The global marketplace continues to shift online and a clear example is the phenomenon of Search Engine Marketing. Individuals continue to shift online to read the latest news, look up information and researching products which eventually lead to purchasing them. According to Nielsen/Netratings, the number of searches across all search engines grew to 5.1 billion in December 2005 from 3.3 billion in December 2004.
The amount of exposure and opportunity for businesses online has never been higher. Many companies have shifted their traditional marketing philosophy of off-line advertising (yellow pages, newspaper ads, radio commercials, etc.) to the online space and in particular, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising. PPC allows your listing(s) to show under the “sponsored links” section which is easily visible to the users. It also appears on many affiliate sites under specifically marked “advertising” boxes.
In a nutshell, when an individual decides to search, there are a number of results to choose from. As an owner of a business or head of marketing, there are several options and strategies which you may take. For example, the more you pay per click the higher your advertisement is listed but is that what you would like to do? Is this a case of branding or gathering traffic to come to your site? Or do you wish to limit your online advertisement to a specific geography or can the product be delivered to everyone worldwide? These are some questions a business has to think about when developing an Internet Marketing approach. Thus it is important to come up with a strategy and objectives before deciding to fully pursue this marketing medium. Here are some important factors to keep in mind:
- ROI: For any marketing initiative, pay close attention to Return on Investment (ROI) and results. ROI Analysis will enable you to see where success is coming from and where to pay attention.
- Competition: Pay Attention to Competition. It may not be important to appear #1 on Google or Yahoo’s search results given your marketing objectives. Assess other companies and see where it may be effective to appear under results.
- Landing page: Once a visitor clicks on the PPC ad, where do they go? Are they seeing relevant information or are they just led to a page where they have to navigate all over again. Guide them through the landing page on the decision that you want them to make.
- Negative keywords: A new concept which definitely helps. Make sure that you identify terms which do not relate to your business. This will help gather more relevant traffic and eliminate any unnecessary visits from unqualified clicks.
When setting up a campaign, a business needs to come up with a thorough and well formulated strategy to gather results and have an attractive Return on Investment (ROI). It is greatly stressed to set the objectives and goals for the campaign. Make sure that you understand the nature of the business you are marketing, and what kind of traffic you want to receive. It is always helpful to have some type of checklist when setting up your campaigns. E-Nor manages accounts across different industries and holds the recognition of being “Qualified Google Advertising Professionals.”
If you have any questions or need any information on Internet Marketing Solutions or assistance on improving conversion, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be glad to help you. Thanks!
