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How To Be Successful With Search Engine
Marketing In Seven Easy Steps!
by Jay Neuman
. Print Friendly Version
This article is an excerpt from: The Complete Internet Marketer: A Practical
Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Marketing Online
Search Engine Marketing is the most effective way to advertise online. When
people want to find something online, they start with a search engine. Getting a
link to your website and a few words of promotional copy displayed on the first
page of their search results reaches them at the most opportune moment.
Customers have just described what they want by entering the search term.
They are actively seeking something they can respond to. It is the best case
scenario for targeted marketing. This article shows how to do it.
Buying sponsored links on search engines is easy. Some search engines have
automated bidding tools to make buying keywords as easy as placing a bid on
eBay. On the other hand, very small differences in your click-thru rates and
conversion rates can make the difference between positive and negative return
on your investment. It is a balancing act.
The secret to successful search engine marketing is found in following these
seven easy steps.
Step 1:
Choose Search Engines
Which search engine should you advertise on? This is the first decision you must
make once you have decided Search Engine Marketing is right for you. The
simple answer to this is start with the big ones. As of the writing of this chapter,
73% of all online searches in the United States are performed on two search
engines, Google and Yahoo. If you do nothing else with search engine
marketing, you should advertise on these two. After Google and Yahoo, there
are two more that account for another 15%, MSN and AOL. Almost 90% of all
searches are performed on these four search engines. (source: Nielsen
NetRatings July 2006)
After you have bought keywords on the big search engines, you can look into
specialty search engines that focus on the niche you are targeting. For example,
if you have a restaurant or live music venue, you may want to get listed on
Citysearch.com. If you are a Business-to-Business supplier, you may want to
list on Business.com.
Step 2:
Choose Keywords
The second, and most critical step is to determine which keywords you will buy.
There are two parts to this decision. First, you must identify the words and
phrases that best describe the content on the web pages where you want to
direct traffic. Next you must identify what words and phrases web users are
most likely to enter as search terms when they are looking for content related to
your web pages. The basic rule is to find as many variations as you can on the
words and phrases you identified as being relevant to your web page. Then try
to figure out which are the most likely variations web users will search for.
These are the keywords you want.
Some search engines will show you suggested variations to the terms you’ve
selected. They also may be able to tell you which terms are most popular.
Now here is an important point. You do not necessarily want the most popular
search term. If the term being searched most is a very general word or phrase,
then you may get a lot of clicks on your link (which you pay for), but they may
not convert to sales. It is better to be more specific in your keyword choice.
This way you will get clicks from searchers who are more likely to be interested
in the specific things you offer on your site.
For example, you may have a business offering legal assistance for small
businesses. You could advertise on the very popular search term, “legal
services.” However, this would be likely to bring a lot of clicks from people who
did not need help with their small business. You could also advertise on the
popular term, “small business.” But then you might get clicks who do not need
legal services. On the other hand, if you advertise on the specific phrase, “small
business legal services,” you will get clicks from searchers who are in the
market for your specific services. You will get fewer clicks, but they will convert
at a higher rate.
It is not possible to tell exactly what the right keywords for your business will be
up front. The best approach is to start with a larger set of keywords as a test.
Measure the results in clicks and conversions. Then stick with the ones that
yield the best results.
Step 3:
Balance Your Budget with Desired Ranking
Once you decide where you want to advertise and what keywords you want, the
next step is to decide how to make the best use of your available budget. You
will pay more money for a higher rank in the search results. The top listing will
cost more than the second listing, which will cost more than the third, and so
on. The general rule is that you want to be above the fold on the first page of
search results. The fold is the area of the page displayed without scrolling
down. However, having the number one listing does not necessarily gain that
much over the number two or three. You will only know by testing. You may
also find that you get better overall results by paying less for a listing below the
fold, or even on the second page.
The best way to proceed is to start with a test using only a small budget. Test a
large number of different search terms, on different search engines and at
different list order. Run this test for a few weeks and see how your various
options perform. Pay special attention not only to click-thru rates but also to
conversion rates. With this information, you can run your full program with
those terms, search engines and rank orders that performed the best for you.
Step 4:
Write Effective Link Copy
The best keywords will only work for you if people want to click on your link
when they see it. The next step is to write effective link copy. You have only a
few words to make people interested enough to click. This is critical advertising
copy. Make those words count.
Link copy should be closely related to the keywords the user entered. Generic
sounding links are not very good at enticing clicks. Separate copy should also
be written for different variations of your search terms.
Link copy should match the needs or wants of users entering the given search
term. When writing link copy, consider why a person might be entering one
term versus another. Then tailor your copy to that. Take the example of small
business legal services above. Someone entering the term, “small business law”
may be looking for general information. On the other hand, someone entering,
“small business lawyer” may be looking to hire a lawyer. Both may be good
prospects for your business. But they will respond to different messages.
Link copy should be clearly related to the content of your website without turning
off potential customers. This is a balancing act. Your link should act as a filter
that draws in only people who are likely to convert on your website. On the
other hand, you may also want to bring in potential customers who do not know
yet that they want what you are offering. Once again, you will only find the right
balance by testing a variety of options and sticking with the best performers.
Step 5:
Use Deep Linking
When people are looking for something on the Internet, they are impatient.
They want to be sent directly from the search results to information related to
the topic of their search. If people find themselves dropped onto a home page
they are likely to just leave and go to the next search result listing until they find
what they want. In other words, they expect to be linked from the search
results directly to a page deep in your site where they can instantly see what
they are looking for. This is called deep linking.
Deep linking is especially important when you are buying keywords. Make sure
the listings you put out there go directly to the content on your site related to the
keyword being searched.
Step 6:
Create Effective Landing Pages
In some cases, deep linking is not enough. You may want to create custom
pages for people coming from your link. You customized the copy of your link to
match specific needs and interests of people who would be entering a given
search term. You may also want to customize the content on the first web page
they see. Custom landing pages like this are sometimes called doorway pages.
Making a copy of your web page with alternate versions of the messaging,
images or offer is easy and inexpensive. This can greatly increase conversions
from your search engine traffic.
Step 7:
Monitor and Improve
Finally, it is absolutely essential that you monitor the results of all keyword
spending and continuously improve your program. This is easy to do. The
search engine will provide simple reports showing all keyword buys with details
about the results each generated. You can then fairly easily set up a report
from your Web Analytics software to show the conversions resulting from each.
Behavior on the Internet is constantly changing. Keywords and copy that
perform well this month may not next month. You should be constantly
monitoring for drops in performance and make adjustments. Also, continue to
try new search terms. Slight changes in click-thru or conversion rates can make
a big difference in your bottom line.
There are seven critical metrics for Search Engine Marketing campaigns.
By collecting information about these seven metrics, you will know what is
working and what is not working. You can then use this information to
continuously improve future Search Engine Marketing efforts.
==========================
This article is an excerpt from The Complete Internet Marketer: A Practical
Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Marketing Online by Jay Neuman.
Since 1994, Jay Neuman has been helping businesses as varied as Fortune 500
companies, startup Dot-Coms and nonprofit organizations overcome their
Internet Marketing and Database Marketing challenges. Jay is currently Sole
Proprietor of the KnExT Consulting Group. - www.knextconsulting.com.
He can be reached at jay.neuman@knextconsulting.com
Marketing In Seven Easy Steps!
by Jay Neuman
. Print Friendly Version
This article is an excerpt from: The Complete Internet Marketer: A Practical
Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Marketing Online
Search Engine Marketing is the most effective way to advertise online. When
people want to find something online, they start with a search engine. Getting a
link to your website and a few words of promotional copy displayed on the first
page of their search results reaches them at the most opportune moment.
Customers have just described what they want by entering the search term.
They are actively seeking something they can respond to. It is the best case
scenario for targeted marketing. This article shows how to do it.
Buying sponsored links on search engines is easy. Some search engines have
automated bidding tools to make buying keywords as easy as placing a bid on
eBay. On the other hand, very small differences in your click-thru rates and
conversion rates can make the difference between positive and negative return
on your investment. It is a balancing act.
The secret to successful search engine marketing is found in following these
seven easy steps.
Step 1:
Choose Search Engines
Which search engine should you advertise on? This is the first decision you must
make once you have decided Search Engine Marketing is right for you. The
simple answer to this is start with the big ones. As of the writing of this chapter,
73% of all online searches in the United States are performed on two search
engines, Google and Yahoo. If you do nothing else with search engine
marketing, you should advertise on these two. After Google and Yahoo, there
are two more that account for another 15%, MSN and AOL. Almost 90% of all
searches are performed on these four search engines. (source: Nielsen
NetRatings July 2006)
After you have bought keywords on the big search engines, you can look into
specialty search engines that focus on the niche you are targeting. For example,
if you have a restaurant or live music venue, you may want to get listed on
Citysearch.com. If you are a Business-to-Business supplier, you may want to
list on Business.com.
Step 2:
Choose Keywords
The second, and most critical step is to determine which keywords you will buy.
There are two parts to this decision. First, you must identify the words and
phrases that best describe the content on the web pages where you want to
direct traffic. Next you must identify what words and phrases web users are
most likely to enter as search terms when they are looking for content related to
your web pages. The basic rule is to find as many variations as you can on the
words and phrases you identified as being relevant to your web page. Then try
to figure out which are the most likely variations web users will search for.
These are the keywords you want.
Some search engines will show you suggested variations to the terms you’ve
selected. They also may be able to tell you which terms are most popular.
Now here is an important point. You do not necessarily want the most popular
search term. If the term being searched most is a very general word or phrase,
then you may get a lot of clicks on your link (which you pay for), but they may
not convert to sales. It is better to be more specific in your keyword choice.
This way you will get clicks from searchers who are more likely to be interested
in the specific things you offer on your site.
For example, you may have a business offering legal assistance for small
businesses. You could advertise on the very popular search term, “legal
services.” However, this would be likely to bring a lot of clicks from people who
did not need help with their small business. You could also advertise on the
popular term, “small business.” But then you might get clicks who do not need
legal services. On the other hand, if you advertise on the specific phrase, “small
business legal services,” you will get clicks from searchers who are in the
market for your specific services. You will get fewer clicks, but they will convert
at a higher rate.
It is not possible to tell exactly what the right keywords for your business will be
up front. The best approach is to start with a larger set of keywords as a test.
Measure the results in clicks and conversions. Then stick with the ones that
yield the best results.
Step 3:
Balance Your Budget with Desired Ranking
Once you decide where you want to advertise and what keywords you want, the
next step is to decide how to make the best use of your available budget. You
will pay more money for a higher rank in the search results. The top listing will
cost more than the second listing, which will cost more than the third, and so
on. The general rule is that you want to be above the fold on the first page of
search results. The fold is the area of the page displayed without scrolling
down. However, having the number one listing does not necessarily gain that
much over the number two or three. You will only know by testing. You may
also find that you get better overall results by paying less for a listing below the
fold, or even on the second page.
The best way to proceed is to start with a test using only a small budget. Test a
large number of different search terms, on different search engines and at
different list order. Run this test for a few weeks and see how your various
options perform. Pay special attention not only to click-thru rates but also to
conversion rates. With this information, you can run your full program with
those terms, search engines and rank orders that performed the best for you.
Step 4:
Write Effective Link Copy
The best keywords will only work for you if people want to click on your link
when they see it. The next step is to write effective link copy. You have only a
few words to make people interested enough to click. This is critical advertising
copy. Make those words count.
Link copy should be closely related to the keywords the user entered. Generic
sounding links are not very good at enticing clicks. Separate copy should also
be written for different variations of your search terms.
Link copy should match the needs or wants of users entering the given search
term. When writing link copy, consider why a person might be entering one
term versus another. Then tailor your copy to that. Take the example of small
business legal services above. Someone entering the term, “small business law”
may be looking for general information. On the other hand, someone entering,
“small business lawyer” may be looking to hire a lawyer. Both may be good
prospects for your business. But they will respond to different messages.
Link copy should be clearly related to the content of your website without turning
off potential customers. This is a balancing act. Your link should act as a filter
that draws in only people who are likely to convert on your website. On the
other hand, you may also want to bring in potential customers who do not know
yet that they want what you are offering. Once again, you will only find the right
balance by testing a variety of options and sticking with the best performers.
Step 5:
Use Deep Linking
When people are looking for something on the Internet, they are impatient.
They want to be sent directly from the search results to information related to
the topic of their search. If people find themselves dropped onto a home page
they are likely to just leave and go to the next search result listing until they find
what they want. In other words, they expect to be linked from the search
results directly to a page deep in your site where they can instantly see what
they are looking for. This is called deep linking.
Deep linking is especially important when you are buying keywords. Make sure
the listings you put out there go directly to the content on your site related to the
keyword being searched.
Step 6:
Create Effective Landing Pages
In some cases, deep linking is not enough. You may want to create custom
pages for people coming from your link. You customized the copy of your link to
match specific needs and interests of people who would be entering a given
search term. You may also want to customize the content on the first web page
they see. Custom landing pages like this are sometimes called doorway pages.
Making a copy of your web page with alternate versions of the messaging,
images or offer is easy and inexpensive. This can greatly increase conversions
from your search engine traffic.
Step 7:
Monitor and Improve
Finally, it is absolutely essential that you monitor the results of all keyword
spending and continuously improve your program. This is easy to do. The
search engine will provide simple reports showing all keyword buys with details
about the results each generated. You can then fairly easily set up a report
from your Web Analytics software to show the conversions resulting from each.
Behavior on the Internet is constantly changing. Keywords and copy that
perform well this month may not next month. You should be constantly
monitoring for drops in performance and make adjustments. Also, continue to
try new search terms. Slight changes in click-thru or conversion rates can make
a big difference in your bottom line.
There are seven critical metrics for Search Engine Marketing campaigns.
By collecting information about these seven metrics, you will know what is
working and what is not working. You can then use this information to
continuously improve future Search Engine Marketing efforts.
==========================
This article is an excerpt from The Complete Internet Marketer: A Practical
Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Marketing Online by Jay Neuman.
Since 1994, Jay Neuman has been helping businesses as varied as Fortune 500
companies, startup Dot-Coms and nonprofit organizations overcome their
Internet Marketing and Database Marketing challenges. Jay is currently Sole
Proprietor of the KnExT Consulting Group. - www.knextconsulting.com.
He can be reached at jay.neuman@knextconsulting.com
The Complete
Internet Marketer
Internet Marketer
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