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Getting Traffic Part 4 - Google Adwords |
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We have made a good start on registering our sites with the search engines and getting them ready for when they send their spiders to index us. We are all busy running our businesses. It would be good if we could find a fast, effective, trouble free way to get lots of visitors to our sites before they are indexed. We would like to recoup some of our investment and use up some of our spare productive capacity for profit.
For many, Google Adwords are that quick and easy method of driving the visitors. They offer a direct link to whichever page of your site you choose and you only pay when somebody clicks on that link. That person, by clicking, becomes a visitor.
This is especially effective in the early stages of a site's life. Not only do they bring visitors, they force Google to index you earlier. Used properly and wisely, they and other online advertising can provide a constant stream of profits into the longer term.
Most commonly, they appear on the same pages as search results from the major search engines. Less commonly but still very widespread, they appear on the pages of a whole variety of web sites.
Be PreparedOne caveat before the visitors arrive. We must ensure our sites are easy for our visitors to find their way around, easy for them to find what they want to know, and easy for them to contact us. They need to be presented with accurate information and quickly. If they do not find what they are looking for straight away, they are gone. In seconds. Not a minute. Not even half a minute in most cases. Most research shows between fifteen and twenty seconds.
When they do find what they want and contact you, that is about as hot a lead as you can possibly get and they are just about ready to buy in a large proportion of cases. The secret of business success on the web really is that straightforward. The biggest reason for lack of success is over complication by web site owners and designers designing for prettiness rather than utility. Keep your design concepts simple and your sales message clear and clean.
By coincidence, the Search Engine Strategies Conference took place in New York all last week. It has been reported on by many online SE newsletters and broader technical journals. Here's one quote which came under the title "Designing for Search Engines" which I seem to see, perhaps in slightly different words, every year:
"In a nutshell: Keep it simple. URLs should be short and keyword rich; less Flash, Javascript, and Ajax, more CSS. People and search engines will thank you." This one came from Web Pro News, Thursday 20 March, reporting on a presentation by Eric Papczun, the director of natural search at Performics. I think Web Pro News should have called their piece "Designing for People" because the same principles apply.
It is important, then, that your site delivers, especially if you are to pay for visitors. Having them go away again is a massive waste of money and effort. We will be running a series later on designing for both people and search engines. These few tips will have to suffice for now.
Do not turn visitors awayWe have just read that information keeps a potential customer interested. So what puts them off? Several things. Such as images moving around and distracting them. Statements such as "we are the best . . . whatever" and other off-topic sales waffle. Navigation systems which make it difficult for them to find their way around your site, especially when it is hard to find the specific product or piece of information they require. No easy and obvious way to contact you or to buy directly. Noise. Do not have sounds on your web site, no background music, no beeps or other noises as a mouse passes over a navigation button or image. Every piece of research on the topic ever done says it annoys people, unless you run a music site.
Your site needs to be presentable, not a work of art. Take a look around a few sites at random. See how quickly you get the site's message. How quickly do you get turned off by those you find with lots of graphic design hiding any content there may be? So what makes your gizmo design better than theirs? If you are interested in any particular topic, see how an information rich site within that field grabs your attention even when it is rather plain looking.
Do not be misled by the sites of the big companies employing armies of designers. They have huge marketing budgets driving visitors to their sites. The sites are much bigger than you can afford so the gizmos are a relatively mild distraction among lots of information-rich content. Their brand is already established whilst you are unknown. Half a million pounds or so more or less in web sales revenue makes little difference relative to their overall turnover. Not even to the year end dividend payment. The CEO can afford the ego trip. It is not his money. Can you afford it?
What are Google AdwordsWhen you do a search using your browser to find a particular type of web site, ten normal search results are usually listed per page. They are the ones found by the search engine as a result of your search. But you will usually see one, two or three similar looking "results" highlighted at the top, under the title "sponsored links", with several more "sponsored links" listed down the right hand side.
Sponsored links in the search results are, in fact, adverts which have been paid for. They are called Google Adwords. MSN, Yahoo and others have their own versions, but Google has the bulk of that market and they are by far the most effective. These are "search network" Adwords. All Adwords go into both "search network" and "content network" placements by default. You have the option to select which if you only want one for your campaign. The "content network" Adwords are those which appear on other people's web sites.
What do they look like?To test the above, do a search on any search term. Cars. Houses. Something related to your own business. Or something to do with our sample site, such as dinner entertainment. Inspect the results on as many results pages as you wish. Check for the adverts at the top and in the right column. These search network Adwords are known to be more effective and gain more click throughs than content network Adwords for most advertisers. But bear in mind that your Adwords seen on web sites help in establishing your brand and you only pay for them once somebody has clicked through. Having them in places which are less effective in drawing traffic is not necessarily all bad. You can cancel or alter an Adwords campaign at any time, and you can set daily and overall budget limits.
Now look at some content network Adwords. You have probably seen them many times on many web sites. Have you noticed them? The places to find them include blog sites, campaigning sites, not-for-profit sites such as sports clubs, those commercial sites where the owners do not feel that placing Adwords will suck their potential customers away from their sites. See, for instance, Say No To 0870 with just two small Google Adwords spots at the top and bottom of the page; Blogflux, a blog directory which, interestingly, has no Adwords on its front page but many inside; Get Involved - Clubs showing an example of using banners for Google Adwords, rather than text. This is only allowed for content network Adwords, by the way. Such examples are so easy to find I do not store them for each presentation but search afresh each time so the audience can feel involved when I do it. You should be able to find lots more.
Where do I start?Whether employing consultants to do the job for you or doing it yourself, Google Adwords are tried, tested and trusted. You need to learn your way around, so use the lowest risk source first. Fortunately, Google's own "Learning Centre" has advanced considerably and contains some excellent tutorials.
If you need more information and advice on Google Adwords or would like to find out about our SEO services, please either give us a call on 01924 443335, or fill in the simple enquiry form on the "Contact Us" page and please do remember to include a telephone number.
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