Aghh, the all powerful Search Engines… If you think they are not powerful then think again. If one of your potential clients is looking online for a company such as yours that supplies the product or the service that your business supplies - can they find you easily if they don’t already know your name? Does your business appear for searches on your keywords on Google or Yahoo?

If not, then you need to be concerned. Here’s why…

Joe Bloggs is searching on Google for “Graphic Designer Newcastle” - if you are a graphic designer in Newcastle then Joe Bloggs is a potential client for you. The results that appear when he runs this search may determine which companies he approaches and ultimately which company gets his business. If you don’t appear on the search, then what are your chances of getting Joe’s work? Zero!!

Ideally your website would appear naturally in search results for your business/service/product keywords, however that is not always possible. And sometimes it can take time to work your way up to the top of the results. That’s where Search Marketing or Pay Per Click Advertising becomes a possibility. Yahoo Search Marketing and Google Adwords allow you the opportunity to bring a whole new audience of targetted prospects to your website.

Advertising using Pay Per Click on Google or Yahoo provides you with the ability to get targetted prospects immediately. You can set up a campaign, and have ads start appearing straight away for the keywords that you select. You can even choose how much you are willing to spend per day or month, and which geographic areas you wish to target.

With Google Adwords you only pay when someone clicks on your ads. And the actual price that you pay is determined by the amount you specify as your highest bid compared with what other bidders are willing to pay, basically it’s an auction for your chosen keywords.

If you’re thinking about branching out into Search Marketing here are a few considerations:

Search Marketing Tips 

• Who is your target market and what words would they use to find you? These are your keywords.
• To keep the cost down and allow for more effective search marketing campaigns it’s best to use phrases rather than single words. For example “Marketing Central Coast” or Email Marketing” rather than simply “Marketing”. Generally the more defined your search phrase the lower the cost per click.
• If you already get some good “organic” results on Yahoo and Google don’t double up. There is no point in having your listing in both the organic and the paid results, so for those terms for which you return an organic listing don’t include them in your PPC campaign.
• Start with a low budget - even as low as $1 per day until you feel comfortable with the entire process then gradually increase your budget.
• Monitor your results to ensure effectiveness and tweak, tweak, tweak. Play around and try different Titles and descriptions and see what brings the best results. Or consult an expert.

I have set up numerous campaigns on Google and although it can be simple there are also many tips and shortcuts which can often save you time and frustration. And most importantly these shortcuts and tips can possibly return better results for your dollars. If you would like to learn more about Google Adwords and the shortcuts to success I recommend and distribute the following Home Study Course, which will help you to create your own effective campaigns on Google Adwords.

Google Adwords Home Study Course: From Zero to Hero with Google Adwords! Learn More…