Lots of people would like to get their Web site to the top of Google's free listings. But that's precisely the problem: You're competing with lots of people. It's certainly possible to get to the top - after all, somebody has to be there! - but it takes a lot of time and effort. Alternatively, you could pay a search engine marketing company to do this for you.
But by far the better way to get to the top of Google is to pay for it. Google's "AdWords" program allows even a small business to buy advertising for selected key words and phrases. You might be surprised at how little you have to pay.
Google (at www.google.com) has two types of listings: Free and paid. Google makes its money from the paid listings.
Google AdWords is the name of Google's paid advertising system. It is a pay-per-click advertising system, which means that you only pay when someone clicks on your advertisement.
AdWords is an auction-based system. You offer to pay a certain price for each click, and you compete with other bidders for higher placement.
You choose which words or phrases you would like to use for your ad. When somebody searches Google using those search terms, your ad will appear. If they then click on your ad, it takes them to a specific page on your Web site.
Another problem with trying to get into the free listings at Google is that you don't have much control over how your page will appear. You're not sure exactly which search phrases will display it; you're not sure what Google will say about it; and you're not sure which pages of your site will match Google's criteria for each search phrase.
With AdWords, all those problems disappear. You can control the exact wording of your ads, the exact page they link to, the exact search phrases they match, and exactly when they appear.
For example, when I went overseas for a month last year, I turned off all my Google advertising while I was away. (That was in the days before I had fine-tuned my advertising campaigns. Nowadays, I would just leave the ads running, knowing that they would make me money in my absence :-))
You can control where the ads appear in the world. For example, at the time of the Australian election last October, one of my clients had an election-related Web site, so we ran some Google ads - but only for Australian Internet users.
You can get even more specific with geography. For example, I can run ads for events that I'm conducting in Sydney, and only show those ads to people in and around Sydney.
You can run two ads side by side and find out which is more responsive. Then you delete the weaker ad and replace it with a third ad that you pit against the stronger ad. Keep doing this until you find the ad that gets the best results.
Google tells you exactly which words and phrases people used when searching. For example, when we did the advertising for the election campaign, we found that "Australian election" had 50% more searches than "federal election"; and "liberal party" had three times as many searches as "labor party"!
I hope I've convinced you by now that Google AdWords is the best way to get traffic from search engines.
But what about the free listings?
Actually, I'm NOT suggesting that you give up the idea of getting a free listing in Google. There are definitely advantages to these listings.
What I am saying is that you should go for the paid listings first - to test your market, refine your ad copy and improve your marketing. Then put your efforts into the free listings if you choose.
Gihan Perera is a co-author of "Get Traffic Fast", a fast-track program to get started with Google advertising, avoiding the common traps and pitfalls.
Sign up to his free mini-course "Google Kick Start" here:
http://gihanperera.com/get-traffic-fast.html
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..If you are using pay per click advertising, I don't... Read More
You may already have heard of this method to get... Read More
Watch out for a shift in the pay-per-click (PPC) industry,... Read More
Google stands to lose millions if fraud continues. It is... Read More
Before Google's AdWords, Overture was the preeminent pay-per- click program.... Read More
Google AdSense is a great way for webmasters to monetize... Read More
The darkest nightmare a hardworking affiliate webmaster fears is receiving... Read More
If you know anything at all about Internet marketing, then... Read More
Are pay-per-click ads the best method of getting customers to... Read More
There are good reasons why many webmasters and website owners... Read More
Why should you pay to get web site traffic, isn't... Read More
Did someone tell you you can make money easily with... Read More
Choosing the right price for your digital products is one... Read More
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is when an advertiser pays for each... Read More
The core principle of affiliate marketing is that the referring... Read More
What I find is a lot of marketers do have... Read More
"I don't need the Internet to advertise - I'm a... Read More
Have you received your check from Google? If you own... Read More
How I Boosted My Monthly AdSense Profits from... Read More
There is a new advertising style from Google Adsense that... Read More
Paid Search Advertising (also Pay-Per-Click, PPC) has gained a significant... Read More
If you are already running Adsense on your site, you... Read More
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is one of the most cost effective... Read More
No doubt you've heard the phrase "pay per click" before.... Read More
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a good supplement to natural search... Read More
cleaning help near Bannockburn ..Without tracking, your online advertising is just a shot in... Read More
Let's face it... Google Adwords is not the only source... Read More
As you probably already know, AdSense is revolutionizing the way... Read More
As the dust settles and the excitement caused by Google's... Read More
Cost per click or pay per click is a common... Read More
Here are three Adsense Tips, together with the required HTML... Read More
Not long ago, Forbes magazine has reported that pay per... Read More
Watch out for a shift in the pay-per-click (PPC) industry,... Read More
Hi, my name is Darryl Power and I have been... Read More
If you're an active Adsense publisher, I'm sure you have... Read More
The Mechanism First a brief glossary of terms: Adwords: The... Read More
One of the most popular forms of Internet advertising is... Read More
If you ever used Google AdWords to advertise your product... Read More
If you haven't yet got a Google AdSense account for... Read More
Most pay per click ads draw amazingly low click through... Read More
Then most difficult aspect of marketing a new product or... Read More
Google announced in January 2005 significant changes in their popular... Read More
There are a variety of advertising options available to online... Read More
Like any Google AdSense Publisher, you will want to increase... Read More
A lot of affiliates are selling other people's products with... Read More
When doing Pay Per Click Advertising you'll often see "Bid... Read More
One of the best kept secrets in today's affiliate marketing... Read More
So You Want Big Profits From Your AdWords PPC Advertising?... Read More
If you know anything at all about Internet marketing, then... Read More
Google and Yahoo-Overture control over 90% of the... Read More
Pay-Per-Click Advertising |