During conversations with web business professionals about pay-per-click search engines, "traffic volume" is always a hot topic. Over the last year or so, Google Adwords has emerged as the pay-per-click (PPC) search engine most enamored for driving "traffic volume".
Indeed, with Google Adwords providing paid listings for Google Search, the #1 search engine in the world, as well as American Online (e.g. AOL), Ask Jeeves and MySearch.com, the fourth, fifth, and seventh spots, respectively, for the most popular search engines per a 2004 study by Neilson/NetRatings, it deserves strong recognition.
However, successful web marketers understand that "driving traffic volume" is only a means to an end - the "end" being website conversion.
Website conversion is when a visitor takes action (ideally your most wanted action) on your website after clicking through your ad. It is important because it leads to financial results for your web business and generates a return on your advertising spend (ROAS).
Every web business consists of unique characteristics created by their market demographics, psychographics and product/service benefits. A PPC search engine that generates visitors who convert well for one web business may fail miserably for another. Therefore, when developing your PPC strategy consider the search engines' "usage demographics."
Usage demographics are the profiles of Internet users who prefer one search engine over others based on their perceived functionality, content, and search result placement and relevance. By understanding usage demographics for the search engines Google Adwords and Overture supply paid listings to, a web marketer can develop a relevant message and target an ad placement that most effectively connects and converts their most qualified buyers.
Although Google Adwords and Overture's partner networks consist of thousands of content and search-based websites, the highest percentage of their traffic originates from the five most popular search engines. Among these, Google Adwords supplies paid listings (i.e. Sponsored Results or Listings) to Google Search, Ask Jeeves and American Online (AOL) while Overture supplies Yahoo! and MSN.
Below are the primary search engine usage demographics to consider when developing your PPC strategy:
A. Gender: Male versus Female
A May 2004 study by Hitwise showed that "55% of women prefer MSN Search while a majority of men favor Google Search". Yahoo! Search was split even on gender with a greater focus on people 18-34 in age.
A 2004 MarketingSherpa study indicated that MSN's user profile consisted of time-limited, married females who searched less frequently yet performed greater e-commerce searches. While Google Search was favored by professional males who performed greater news, media, entertainment and education searches with a lesser intent to purchase.
For AOL and Ask Jeeves, AOL is favored by women with less buying intent than MSN Search while Ask Jeeves is preferred by children.
Furthermore, an April 2004 iProspect study uncovered that, "women found paid ads to be more relevant than men did when searching across Google, Yahoo!, MSN and AOL."
These statistics are startling when considering their influence on your PPC strategy since women represent roughly 75% of major household purchases and as stated in a Women.com study, control 80% of all purchasing decisions.
B. Relevancy: Paid versus Organic Listings
Another usage demographic to consider for your PPC strategy is "perceived relevancy" of paid versus organic listings. Ads perceived as having greater relevancy lead to higher website conversions.
The iProspect study referenced earlier also discovered that "Internet users are more likely to click on an organic search link on Google, and a paid search result on MSN." Organic listings on Yahoo! were considered 61% more relevant than paid listings while AOL was split 50/50.
C. Age: Young versus Adult versus Seniors
A third usage demographic to review is age. Preferences among the top five search engines are fairly mixed among age groups; Yahoo! is a strong favorite with 18-34 year olds; while MSN and AOL have a stronger preference among the 35-55+ age group. As stated earlier, AskJeeves is favored by teens and adolescents which is growing in their buying power within American households as stated in a recent BusinessWeek research study.
So what does this all mean for your PPC strategy?
First, it is highly recommended to run Google Adwords and Overture campaigns concurrently using keyword-level tracking systems to determine which PPC search engine generates the most cost effective and best converting visitors. Usage data generated from your website is the best market research.
Second, consider your writing style. By understanding the common characteristics of your customers and writing PPC ads best suited to the search engine's usage demographics, you will increase your probability of connecting with your audience and improving your website conversion. Also make special note that women have a stronger propensity to buy AND a higher "perceived relevance" for paid listings on MSN Search.
Third, although Google Adwords accesses a larger traffic pool, Overture's partner network, mainly MSN Search, has the highest perceived relevancy for paid listings and the highest propensity for purchasing. Although counter-intuitive to current conventional thinking, Overture may deliver better "converting visitors" than Google Adwords.
In closing, a greater focus on the search engines' usage demographics when writing your PPC ads, targeting PPC channels and developing corresponding landing pages will enable your marketing strategy to ultimately achieve stronger financial results for your web business.
Kevin Gold is a writer, speaker and co-founder of Enhanced Concepts, Inc. Enhanced Concepts specializes in turning website visitors into leads or sales through web conversion strategies and ROI-driven search engine marketing. If you want to increase your leads or sales and get, a free copy of "Understanding Your Conversion Rate" and "12 Surefire Ways to Increase Your Website Conversion" visit http://www.enhancedconcepts.com.
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carYou may already have heard of this method to get... Read More
Pay-per-click search engine advertising has generated ample interest in the... Read More
Google Adwords is a great tool! Careful use can lead... Read More
One of the common issues that marketers face when using... Read More
So how do people find my website? This is by... Read More
An analysis of web's most popular 20,000 keywords by TopPayingKeywords.com,... Read More
Despite what you may hear, the Google AdSense program is... Read More
Google announced in January 2005 significant changes in their popular... Read More
If you know anything at all about Internet marketing, then... Read More
You may not realize it, but in the next few... Read More
Numerous bloggers these days are looking to earn extra cash... Read More
What are pay per click engines?Pay per click engines as... Read More
If you want to make money online with a work... Read More
Google's AdSense program is a proven money-maker that has enriched... Read More
You have a web site ready for action. Your product... Read More
Many people decide to spend a lot of money putting... Read More
Cost per click or pay per click is a common... Read More
Lots of people say to make your ads blend in.... Read More
That's right! Many webmasters are getting suckered into joining adsense... Read More
If you haven't yet got a Google AdSense account for... Read More
Do you want to get paid for posting ads on... Read More
There's tons of money to be made from the Google... Read More
If you have multiple sites or multiple directories in your... Read More
When Google introduced their new Adsense revenue sharing program, people... Read More
Introduction:Of all the important decisions that go into a successful... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..It seems at the moment that everybody is telling you... Read More
Dinner With Mark JoynerAbout 3 Years ago in Los Angeles... Read More
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to... Read More
Google stands to lose millions if fraud continues. It is... Read More
We constantly receive phone calls from clients, prospective clients and... Read More
Wouldn't it be great if every keyword in Google's entire... Read More
The pay per click (PPC) search engines have created a... Read More
Google Inc. is suing a Houston-based company for allegedly clicking... Read More
The Mechanism First a brief glossary of terms: Adwords: The... Read More
That's right! Many webmasters are getting suckered into joining adsense... Read More
At first glance, Pay Per Click advertising seems to be... Read More
It may seem to be a very expensive way of... Read More
Some folks may think that self-publishing began with the invention... Read More
A lot of affiliates are selling other people's products with... Read More
1: The ideal Google AdSense page should have great content... Read More
Cost per click or pay per click is a common... Read More
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a good supplement to natural search... Read More
If you have visited any of the affiliate-related websites or... Read More
According to Andy Jones, a member of the Best Practices... Read More
If you have multiple sites or multiple directories in your... Read More
Looking back in time, I could still remember standing in... Read More
Who Else Wants To Maximize Their Google Adwords... Read More
Are pay-per-click ads the best method of getting customers to... Read More
These are simply advertisements related, in theory and often practice,... Read More
There's tons of money to be made from the Google... Read More
Pay-Per-Click Advertising |