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Learning the Basics
Search engines help connect web users with the pages that interest them. And, as the number of web users continues to grow, so do the number of web pages. That means you have more and more people relying on search engines to direct them to the pages they seek. This reliance on search engines has led to the overwhelming success of search engine sites such as Google™, Yahoo!® and MSN®.What's more, when people use search engines, they are effectively using keywords to segment themselves into fairly narrow targets. And, that self-segmentation has led to this powerful new form of advertising. Before you can start benefiting from search engine marketing, you'll need a basic understanding of what it is, how it works and how to work with a media broker.
What It Is
Search engine marketing refers to the placement of advertisements on search results pages and content networks.Connect to Prospects
Prospects visit search engine sites seeking information of particular interest. To find this information, they enter one or more keywords, or maybe a phrase, and click "search." The search engine responds with a list—often a long list, sometimes topping a million entries—of potentially relevant sites. Your goal is to get your site to the top of that list.Placing an ad, sometimes called a "sponsored link," is an effective way of getting on that first page of search results. See Organic versus Paid Results in Qualifying Your Leads.
Your ad winds up on a search results page because the search terms you purchased match those entered by your prospects. The fact that prospects enter multiple search terms and that your competitors are vying for the same keywords makes this process as much an art as a science. See Keywords in Qualifying Your Leads.
Click-throughs
The point of the advertisement, which always includes a link, is to get the prospect to click through to your website or a customized landing page. In addition to billing by the keyword, search engines also factor in the number of times a visitor clicks on the advertisement. See Budgeting for a more detailed explanation of how billing works.The objective and method of payment is why search engine marketing is sometimes called "pay-per-click marketing."
How to Work with a Media Broker
An agency or full-service company like Cornerstone can simplify the process, providing you with the complete range of services that will let you benefit fully from search engine marketing.Before you begin, there are a few things that you'll want to consider. What product or service, for example, are you marketing? Do you already have a website with relevant content to which you can direct visitors? Is your site built to persuade prospects to take a desired action? Or will you need to develop one to accommodate the traffic you hope to attract? And, what kind of budget to are you working with?
Look to a company like Cornerstone to:
- Manage the bidding process
- Set a reasonable budget
- Develop keywords and phrases
- Eliminate costly research by leveraging key search-word groups
- Create your search advertisements
- Place your words and ads with Google
- Host your landing page
- Monitor your keywords
- Deliver the ongoing report metrics that help you measure the effectiveness of your campaign
- Optimize your campaign for maximum ROI
View our Search Engine Marketing Services
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