure 14.3. Pay-per-click advertisements are displayed on the right column on Yahoo.com.  The action today in search-engine marketing is in the pay-per-click arena. But before you can create your SEM campaign, you need to provide the following: Thirty to 60 keywords and keyword phrases A listing title of the required length A listing description of the required length A designated Web page on your site to point to from the listing How the Web page will be relevant to the keywords, title, and description in the listing
Let's examine these one at a time. Choosing Appropriate Search Terms By now, you should have some experience choosing targeted keywords and phrases for your Web pages. But a half-dozen keywords that target your organization's message are not enough for a strong SEM campaign. Choosing your keywordsor, in the language of SEM, your search termsis the first and most important step in establishing a PPC marketing campaign. For your SEM campaign, consider three key issues related to the search terms: Number of searches for the term Relevancy of that term in relation to your product or services Cost (the bid amount you're required to spend for that term)
Web Resource: Get the Lowdown on PPC Search Engines PayPerClickGuru (www.payperclickguru.com) offers a guide to the main PPC search engines and a description of their programs. Check out its Pay Per Click Search Engine Comparison Chart, which details the top PPC engines and explains their minimum bid, initial deposit, and statistics. |
How can you find help in choosing good search termsand how many should you choose? The best strategy is to find the search terms that Web surfers already use. Your IT staff should keep two free keyword tools in its bag of tricks to help your marketing staff: Yahoo! Search Marketing Search Term Suggestion Tool (www.inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/)Enter a search term related to your site; the results show both related searches that include your term and how many times that term was searched for in the previous month. This tool is quick and easy to use, and doesn't require any download or installation. Good Keywords (www.goodkeywords.com/)This free Windows program (which you must download and install) helps you find the perfect set of keywords for your Web pages. Good Keywords is more than just a search-term suggestion tool, and it goes far beyond what the YSM tool provides. Good Keywords helps you think like a customer, analyze the competition, and monitor the progress of your SEM campaign. WordTracker (www.wordtracker.com)Although WordTracker is not free to use, it's worth the money. WordTracker not only helps you find related keywords, but it also tells you exactly how many Web pages you will be competing with in a specific search engine. You can sign up for a free trial by going to www.wordtracker.com/free-trial.html.
Web Resource: Don't Get Caught Overbidding The biggest drain on your PPC budget is the amount of money you pay per click. The YSM Bid Tool at www.overture.com/d/USm/search/tools/bidtool/ can help keep your PPC budget under control. Just type in the keyword you want to use; YSM's overbid tool gives you not only the current maximum bid for that keyword, but also the actual ads from the companies that are targeting that word. Remember, you don't always need to be the no. 1 listing: A great selling title and description could outperform the no. 1 listing. |
With these or comparable tools, you must then choose those search terms. Here are some tips: Focus on specific terms that are pertinent and specific to your market. Using broad-based terms such as software or office supplies could bring in a large unqualified audience that might or might not be looking for your particular product or service. If the primary search terms you want to use are outside the marketing department's PPC budgetthat is, the bid amount for the term is too highbuild your list of search terms using secondary terms that reflect your product, service, or market niche. For example, instead of software, which is a very popular term and, therefore, very expensive, closely match your search term to your product or service: accounting software. Better yet, consider accounts receivable accounting software, accounts payable software, or professional accounting software. For the PPC campaign, you need 30 to 60 search terms. The composite traffic of many secondary terms could match or exceed the traffic of the most popular term for your market niche. In this way, you get the same traffic as the most popular and expensive terms (or more) while paying, on average, far less. In the major PPC search engines, your PPC listing should appear within the top three positions. The top three positions are the most important with Overture because they feed most major search engines and directories as sponsored listings, and appear at the top of the search results. And being above the fold on the search results page of Google's AdWords gives you the most visibility. (The marketing term above the fold refers to having your listing appear in the part of a Web page that's visible without scrolling.) Does that mean that if you're not in the top position, your site won't garner substantial traffic? No. If you must bid on a term, it isn't necessary to be in the first position to attract profitable traffic. Being second or third can be just as effectiveand sometimes far less expensive.
Web Resource: How Much Is a Click Worth? At Compare Your Clicks (www.compareyourclicks.com), you run live comparisons of keyword bid prices at multiple pay-per-click search engines. Prices are displayed for the top six positions. |
Writing Titles and Descriptions After choosing the search terms, your marketing staff needs to write the titles and descriptions for the listings. This is an important step. The search terms must be mentioned in the titles and descriptions of the listings, but the message must stay simpleand yet be packed with benefits. Here are some tips to use when writing those title and descriptions: Before attempting to write the first copy for your search terms' titles and descriptions, visit YSM and other search engines to check the competition for your terms. Your competition's titles and descriptions for the search terms you chose could be a great help to you in writing yours. PPC search engines don't accept superlatives. For example, at YSM, you aren't permitted to use words such as best, most, least, and cheapest (or comparable words that ends in st) in titles and descriptions. If you use them, your listing will be rejected automatically. Google has a similar policy. YSM and other PPC search services limit the number of characters that can be used in the titles and description of listings. But even more important is that the search engines that use your listings can and do cut off the length of the title and description in the search results of their search pages. Strive to make your selling point in the first few words of the title and description. Focus your titles and descriptions to qualify the visitor, while setting up expectations for what he or she will find at your site. Entice users to click your offer. A PPC campaign is not a "write once and forget it" type of marketing. The titles and descriptions for your PPC listings can and should be changed to reflect changes in your business, product, and service, or to improve your click-through rate.
Ensuring Relevancy The URL that a PPC listing points to is the finaland most importantpiece of a successful PPC campaign. It's crucial that your search terms be included not only in your listing titles and descriptions, but also in the Web pages where those listings direct the user. This will build confidence and credibility with potential customers, and it will help you get listed more easily on Overture and Google. Web page relevancy to search terms is very important. One of the worst things an organization can do is mislead the visitor. You don't want to give the impression that you tricked the visitor into clicking your offer, especially after all the work that you put into designing, building, and optimizing your website. Don't just point your pay-per-click advertisement to the website home page. If you own a pet supply website and your PPC search term is dog food, make sure your PPC URL points to the dog food section. You might also consider building specific relevant landing pages for these PPC ads. Landing pages are a great way to experiment with sales copy and track the success of your PPC campaign. You must remember that your PPC listing has 1.54 seconds to grab a visitor's attention and get him or her to your site. Once there, you have about another 5 seconds to interest the user enough to lead him or her through a process of performing an action. (Whether your site's objective is to sell a service or a product, or whether you want the user to fill out a form or join a mailing list, the process is the same.) If you mislead the visitor, the chances of a repeat visit to your site are slim. To list your site with YSM, you must carefully follow do's and don'ts for site relevancy. To avoid rejection of your submission, study the guidelines and don't attempt to list your search terms without preparing the targeted Web pages to send. Even if you don't use YSM, the rules are a good set of guidelines, no matter which search engine you use to make your PPC campaign a success. An SEM Checklist Here's a quick checklist to consult when considering how to list your site from the perspective of search-engine marketing: Research all possible search terms Use free search tools at sites such as Good Keywords and Overture to find search terms that give you the results you need. Focus on specific words Choose terms that are pertinent and specific to your market. Take advantage of secondary terms Multiple secondary terms that really reflect your product, service, or market niche could give you better results than one primary search term. Buy the right position Work to get your PPC listing within the top three positions at the major search engines. It isn't necessary to be in the first position to attract profitable traffic. Include search terms in listing titles and descriptions Make sure that those important terms appear in the title and description you choose for a listing. Keep the message simple, yet packed with benefits. Check out the competition How did your competition use the terms you chose? Use their efforts to generate your own ideas. Avoid superlatives Listings get rejected if they use words such as best, most, and cheapest. Count your characters PPC search services limit the number of characters in listing titles and descriptions. Cram your selling point into the first few words. Qualify the visitor Aim your titles and descriptions to get the niche visitors you really want. Be sure to set up their expectations of what they'll find once they get to your site. Make your pages relevant Include your search terms in the targeted Web page where the search engine user is directed from your listing. The 1.54-second countdown starts as soon as the visitor arrives.
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