The Revenge Of The Word-Only Ad

It seems like online search engine ads comprised of mere words are having their revenge over their traditional graphic utilizing counterparts. Recent research shows:

• It is widely reported that PPC ads have experienced a rise in popularity among Internet consumers (10% in the fourth quarter), while the more popular and more graphically appealing display ads have fallen in the ranks (7% drop in the same period). This comes about as a result of contracting in spending.

• Mega-accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCooper also predicts a consistent upward trend for pay per click advertising, increasing by a consistent percentage per month.

• The Wall Street Journal also reports that “in a study by periodical Efficient Frontier , retail marketers increased spending by 9% in the fourth quarter, up from figures in 2007.

• Search engine giant Google itself theorized the increase in search and pay-per-click advertising methods to cope with the recession, as it is one of the most cost-effective avenues.

• Advertisers who spend less than $50,000 on search ads cut spending by 23% year-over-year, while advertisers that spend more than $200,000 on search per month cut spending by 9% in that time. Meanwhile, purchases by advertisers who spend between $50,000 and $200,000 were relatively flat.

With uncertainty over the stimulus one-cure pill, advertisers have to make necessary adjustments. As a result, PPC spots are getting a second look, and keyword research and tracking stands to benefit more from this.

Some advertisers are starting to get the hang of it, but have to contend with old time players, who have already mastered spotting a good keyword combination when they see one.

Keyword research and tracking tools in the meantime, have grown in stature and importance in their role in Internet and SEM. Once part of a sleeper market, it has grown slowly but tremendously as online businesses have grown more aggressive in zeroing in on keywords that would guarantee maximum visibility in popular search engines.

Such sites were launched in the early part of this decade in response to a silent demand for SEO information, an industry that began before the turn of the millenium with the then Goto.com site (the forerunner of today's Yahoo Overture) leading the way. Since then, SEO has become the driving force of Internet marketing. And with the recent shift to PPC and SEM, expect the reliance on keyword research and tracking tools to grow even more.

The Philosophy Behind KeywordSpy's Look: No-Nonsense Keyword Research Above Anything Else

After going over the mailed-in feedback by KeywordSpy’s support engine, we found out that the look of the keyword tool site has drawn a lot of mixed comments from users and observers alike.

From one viewpoint, it could be a minimalist keyword research and tracking tool, free of banner ads, laid out in a monochromatic hue, and its simple text and graphics combination complements their ability to be exported into Text and Excel files.

On the other hand, those who have been accustomed to looking to competing sites may find KeywordSpy a bit plain, somewhat unexciting and just plain number intensive. And yes, looking at our competitors, we can say that is has the least pompous in appearance among our fellow keyword research websites.

Whatever your opinion, the trail that KeywordSpy has led is still something that deserves a long, hard look. We believe bold graphics can always take a backseat to the most comprehensive keyword research and tracking that KeywordSpy offers, covering over 30 countries and information updated daily for tracking and 30 days for keyword research.

Looking at KeywordSpy, you’ll see that when it’s kept to a minimum, the facts get to you straight. Once you do your keyword research, you see the snapshots of your of URLs, which appear very small so as not to be intrusive, yet visible enough to elicit stares.

Then as you get further into the site, you get your ROI per keyword, the clicks they each get per day, the cost per click, and other analytics presented in straightforward, tabular fashion, and with minimalist status bars. There are no fanciful graphics that just take eons and eons to load. You demand topnotch information and the most comprehensive keyword research and tracking in the industry, and that is what KeywordSpy delivers.

So next time you consider using the other keyword research tool just because the colors make it appear that it’s brimming with life, and its pie charts give you effects akin to a 3D feature—think twice, cause it all could just be hyped-up fluff. Take a quick stop at the KeywordSpy’s website and you’ll get the utilitarian features of a dependable keyword research and tracking companion for your SEM, PPC and SEO needs.

SEO Your Money's Worth

It’s always tempting to get on the dotcom bandwagon once in a while. But unlike in the real world, where you’re only up against a selected few… on the Internet front, you’re against volumes upon volumes of competitors. Next thing you know you’re up against a online retailer in West Bengal. And yes, they speak English, and excellent at it too, thank you very much.

The point is, it’s far too risky just getting lost in the commerce activity in the Web, just like a Mardi Gras in Rio. You paid a great amount of money for your web hosting, and to see that all go to waste just because you couldn’t zero in on your market because you failed to invest in keyword research is an awful shame.

Thankfully, you have your friends to turn to. And a dotcom businesses’ best friend—whether it be a bulldog or a chihuahua--is his search engine marketing (SEM) research tool. Primarily, you would rely on him for a good keyword research on your competitors. But then again, it’s also helpful if you’re able to implement tracking on his competitor's performance throughout time, watching your competitor’s every breath.

Another method would be the employing of affiliate clients. Affiliates make your placing in web sites more stated, adding to their SEO value. The more you are promoted, the more exposure your site will get from it. We will look at affiliate marketing in a more in-depth light in posts to come.

To sum it all up : be it old school SEO or costly but mileage generous PPC advertising, if you know the keywords to use in your copy, you get the market share you always hoped for. If you think you can rely on yourself to draw subscribers to your online web hosting joint in laid-back Tuscany, best of luck to you. Point is, if you have the means for it, make it worth your investment.

Creating a Good Keyword or Domain Watch List for SEM and SEO Competitors

One of the special features of the keyword research and tracking tool KeywordSpy is a watch list in one corner of its page. This watch list is made for the competitors you would most like to keep an eye on. Now, not all the time your competitors are at the top of your game. There'll be times that their share will fluctuate and you may not feel the least threatened by them.

But suppose you find yourself in the situation that your competitors aren't what you make them out to be. So you have to redo the search, and clean up the rankings. But if you had the right choices from the start, you wouldn't have to change the rankings ever so often.

So how can you come up with an effective PPC and SEO watch list? One technique is by checking the Time Machine function, also available at KeywordSpy. Over a span of months you will see what web sites would bid on keywords more consistently.

Supposing we have a site that would bid on 400 to 450 keywords from June to August for their PPC campaign, then will fall down to an average of 300 from September to November, then partially back up to 350 from December onwards. There's hardly little fluctuation there, so it seems a good candidate for the research watch list.

But then we come across a competing website that bids on an average of 600 keywords from June to September, then fall drastically down to 150 come September to October. Then the number will rise up to 200 for the last two months. Is this still a likely candidate for the watch list? The answer is, it depends on what parameter you would like to follow. If you count on the total average for the year (and yes, it is still quite a big one all in all) , it is still viable and you would think that numbers would be up for the year.

Another thing to consider would be the seasonality of the product you're promoting. Flowers would always be in demand come Valentines or Memorial Day (US), so expect numbers of it to be up on those said dates. Whilst we see a steady decline in certain models of cellphones (most probably no one will be looking for a Motorola KRazr or a Nokia N96 model real soon), so it may be better to put off keyword bidding and PPC and SEO campaigns focusing on such models and always be on the lookout for more modern paraphernalia.

Remember, your research watch list will be the key to your hold on your prospective PPC and SEO market, and is there to serve as a handy, quick reminder of what you will be up against in the tight keyword research and tracking race. Make informed choices for the list so that you keep your game on.

PPC or SEO: Which will click?

When doing marketing and advertising blasts for web sites, terms that pop up while executing the campaigns are the PPC and SEO facets. While the more traditional SEO is still a force to be reckoned with in a site's place for prominence in search engines, PPC is employed now by companies wanting to get ahead in the race for Web prominence, and incorporating a large chunk of their budget for prime spots on the Web's prized search engines and keyword research and tracking tools.

PPC, the most common SEM form, would give you an advantageous position with mileage, as searches for your product would pop up in the top tiers of search engines when a keyword of yours is searched. Add to that exposure via links on websites and blogs, where among the topics discussed may comprise a keyword you are bidding on. A sure shot deal? Yes, but if you've enough cash for it, and if your campaign does not limit itself to just one or two paid search engines.

Such could be a mistake when companies wanting to go into PPC, but whose content extending merely to just only Google, or only Yahoo for their search engine of choice. That's because the Web is just more than a one search engine site. Competitors relying on organic means would still see their visibility stretch farther, as it is on a good SEO campaign. If that happens, a one-sided PPC campaign may just be a feeble attempt; and may not shake up the market, as was the PPC advertiser's original intention.

Traditional SEO writing is not constrained by costs, but still carries with a magic touch for any website if executed efficiently. With the aid of polished graphics and strategically embedded meta tags which let out a combined scream of, "You'll never go wrong with our site!", the case for SEO implementation in dotcom businesses rings truer than ever. Notably for new web entrepreneurs who'd want a chunk of the online action--and profit.

Moreover, the chance for websites to increase their traffic and visibility through white hat means would bring a favorable light to them. Add to that the social media optimization (SMO) factor, as can be seen through forums where consumers offer their thoughts about the websites, among others. As noted Internet marketing expert Dr. Randall Hansen observes:

"...while buying keywords may be a good way to build or sustain traffic, most experts have much more respect for sites that build their traffic (visitors) organically ..."

So, while PPC gets you definite mileage, SEO provides you with inexpensive means of promoting your sight by strategically yet tastefully embedding your keywords, with the aid of material derived from extensive research. Master these tools of the trade, and a venture into Internet marketing--SEM, more so--will rake in the revenues you so aspire for.

Now, once sure of marketing strategy, be it PPC or SEO: the next question is: what tool can I use? One need not look further from where you're reading. KeywordSpy, as an keyword research tool has emphasis on both PPC and SEO keywords, allocating each a sizable portion in its interface once you begin that all too crucial first search for a keyword or a domain. Such is the case also with domains competing for a keyword: you get to see the top half of competitors paying for the keyword, while with the other half with the ones organically incorporating them. (Not to mention a nifty mini-screenshot of the landing URLs; a feature which has won Keywordspy favorable ratings among its users.) The site operates on the principle which realizes that neither one type of keyword quite dominates the other (PPC has still yet to pull away completely from SEO), giving the most comprehensive and worldwide-encompassing list at this point.