ppc – Page 8

Making SEO Work for You

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Double Trouble

When your sink is leaking, would you call in two different plumbers to fix the leak at the same time? Would you have two different dentists fill one cavity? Having two pros in to do the same job, at the same time, just doesn’t make much sense.
Of course, these are rather ridiculous examples, and you certainly wouldn’t follow through with either of these scenarios. However, many small companies do work with two separate SEO companies at the same time, hiring both to market the same business… The perception is that this commonplace tactic will help the company get ahead: Two is better than one, right? The truth is that working with two different SEO companies at the same time can be quite damaging. That’s because instead of helping each other out, the two companies are struggling for control of the SEO campaign, and your business ends up caught in between their tug-of-war. The end result is more often a penalty from Google or Bing for activity that looks like spam than it is successful SEO for your company.

The Tortoise Is Better Than the Hare

The reality is that slow and steady wins the race. If you choose to use SEO for your web marketing campaign, the smartest choice is to carefully select a single company to work with. Let them focus on optimization for three to six months, and THEN consider whether you’d like to try a different company.
During that first three to six months, do be involved in and aware of what’s going on with your SEO campaign, but don’t be obstructive or intrusive. SEO doesn’t happen overnight! Contrary to what your high-speed connection might have you believing, the Internet is actually a very slow entity. It reacts and adapts very slowly due to its sheer size and immensity. Google and Bing have to constantly sort through and analyze billions of pages of information to do their jobs effectively, so they may only get to your site every other month or so. Essentially, this means a change on your site that’s implemented today might not be seen for 30 or 60 days.
Because the Internet reacts slowly, SEO can also be a slow process. In order to do it right, small business owners need to realize that Google owns the ball, the bat, the gloves, and the ballpark: if the Internet is like a baseball league, you’ll have to play by Google’s rules if you ever want to see a good ranking for your site.

So, That Means I’m Stuck, Right?

Just because you need to give SEO time to work doesn’t mean you’re stuck with whatever company you choose from the get-go! If they’ve provided zero return on your investment over a six- to nine-month period, and you’ve provided all of the information and resources requested, it’s time to start looking for a replacement. After that much time, a lack of results means you may want to switch to a second SEO company.

Okay, What Should My Business Do?

If you want more than your current SEO campaign is providing, there are still a number of options that don’t include sabotaging yourself by bringing a competing SEO company on board. While you’re waiting those three to six months for your SEO program to develop more fully, you can also promote your business online by:

Using a pay-per-click campaign. PPC can be implemented on your own or with the help of a professional.
Hiring a lead generation program that works differently from an SEO provider. This might include companies similar to Service Magic or Yodle (this is not an endorsement). Each of these drives leads to your company in a way that may complement, not compete with, your SEO campaign.
Expanding your Facebook page and Twitter profile. Putting time and resources into these pages can help your Internet exposure. This type of work can be handled either by a professional or by business owners themselves.
Posting ads on Craigslist. This service is free and will take you just a few minutes.
Exploring the possibility of a radio ad that would promote your business name or website. This can set the stage for more web traffic and be a complement to the SEO work.
Putting a sign on your fleet truck(s) or other vehicles. Not having signs means you’re missing out on an important branding opportunity.

Giving your SEO campaign time to develop fully doesn’t mean you have to sit by the sidelines for months. However, trying the aforementioned options will almost always end better than trying to stack the deck by working with two different SEO companies at the same time–which nearly always backfires!
Have questions? The PG team would love to help. Feel free to contact our customer service professionals for more information.

The Mysteries of Online Advertising Explained

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

PPC or SEO: Which Is Best?

When it comes to advertising online, most small businesses realize they need to have a strong Internet presence. But with all of the different options—and acronyms—out there, it can be hard to determine which tactics will work best for your specific needs. Let us help clear up some of that alphabet soup confusion for you…

PPC = Pay Per Click

Unsurprisingly, this type of Internet advertising involves paid ads. These small ads appear on the top and/or side of the search engine results pages and contain a link to your website. That way, people can see the ad and then visit your site simply by clicking on the ad. Although a variety of factors can affect which place (1 through 10) your ad will occupy on the results page, it boils down to two main issues:

How much are you willing to spend on each click? The more you pay per click, the higher your ad can be placed. If one of your competitors wants to pay more, they’re typically going to rank higher than you do.
How closely does the topic of your website match the topic of the search? If, for example, your site is about plumbing services, but the search was for “wedding rings,” your website is not particularly relevant to the search performed. The more relevant your site is to the search, the lower the price per click…That makes relevancy extremely important for PPC campaigns.

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization involves maximizing the relevance of your site content to the searches being performed. The good news is that you don’t have to pay for your placement like you do with PPC: That means all the traffic is FREE. But there is a catch. There are practically infinite factors controlling which sites are chosen for positions 1 through 10 in the middle of the search results page, and their order is all based on how much Google believes that your site is what the searcher is looking for. Because of this inherent complexity, most small business owners find the game of SEO to be even more overwhelming than PPC. It also takes considerable time and resources to optimize your site properly. In fact, simply optimizing your site often isn’t enough.

Nerd Alert! Here’s the Scoop…

SEO has two main parts:

On-page optimization: This involves optimizing the content of your own site. Let’s not get into the gory details, but the basics include properly constructing the structure of the site, its navigational links, and its text.
Off-page optimization: This involves maximizing how your site interacts with other websites.

Here’s where the nerdy part comes in: Google regards links to your site like votes. If person A links to person B’s website, person A must think that person B’s site is of some value. Creating that link functions like a vote, and according to Google more votes equal more value.
That’s the basics, but the reality of the situation is somewhat more complicated. Off-page optimization is all about increasing the number of quality links pointing to your site. The tricky part is that not all links count, and not all links are of the same value. Off-page optimization involves figuring out which links will help boost your website’s results ranking in the best way!

That’s Nice, But Which One Do I Pick?

Choosing between PPC and SEO depends a lot on your goals but also on your budget. Let’s look at it like opening a store in the real world: Do you want to quickly set up a kiosk in the mall to capitalize on holiday shoppers, or do you want a storefront that you can build value in over time?
Like the kiosk, PPC is the clear choice if you’re looking for immediate results. You can set it up, turn it on, and get traffic the next day. There are already shoppers in the mall (and on the web), so you just have to rent some space to get to them. The downside is that the kiosks tend to have high rent because they’re prime real estate. The same is true for PPC. The rates are high, and increasing all the time because more and more companies are using PPC and consequently bidding up the prices.
Opting to construct a storefront is more like SEO. You can leverage a storefront for years to come—you have control over your own space and your business will become more recognized and trusted as the years go by, just like with SEO. Although there are costs involved with building a store (or website) and getting people to visit it (online traffic), the long-term cost is far less than with PPC. It also becomes harder and harder to knock you out of your spot the longer you’re in business.

What This Means for Your Business

In an ideal world, you would have an unlimited budget for online advertising—and if you did, we would recommend that you do both SEO and PPC! This would ensure you get the best of both worlds. As the SEO ramps up, you can cut back on the PPC campaign: That way you get immediate results but also long-term stability.
However, most small businesses are operating on a limited Internet marketing budget. If that’s the case, we generally recommend SEO. That’s because SEO can be looked as more of an investment than an expense. The simple truth is that it is a more cost-effective strategy. Of course, it all depends on your goals, but most of our clients find they’re happy they went with our program over a PPC campaign. That’s generally because the cost is lower and the overall value just can’t be beaten by PPC.

Dip Your Toe in the Water

If you’re ready to try out a little of this SEO thing but don’t want to jump all the way in, Prospect Genius has a great way for you to sample it. Our Ad Blast program can promote your website in all sorts of local places online. We use this strategy for our Lead Generation customers, but we now offer it as a stand-alone service. For a low, one-time fee, we’ll generate a whole pile of links pointing back to your site. We leverage directories, newspapers, classified ads, online magazines, and a bunch of other site types to make your business more visible to people the web.
This program is especially effective if you have a seasonal special or sale that you want to advertise online. Give us a call (800-689-1273) if you’d like to learn more about how SEO, our Ad Blast campaign, and the PG team can help your business!
Prospect Genius has other services that can complement the Ad Blast program as well. For details, visit our website.

All that glitters is not gold-Make sure your advertising company is reputable

Last Updated: October 29, 2010

We all know that when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! But somehow, small business owners sometimes forget to apply this logic to online advertising… The simple truth is that you make certain you’re getting value for your marketing dollars, it pays to ask questions when an online advertising company promises you the moon and the stars!
There are reputable advertising companies out there, but there are also a lot of snake oil salesmen, too. Making certain that you aren’t taken in by an unscrupulous online marketing company is a big deal, because in addition to failing to deliver results, these guys can inflict lasting damage on your company! Save yourself time, money, and frustration by asking a few questions when the deal seems too good to be true…
When a company makes you a promise such as “You’ll be #1 in Google!,” that’s when you need to start digging a little deeper. Depending on whether it’s a PPC (pay per click) or SEO (search engine optimization) campaign, there are some questions you should ask:
If it’s PPC advertising:

What search terms are being used?
Are they broad-match or exact-match terms?
What negative keywords are the advertisers using?
What geographic areas are being targeted?
How much of the money you send to the advertising company goes toward buying clicks, and how much goes toward managing the ad campaign?
Are you allowed access to see just how much money is being spent per click?

Pay Per Click advertising will get you in the “sponsored results” of the search results page, which are usually at the top or side. But while this will technically put you at the very top of a page, it can get rather expensive, fast. That’s because you have to pay for your spot. And to be on top, you have to be willing to pay the most per click. That means if your competitors are each paying $4 per click for a particular search term, you must be willing to pay more than $4 per click for the same term in order to beat them out. Keep in mind that’s per click, not per call. Statistically, it’s exceptional if you get 10% of site visitors to actually call you… Do the math, and that puts your cost per call at an astounding $400+. If you turn 50% of those calls into customers, you have to clear $900 in profit on every job just to break even on the advertising costs!
If it’s SEO advertising:

Who conducts the search, you or the advertising agent?
Since they could be different, whose results count?
Which search engine will be used to determine your ranking? Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, yellowpages.com, etc.?
Which keywords will be used to get the promised top ranking? How specific are they?
What geographic areas are being targeted?
How can the advertising agent ensure that you are going to have top rankings for a 20, 50, 100, 150 mile geographic radius?
Are there any guarantees that you WILL be #1? Can you verify this with the search engine company itself?

Search Engine Optimization will place your company in the maps and organic (below the maps) results. Since time and quality are the basis of your ranking—not the amount of money you spend—someone can’t just spend more money to get their listing on top of yours. While your site may not immediately appear at the top of the search results, once you do make it there, it will become harder and harder to knock you out of your spot!
SEO is the method that Prospect Genius uses, and our results speak for themselves. We’ve helped hundreds of local companies increase their online presence and connect with more prospective customers via the Internet. If you’re ready to learn more about how we can help you, contact one of our online, local advertising agents or visit our website today.

Why Doesn't Prospect Genius Focus on PPC?

Last Updated: March 30, 2008

Many of you have asked us why our program doesn’t emphasize pay-per-click advertising. Since the question is both very good, and very popular, I’d like to take a moment to explain some things that many people are not aware of.

It’s clear that small business owners all over the country are astute and familiar with the latest trend in advertising, but they need a little insider information to help clear up this confusion. As someone who spent more than 3 years working for a venture capital backed company that focused on selling PPC campaign management solutions, I feel it’s my duty to spill the beans on the failings of the model.

Background – How does PPC Work?:

PPC advertising, in short, allows businesses to bid on key words and phrases that people might enter into a search engine. Though the rules are complicated, in its simplest form, the more you bid, the higher your ad places. You are billed by the search engine for every time someone clicks on your ad.

The Benefits of the PPC Model:

The best part of PPC advertising is that you’ll see instant gains in the number of visitors to your site. You can turn it on and off at will, and you can target specific things like competitor names and products.

What’s the Catch?:

The major failing in this model can be traced to one root cause. There is no price break given to resellers. Despite the fact that nearly every other industry on the planet offers resellers a discounted price, Google, Yahoo! and the others simply do not. The PPC service providers have to earn a profit to stay in business, and usually this means higher costs passed on to the advertisers. Since many PPC service providers mark up the cost of the clicks as part of the service, it means you pay more for the clicks they generate than you’d pay if you set it up yourself. For example, the company I mentioned before would add a 50% mark-up on the cost of the clicks generated, so a $1.00 click becomes $1.50, taking a much bigger bite out of your wallet, without adding value.

Making this problem worse still are two remaining factors. Part of the complex raking algorithms includes evaluating the topical relevance of the site that the ad is sending customers to. Most of the providers, including the aforementioned company use single-page landing sites to receive the customers sent from the ad. Since these are only a single page, the relevancy scores are typically lower, so the search engines make you pay more for each click. After all this, you have to battle with the fact that a landing page has lower conversion rates than well-designed websites. So in short, you pay a premium price, on top of a marked-up price, only to get fewer customers.

It is also very important to realize that the goals of the PPC provider are not necessarily the goals of the advertiser. The advertiser is looking for more customers, but the PPC provider doesn’t typically get paid on the volume of customers sent, but rather on the volume of visitors sent. The metrics typically used to measure success of a PPC campaign are things like Click-Through-Rate (CTR) which measures the ratio of impressions (number of times the ad is shown) to clicks (number of times the ad was clicked). That has very little to do with the rate at which those clicks turn into customers, and that’s where the real problem starts to occur because the business owner doesn’t need visitors, they need customers.

So PPC advertising is bad?:

Actually, NO! It can be a very, very valuable tool, if done properly, and in conjunction with other efforts. There is a big difference between using PPC to supplement your online advertising, and making it your only source. The Prospect Genius approach is different in 4 major ways:

Our microsites are highly relevant, so your clicks are cheaper.
We do NOT mark up the clicks.
The PPC campaign is strictly supplemental to the standard offering
We provide ROI tracking

We find great value in using the PPC strategy to target competitor names and brands, and other items that are very difficult to meaningfully work into your microsite, but the real value is in the ability to tell how many customers are coming out of the program because that’s what really matters!

Conclusion:

I am sure by now you’re eyes have glazed over, so I’ll leave you with a final summary. PPC, when done carefully and as part of a greater online advertising campaign is a valuable tool. However, you can lose your shirt if you aren’t careful.

We love your questions, and are here to help. If you want answers to anything that’s even vaguely related to our service, feel free to post to this blog, or email us at info@ and we’ll be happy to help.

Prospect Genius

All that glitters is not gold-Make sure your advertising company is reputable

Why Doesn't Prospect Genius Focus on PPC?

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