Friday, February 27, 2009

Understanding SEO and SEM For Marketing Success

By Michael Fleischner

Many individuals new to web marketing have some questions about search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Are they one in the same? How are they different? SEO and SEM have many similarities but are not the same.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing are similar in many ways. Each online marketing discipline requires a strong understanding of purpose and functionality. The practice of SEO requires a basic knowledge of search engines and how they work at their core. Search engine marketing requires an understanding of online marketing and advertising.

Both online marketing methods can be rather complex yet at the same time relatively simple. SEO can be boiled down to this. Where your site is ranked on major search engines is a direct result of your understanding and application of best practices in the area of SEO.

SEM success is based on an understanding of running online marketing campaigns across various advertising networks. The largest networks are Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Each works differently but at the same time, the general premise is the same. You place an online ad that displays when users type in specific keywords that you identify. If a browser clicks on your display ad, you pay a fee regardless of whether or not they convert into a customer.

Search engine optimization is unique and different from search engine marketing because the organic result which appears in search engines is driven from your optimization techniques. These techniques are broken down into on page optimization and off page optimization. On page optimization is closely tied to web site design and off page is more associated with in bound links to your website.

The result is that search engine optimization drives organic traffic to your website or blog. That is to say that after users complete searches on major search engines like Yahoo! or Google that the results list comes from each search engine determining the best result. When users click on these results the advertisers owes nothing. Organic search is usually referred to as free traffic for this very reason.

Search engine marketing differs in that you pay when users take an action. Unlike traditional advertising you do not pay for your ad to display. You do however pay when a browser clicks on your ad. The amount you pay varies on the competitiveness of your keywords and the position in which you want your ad to display.

Doing business online requires a firm knowledge of both search engine optimization as well as search engine marketing Both internet marketing disciplines can support your online success. If you are not currently comfortable with SEO or SEM, begin with some simple research, explore SEO and SEM products, or subscribe to an RSS feed. Doing so can improve your knowledge and expertise in both of these areas.

About the Author:

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Advantages of Adwords

By Anne Durrel

Sellers are always looking for a new plus excellent marketing option to get their goods plus services into the public's eye.

Google has developed its very own marketing opportunity for vendors to take advantage of. adwords is Google's special advertising program that will help get products and services noticed while people are searching the web.

In actual fact, Adwords lets for the trader to link their manufactured goods to specific key word searches so that when a folk types in a detailed key word or phrase their advertisement will show up.

This ensures that your advertisement is popping up when people are searching for similar topics. That means that the persons who are seeing the product or service that the seller is advertising are visitors who are already interested in that topic.

an additional big thing concerning Adwords is that the vendor gets to construct the ad themselves. That means that each of us can have organize over what the certain wording should be, how the ad should look, plus where it is place.

A businesses image is everything, and advertisements are a big part of that image. Having control on that image is well worth the price of placing and advertisement with Google's Adwords program!

About the Author:

Sunday, February 8, 2009

How To Increase Conversions With Google Adwords Campaigns

By Donald D. Davis

The processes involved in online marketing can be too overwhelming for those who are just starting in this business. First, you must be able to identify, understand, and reach out to your target market. Second, you must get them into action by availing themselves of your products or services. But sometimes, even when you clearly comprehend your target market's needs, there is still no guarantee that you can encourage or convert them accordingly. This article provides useful ways to improve your conversion rates using Google Adwords campaign and ultimately bring in your website's targeted traffic.

Perry Marshall, Google Adwords pioneer and guru suggests maximizing Google Adwords by assessing various ads. Identifying keywords that convert becomes possible through innovative research techniques and writing effective ads that create impact to the readers.

Improve your keywords conversion potential with these six important ways:

1. Use the 'dynamic keyword' feature to let Google write your headline. If you're not sure how to write your headline, or what keywords to use, select the 'Dynamic Keywords' feature when writing your add where Google will place the search term your visitor type din the search box as the headline. This ad may stand out to a reader who typed in that particular word or phrase, instantly making the ad more 'relevant' to them.

2. Alter only one word when you evaluate ads against each other. As proposed by Perry Marshall, test ads must be segregated to monitor conversions as well as pinpoint the most effective ad after the trial period. You can do this by ensuing minor edits or changes to your initial ads. Change just one word in the headline or keyword in the body's copy to learn what knocks the socks off your targets.

3. Never run your ads in the Content network instantaneously. If you are just starting, it is advisable to turn this feature off as this may not immediately provide you with the intended website traffic. What you can do instead is to take note of the basic search results pages.

4. Utilize the Geographic targeting feature. This makes it easier for you to link to your target market's location. Most prefer market at the micro level rather than national or international. That said, it is wiser to filter your Adwords reach if you want to effectively advertise your products or services.

5. Don't use 'www' in your URL link. You don't have to use the 'www' for the link URL, so you can save those extra characters for your website extension instead. This looks better visually, and may encourage more clicks because people will get a fair idea of what they are clicking to when they click on the ad. Just make sure that the link does in fact go to a landing page or sales page so you can make that sale or capture the lead within a few clicks.

6. Emphasize your ad's first letters by using the headline style. Readability is a vital factor in Google Adwords application so be sure to write your ad by capitalizing the initial letters. In the same way, you must use upper case on your ad's copy and URL link for a more enhanced and professional look.

About the Author:

Friday, February 6, 2009

PPC Management and Dealing With Adwords Quality Guidelines

By Brian Basch

Nearly every user of Google Adwords is very aware of the quality scoring of keywords. In fact, every single keyword is assigned a quality score. As calculated, this score is meant to portray the relevancy of your advertisement and destination to your keyword.

Perhaps nothing affects your adwords account more than your quality score. This score influences your minimum bid amount and your ad position for each keyword in your account. Because ad position and pricing are so crucial to the success or failure of your efforts, comprehending Google's quality score is a necessary evil.

The quality score is Google's attempt to keep advertisements tightly related to what their users/customers are looking for. The thinking goes that Google's customers will enjoy their search experience more with the advertisements closely related to their interest area along with the search results. Although it may be difficult to implement a perfect computer-driven ranking system, this way of thinking seems correct.

Google has revealed the following pieces to its quality scoring system:

1. The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group. This factor results in the need to tightly and efficiently group your ads together, as throwing several hundred keywords into one ad group will often result in higher minimum click costs and lower ad positions.

2. The historical performance of the keyword on Google.com. This factor means that if you don't have your act together today, you will likely end up paying a higher premium for your ads tomorrow and into the future. Google has decided to reward advertisers whose ads have a higher CTR(clickthrough rate), so attention-grabbing ad copy and relevancy is a must.

3. How your entire adwords account has performed historically. Indeed, Google takes this into consideration when assigning your ad positions and minimum bids. There is no better time than the present to work on improving your account's status in the eyes of Google: improve your performance, or pay higher advertising costs.

4. How closely your landing page relates to your effort. When a potential customer clicks on one of your ads, it makes sense that the page they are sent to should closely relate to what they are searching for. This benefits everyone involved as the user can more quickly find what they want, Google looks good for helping them find it, and you are rewarded by having a much improved chance winning that customer's business. This element of the quality score is more subjective, but makes sense from the big picture perspective. Google rewards your good service to their customers.

In the end, paying strict attention to, and optimizing for, Google's quality score for each keyword in your account will result in lower minimum bids and higher ad positions. Both of these factors affect your return on investment for your advertising dollars and are therefore worth understanding intimately.

About the Author:

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

How to Micro-Manage Your Adwords Campaign

By Brian Basch

Advertisements are all around us. They are all filling our ears with the incredible profits that can be made with Adwords, when you use this tool to sell your products. The most amazing thing is the fact that it only takes 2-3 hours per day.

What they fail to tell you is the fact that working just 2-3 hours a day is not the norm. In fact few people can perfect this type of regime. There are just too many things to take care of, especially if you are new to the game. In fact no other promotion requires as much micro-management as an Adwords campaign.

Bear in mind a few points. Your initial keywords will be found by using Google's database of frequently searched keywords. Then you will compile a second list of keywords that you think are relevant to your business. Then you will compare the 2 lists.

Now that you have all your keywords ready, it is time to start bidding on them. Of course just writing an email to Google asking their permission to use a keyword in exchange for a fee is not going to work. Google has a better way of handling this. Google will place ads in certain positions, those that are in the top will be viewed more and will obviously bring in better returns for both parties.

Remember that Adwords is strictly a pay per click advertising system. You will pay them for every click you receive for your ad; this does not take into consideration the amount of sales you make. Google makes better profits when there are a lot of clicks for an ad. The highest bidder will gain the most exposure.

It is important to keep a close eye on your campaign, once you have completed the bidding and the ad is active. You will need to be aware of minute details, especially keyword popularity. Keyword popularity can fluctuate and unpopular keywords will not bring in the money.

So OK you are not going to become a wealthy businessperson just working a few hours a day on your Google Adwords campaign. However you will learn a great deal about micro-management of your campaign. With diligence and luck you will be able to skyrocket your business with this form of advertising.

In order to acquire expertise in micromanagement, you should use all the great tools and tutorials that are provided by Google Adwords. By this means you will spend less hours on your campagns and find more time to market your business.

About the Author:

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Google Adwords Advertsing Help

By Justin Harrison

It is incorrect believe that the top search terms are good choices for keywords. This seems logical but it doesn't take into account other competition. Picking keywords that match the advertiser's business usually have more of an impact.

Providing terms that are descriptive can draw a better group of people. Using a phrase like "cook books" instead of just "books" will commonly result in more conversions due to the fact that it will appear to people actually searching for cook books instead of just books. Providing a term like "Italian cook books" can result in even more conversions.

A low conversion ratio, or readers who click but don't end up buying, doesn't help an advertiser in any way despite the high number of clicks. It will only cost the business more money in fees that are not negated by higher sales. By placing very specific keywords to hone in on a niche advertisers are able to get higher quality clicks. This will lead to a significantly better conversion ratio and a much higher ROI.

To get traffic to your site, you need to figure out what key words you want to use. Think about your product and think about what the product will do for the customer. And from there you can figure out what key words you want to add. This way you will get a lot of clicks to your site and then you will have potential company's.

It helps to consider how a customer might think, too. According to Google, it is a good idea to create a list of search terms that consumers might use when performing an Internet search for specific goods and services. Think about the various ways they may spell some of those terms, too. For example, someone searching for low calorie foods might type "light foods" or "lite foods." To make sure you attract the greatest number of consumers, be sure to incorporate all possible spellings when creating a list of keywords for your site.

Keeping track of how effective a campaign is is a critical component. You can use Google's conversion tracking tool along with Google Analytics to see how a campaign is doing. If you see advertisements that are not generating as much traffic as estimated try to make some changes. Then, keep watching the results to see if the change improved things.

About the Author: