When we first got started in this brave new world of building an Internet business, apart from feeling completely overwhelmed by information, I also recall feeling totally mystified by the whole notion of search marketing.
As far as I could see, driving traffic to our landing pages was simply a matter of writing a clever and compelling ad, which our ideal prospect would click on. Not that I even knew who that person would be at the time either. Surely it would be a good thing for anyone and everyone to go to our landing page?
I didn’t understand the importance of defining our niche, and then drilling down into it as tightly as possible so that only the most motivated and highly qualified people were clicking on our ads. Obviously, it did not take too long for me to cotton on that less tire kickers and more genuine prospects are key in Pay Per Click advertising. Opening our business credit card statement alerted me to this fact in a big hurry (if memory serves, it was in the same ball park as the national debt of Ireland).
I was beginning to think that metrics and analytics were only a small part of the equation. An in house clairvoyant would also have made a handy addition to our business. So much of the way search engines worked remained a huge mystery to me. Thanks goodness Cam had a very good handle on it and was in charge of our PPC campaign.
Over time, with experience and study, I started to see that understanding the function of search engines was very clearly the only way to get anywhere in an Internet business, and an alarming number of people joining our team had no idea that they were going to be using search engine marketing to build their own business.
They simply did not know what search engine marketing was (or even what search engines are). I have lost track of the number of new consultants who made comments to me like “I still have no idea how I will be making money in this business”.
So indulge me now while I run through a little “Search Engine 101″ style post. Now, I hasten to add that this is not going to be exactly the same content as I have posted before on the subject.
Why?
Because the major search engines (and I will refer to Google in particular here) are changing and evolving on a regular basis, and following the most recent compliance changes for search advertisers introduced by Google in July 2009, there are some key pieces of information you must know if you plan to use PPC in your own business.
The principles of search engine marketing are relevant to everyone, regardless of how you are marketing, but there are some changes which are extremely important for those using (or planning to use) PPC.
The primary function of the search engine (any search engine) is to search for information on the Internet. OK, easy and logical so far, right?
The search takes place when the searcher goes online, and types ‘keywords’ that are relevant to what they are looking for into the search field. So, say I am looking for a legitimate and profitable top tier, home based business. I might type those keywords into the search field.
E.g. “legitimate and profitable top tier, home based business”
The act of typing those keywords into the search field, is the the online equivalent of walking into a gigantic library, and handing the librarian a piece of paper with those same words on it, for her to go and find the most popular books on that subject and bring them to me to read.
The search engine uses a program called a “spider” to crawl the web, and retrieve the information that it can find and read that is relevant to searchers queries. The search engine then indexes the information that is retrieved, so that it can present it to the searcher at the speed of thought.
Pretty nifty huh?
Now, understand that this is only one facet of this process. So far, there are only two participants in this relationship – the search engine, and the searcher.
This is where things get interesting (and tricky, depending on your perspective). This is where the third party enters the equation.
You see, search engines like Google are also commercial enterprises. And in order for any business to be profitable, there must be money changing hands for goods, products or services, yes? And the searcher doesn’t pay.
This is where we join the fray. As advertisers, we pay (if we are using PPC) Google to show our ads to the people who are searching for them.
And this is where Google’s priorities and loyalties become very clearly defined.
Don’t believe that because you are paying your way, Google will necessarily allow you to publish any old thing online. Google has a highly vested interest in keeping the searcher happy, in preference to keeping the advertiser happy. Seems odd? Surely Google would want to make the relationship with its advertisers the priority?
Therein lies the genius of Google. If searchers are finding high quality, relevant information every time they search, they will continue to use the search engine. If there are more people using a particular search engine, advertisers will want to use the same search engine to advertise their business. I mean, there is no point opening any type of business in an environment where no-one is likely to find you.
Google is king when it comes to market share, with a whopping 83.5%. The rest is split amongst the remaining 10,000 or so search engines. So it is an astute business decision to primarily run with Google. This is where people are searching for information (your prospects among them).
Post July 2009, Google and the Federal Trade Commision took a sledgehammer to the home based business industry, due to large numbers of complaints by consumers about “get rich quick” schemes and “money making” scams.
As a result, all advertisers in our field have been under immense scrutiny, with many having their ads ‘slapped’ or their accounts suspended or disabled by Google. This can be a devastating thing for a business, if you do not know what to do to move forward.
Many people were blindsided by this turn of events. But it is, in fact one of those dark clouds with a silver lining.
This action by Google will clean up the web, so to speak. It will rid the Internet of scammers and online vermin and leave the way clear for legitimate business people, who are ethical in their approach.
This is where paid search advertisers will need to engage best business practices to advertise effectively using Google.
By that, I mean undertaking thorough keyword research, identifying your niche, and then giving searchers the information they are looking for, straight up front. No more “opt in and then you’ll get your information” tactics on your landing page. If Google sees you engage in that practice, you will be slapped so hard your head will spin.
If a searcher clicks on your ad because it promises them specific information, best you make sure that is what they get when they hit your landing page.
Anything that screams “get rich quick”, “work from home” or “make money from home” will be under very close scrutiny, and it is advised that you do not use these keywords in your ads, if you are using PPC.
Also be aware of the company you keep, because even if your campaign is compliant, if it appears in the company of other business people who are using the hypey, “get rich quick”, “money making scheme” style of ads and websites, you will very likely be penalized by association.
So, in a nutshell, Google is looking for and rewarding those online advertisers who are using best business practices.
Be scrupulously honest and transparent. Deliver relevant, high quality information in the first instance. Avoid hype, income claims and promises of “getting rich quick” (this is a bare faced lie anyway, as we all should be aware by now).
Publish your contact details, don’t ‘hide’ behind your website. A legitimate business person should be stepping up and announcing to their prospect “Your search ends here, I’m your man / woman”.
By the way, if you are uncomfortable about doing this, you have some demons to address before you launch into your business. I mean, if you don’t buy you, no-one else will either.
So learn to think like the spider. It will lead you to the fly, and help you define yourself online and simplify your business.
Make today a great one.
Cheers,
Tan
