Search Marketing InsiderPay Per Click, Social Media and SEO Strategies – An Internet Marketing Institute Publication

By Heather Lutze, Founder Findability Group

As the recession continues, companies are scrambling for new and creative ways to continue marketing while keeping costs down.  That is why, as an Internet marketer, it is exciting to be able to offer Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising as a cost-effective alternative.

In traditional marketing, a business might put up a billboard on Main Avenue, expecting “x number” of people to see it, of that 5% to be in their target audience, and of that to get “x percentage” in leads.  In PPC advertising, businesses now have the option to only show their “billboard” (ad) to interested members of their target audience. It is a revolutionary new way to target, and can save businesses a large amount of capital, in addition to bringing them much higher-qualified leads.

Of course, in order to take advantage of the targeting potential in PPC, entrepreneurs must get in touch with how their target customer searches online.  More specifically, how their target customer searches online when they are ready to buy.

As the Internet continues to play a larger role in consumer’s lives, understanding the buying cycle online is critical to a successfully targeted PPC campaign. The importance of understanding the buying cycle is realizing that a “customer gathering data” and a “customer ready to buy” type in very different search strings.

For example, a person gathering basic information might search “TV” whereas a person serious about making a purchase would type something such as “Plasma, 32 inch televisions in Denver with free delivery.” In this example, the second consumer is a more qualified (and typically much cheaper) click to pay for. For most businesses, you must make a decision of where in the customer’s search process you believe they are ready to buy. Honestly, determining this ideal point in an internet search is the real art behind Internet marketing and PPC targeting. Fortunately, if you don’t have the budget to hire a PPC firm, there are a few tools available to help you get in touch with your ideal keywords:

Tool #1 : Word Tracker (www.wordtracker.com ) – Owned by a private company, Word Tracker generates keyword suggestions based on search volume. In addition, Word Tracker determines how many competing sites are using those keywords and can help businesses take advantage of untapped market niches.

Pros: Generates keywords suggestions and gives strategic recommendations of easy to penetrate online markets.
Cons: Paid service ($59/month).

Tool #2: Keyword Discovery (www.keyworddiscovery.com) – Operated by Trellian, Keyword Discovery also generates keyword suggestions based on search volume. However, Keyword Discovery also offers spelling mistake research, seasonal search trends and keyword density analysis, to help PPC advertisers to really hone in on creating a campaign which maximizes results.

Pros: Generates a very comprehensive list of keyword suggestions, including spelling and seasonal keywords.
Cons: Paid service ($69.95/month).

Tool #3: Google Wonder Wheel (under “show options” when you do a Google search) – If you are new to keyword research and a bit intimated by getting back lists of data in tools like Word Tracker or Keyword Discovery, the Wonder Wheel is a fantastic starting point. Launched in May of this year, the wheel helps advertisers understand the organization of how users search for their product. In addition, the wheel is much easier to grasp, as it uses an easy to read org-chart interface.

Pros: Free, easy to use and great for beginners.
Cons: Strips out a lot of data in order to maintain usability. The Wheel does not include search volume, competitive analysis, or more than a handful of keyword recommendations per “wheel.”

Tool # 4: SpyFu (www.spyfu.com) – Curious how much you are going to pay for each click you receive? It is important to build your keyword list with your budget in mind.  Fortunately, SpyFu offers free analysis on the bid range for keywords. In addition, SpyFu gives great competitive analysis on how many advertisers are competing for that keyword and the ad text they are using.

Pros: Free and gives a lot of great information in just one page.
Cons: The free version only offers limited information (typically only on keywords up to two words long).

Your ultimate goal is to connect with your target customer online and to make sure your paid ads are findable at the best point in that user’s search. Remember, even your ideal target searcher can’t become a customer unless they find you.

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Heather Lutze is the author of the newly released book, “The Findability Formula: The Simple and Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing” (Wiley and Sons). As a nationally recognized speaker and author, she has spent the last 10 years as CEO of Findability Group – a Search Engine Marketing firm that works with companies to attain maximum Internet exposure. Heather is also a lead speaker for Pay Per Click Summit, and previously spent two years speaking for Yahoo! Search Marketing. For more information, visit www.FindabilityGroup.com