Paid Local Search Market to Triple in 2006
DMNews.com: "Christine Blank The paid local search advertising market will nearly triple to $907 million in 2006, according to research firm Borrell Associates. In its annual study of the local online ad market, Borrell Associates also found that spending on local search will far outpace spending on local online display ads. Local search advertising is expected to reach $4.07 billion by 2010, accounting for nearly half of all local online advertising.
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It's not the method, it's the message...PPC problems
It's not the method, it's the message...: "pay-per-click problems are almost always a failure of the message, not a failure of the method.
In other words, pay-per-click is, in fact, an effective means of advertising. When pay-per-click campaigns fail, it's very rarely because there's a problem intrinsic to pay-per-click. It's usually because the message of the ad is wrong, or the targeting of potential buyers if off.
There's an interesting article today in the Cincinnati Post that explores this concept on a broader scale."
MSN AdCenter review
MSN AdCenter review: "MSN AdCenter review"
Eight Skills for Entry into SEM
Searching for a Career Eight Skills for Entry into SEM: "By Jim Hedger
There are however a few basic skills required beyond knowing one’s way around Dreamweaver.
Eight skills needed for entry into the SEO or SEM sector. (Ed. Note: In order of Jim’s perceived level of importance.)
First of all, this might seem a bit basic but knowing how computers work is fairly important.
Second, good search marketers are comfortable working with a wide range of software in order to perform a wide range of services on a client’s website or account. In their first week, new SEO or SEM practitioners will be asked to work with spreadsheets, spider tracers, rank checking tools, client management tools, bid management tools, and other pieces of software designed specifically for the search marketing industry. The ability to intuitively work one’s way through new pieces of software is highly valued by employers
Third, search marketers should have a slightly better than average command of the English language, even if they are marketing to non-English speaking users.
Fourth, a person looking for an entry level position in search marketing should possess well developed interpersonal skills.
Fifth, a strong working knowledge of how ISPs work is important
Sixth, search engine marketers need to have and maintain a high level of web design skills.
Seventh, search engine marketers need to be able to think like traditional marketers
Eighth, search engine marketers need to be efficient researchers.
One of the most compelling reasons to cultivate a career in the search industry is that it provides a front row view of the immense economic and intellectual forces that are rapidly changing the ways the world works. Over the past decade, the Internet has rewired the planet, allowing skilled workers from any part of the globe to participate in an economic system that can stretch anywhere wires, radio or satellite signals do. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are literally changing the ways we communicate and these changes are coming more rapidly and affecting more people than any other evolution in human history. In one short decade, we have seen the major search engines replace venerable institutions and communications networks that served countless generations before ours. This is the ground floor; the elevator can only go up."
Pay-Per-Call Cranks Up
Pay-Per-Call Cranks Up: "When most marketers think about search advertising, the pay-per-click model immediately springs to mind. But that could change if pay-per-call advertising takes off.
According to a report from the Kelsey Group, pay-per-call advertising - search advertising that generates phone calls rather than clicks could generate as much as $4 billion in revenue by 2009.
Benefits of the PPCall model for the local marketplace include:
PPCall potentially addresses the millions of small businesses that rely on the phone for leads and sales.
PPCall is less susceptible to fraud than clicks and is more transparent to local businesses.
PPCall helps "close the loop" in tracking offline consumer buying behavior "
The Purpose of Pay-per-Click - Part Two: Long Term Campaigns
The Purpose of Pay-per-Click - Part Two: Long Term Campaigns Jennifer Laycock WRITES ABOUT: "the reasons that long-term campaigns can be beneficial. While the reality is that most pay-per-click advertisers are already running long-term campaigns, many of them haven't really thought through what the purpose of their campaign is...
pay-per-click marketing isn't just about setting up a campaign and letting it go, it's about understanding the many ways that you can use PPC to your advantage and then launching the type of campaign that makes the most sense for your business. After all, if you're not even sure why you're running a campaign, how will you make sure that you are running it well?
Long Term Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
Long term pay-per-click campaigns are setup with no end date planned. Usually, they are set up either by a company that doesn't have the time or knowledge to put organic search marketing in place, though quite often they are setup to supplement organic search marketing efforts. They are designed to serve as an on-going source of sales or leads and tend to grow over time as new phrases are added.
Primary Search Marketing Effort
The easiest to understand, and most common use of long term pay-per-click campaigns is to drive ongoing sales and leads to a web site that is not using any other type of search engine marketing....are beneficial in driving more traffic to a site, they tend to be one of the most expensive forms of search marketing because they have no residual effects. They end as soon as you stop paying for them
Competing on Highly Competitive Phrases
This type of campaign usually covers fewer words and phrases than ongoing sales campaigns, but still run with no planned end date. Campaigns are setup to fill in the gaps in an organic search campaign, often for phrases that a site simply isn't capable of ranking for organically...Unskilled PPC advertisers can find their wallets quickly drained as they are forced out of the market
Creating a Balanced Search Presence
One of the most effective types of long term PPC campaigns are those that are run concurrently with a well executed organic search marketing campaign. These campaigns are often setup to fill the gap on competitive phrases that might be difficult to rank for organically, but often are also used to create a double presence on a search results page. Marketers that view PPC as a part of a larger search marketing effort tend to see stronger results for lower costs than those relying solely on one type of search marketing. Studies show that about 40% of searchers will click on a PPC ad and about 60% will click on an organic listing, so companies that create a balanced mix of both listings stand a better chance at getting their site in front of more customers.
PPC as a Branding Tool
Studies show that more users are turning to search engines as navigational tools, meaning that they'll search for a brand name rather than guessing a URL. Companies that lack a presence in the PPC ads for their own products may be missing out on potential customers.
Additionally, having your brand name ad show up for the right generic phrases is a great way to brand your business.
The beauty of PPC ads is that impressions are free. That means that rather than paying for impressions like a company would for a typical banner ad, they pay only for any actual visits. This sometimes means that advertisers pay less than a banner ad would cost while reaching a highly targeted audience"
The Purpose of Pay-per-Click - Part One: Short Term Campaigns
www.searchengineguide.com: "The Purpose of Pay-per-Click - Part One: Short Term Campaigns By Jennifer Laycock
Short term pay-per-click campaigns are ones that are setup with an end date in mind. They might be one-time launches, or they might be campaigns that are turned on and off over time for different reasons. Either way, the goal of these campaigns is usually to supplement other forms of marketing and not to serve as an on-going source of sales."
Campaigns goals could include:
"Seasonal sales
Jump start a new campaign
Keyword testing before organic campaign
Testing sales messages"
New study shows companies STILL don't get SEM...
New study shows companies STILL don't get SEM...: "I've written time and time again about the need to get past things like rankings and traffic in order to look at what really matters in a search campaign. Namely...sales and profits. A new study released this morning shows that most businesses still don't get it.
A full 4 out of every 5 search engine marketers have the evaluation of their performance tied to some search engine marketing metric.
1 out of 2 search engine marketers are evaluated on website traffic volume and/or top search engine ranking.
4 out of 10 search engine marketers are evaluated on ROI or total sales generated by their search engine marketing efforts.
Just 1 to 2 in 10 search engine marketers are evaluated on offline results generated by their search engine marketing efforts.
Until folks start to grasp the idea that conversions count and traffic really doesn't, most companies will fail to really see the full measure of results that they could be getting from their campaigns.
The white paper written as a result of the study is available online at the iProspect site:
Search Engine Marketing Studies including keyword research: "iProspect's Search Marketer Performance Study (August 2005) "
Online Advertisers Turning to Pay-Per-Call - Forbes.com
Forbes.com David Koenig writes: "In pay-per-call, keywords also are auctioned. But instead of a link to click, the ad directs the user to the telephone. In one version, the user calls a special number that is forwarded to the advertiser's regular phone. In another, users type in their phone numbers and get a return call from the merchant. Either way, the advertiser is billed for the referral.
America Online Inc. and smaller Web portals have partnered with a pay-per-call pioneer called Ingenio Inc., whose investors include eBay Inc. and Microsoft Corp...
The Kelsey Group, a market-research firm based in Princeton, N.J., projects that pay-per-call will become a $1.4 billion to $4 billion industry by 2009.
That would roughly parallel the recent growth of pay-per-click advertising, which jumped from about $100 million in 2000 to $3.1 billion last year, according to Jupiter Research....
Advertisers may believe fraud is less likely with calls because they get a person on the other end of the line. Ingenio says it uses other safeguards against fraud, including not charging advertisers for suspiciously brief calls or repeat calls from the same number.
Still, pay-per-call has its limitations.
Although businesses that now rely heavily on the phone and Yellow Pages ads might embrace it, the large national advertisers will still prefer clicks, said Jupiter analyst David Card...
Laver also believes that Verizon's sales representatives, who know local businesses from years of selling Yellow Pages ads, will give it an advantage over Internet-only rivals such as Google and Yahoo Inc. Neither offers pay-per-call, although Yahoo says it is studying it.
Greg Sterling, an analyst at Kelsey, said Verizon's entry will give pay-per-call more legitimacy and prompt similar support from other phone companies that, like Verizon, already produce print directories.
And for merchants, it's about dealing with the familiar telephone rather than the mysteries of the Internet.
"The adoption curve will be fast because it's not something that has to be explained," Sterling said. "People get it pretty quickly.""
Yahoo! Search Marketing - On Target
Yahoo! Search Marketing - On Target: "Yahoo! Search Marketing announced earlier this month that it is expanding its partner programs to smaller search marketers and web professionals who manage or refer clients to Yahoo! sponsored search campaigns. This enhanced offering is known as the Marketing Alliances Program, and it provides a variety of options for businesses that want to earn recognition and cash commissions for referring clients to Yahoo! Search Marketing products."
