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Thanks Michelle!\

Bridge is asking:

Are there any programs available where the advertiser can pay for actual results (sales) versus clicks?

I am always very happy to pay for results, but I view a result as a sale, not a click.

Community,

There's still plenty of time left to pose your questions to Michelle. She's here until 5PM EST. So keep them coming!

Thanks,
The SBOC Team

Nice name, Startup.

If you have a new site, it is a good idea to use paid search to give your site's visibility a boost.

a) Can't say precisely what impact it would have directly on your indexing in natural search results. The engines usually have separate systems for these. However, you can be sure your site's traffic and unique visitors are key indicators of relevance. So generating traffic and visitors through paid search is a great way to get your site started off with good data for the algorithms to consider when you are indexed.

b) I have worked with many clients who have seen positive results when appearing in the sponsored listings areas, even if they were not appearing in the Natural results on the page. However, studies have shown, and I have also seen, that it helps the performance of your natural listings to appear in Paid and vice versa. (So it's best to appear in both places.) This is a topic we search geeks are always studying, and finding new ways to explore. So your question is a good one we continue to consider as search matures...

I also suggest you visit Google's Webmaster area on their site - as they have tools for creating site maps and to monitor the frequency with which your site is being indexed.

MC

Hi mominbiz,

It really depends on what you're trying to do. But I will say, if you are trying to sell a product or service, offers generally garner higher Click Thru Rates (CTR%) than general messaging. This is important because CTR% impacts both your CPC price and your rank position. The search engines want to put the most relevant ads at the forefront, and they look at CTR% as one of the metrics they consider when determining which ads are most relevant.

Generally $ Off, % Off and Coupon offers garner strong CTRs. In some industries, price point and unique service offerings can get you just as much response. So if you offer something your competitors do not, test it in your ad copy and see if it pulls.

Suggestion... Take a look at some search queries on the keywords you wish to appear on. Look at what offers your competitors are showing in their Ad Text. What you see there should give you a good sense of what type of messging will help you compete on those terms.

Good luck!

MC

Hi NatOnline,

I encourage you to avoid the urge to throw the baby out with the bathwater... Afterall, 84% of Internet traffic starts with a search.

Take a gander at the earlier post about ensuring the quality of the clicks you are receiving. The best way to avoid fraud is to monitor your program closely and to hold clicks accountable for actions. Frequent reporting is your ally. And make sure you are using Match Type settings properly as well, as that can further refine the quality of your traffic in some instances.

As for setting up an AdWords account one day and cancelling the next day, it is possible that your account registered clicks after midnight. There are many possibilities for why your account would register clicks - hard to tell from here. It would be a great idea to pose this question to Google when they are appearing on this forum next week...

MC

Hi amspcs,

Curious... How strong is your CTR% from keyword to keyword? Are you in High Avg Position? Might want to take a look at how those correlate to your ratings from Google - not just your Max Bids.

Bid is only one element of your Quality Score (Google) or Quality Index (Yahoo). The rating you get from the engines depends heavily on CTR% (which is impacted most by your position and your ad text/offer) and on the number of people who have found your ads helpful (indicted primarily in Clicks - but also can be indicated by the rate at which these people returned to search again, or also clicked on other links on the page, etc.)

The engines don't tell us definitively how Quality Score is computed.

I suggest you review:

• your Ad Text to make sure your listings are as relevant to the keywords in your Ad Groups as can be
• your Ad Groups to make sure your keywords are sufficiently broken out by topic in there
• your Match Types to be sure you are targeting your ads effectively and not wasting any Impressions

One other idea...
Do you notice a topical correlation between which keywords start at Great, which at OK and which at Poor? You might learn something about how Google sees your site, account, and/or keyword lists from that trend.

Hopefully that helps you get more Greats and Oks!

And don't feel bad - greats aren't easy to get... Keep at it...

MC

Hi Caffeinated!

There are indeed multiple ways to buy locally targeted search.

In most of the major search engines, you are able to "geo-target" your search listings so your ads only appear when the keywords of your choosing are searched in the geographic region you define. Geo-targeting can be done by Country, State, DMA, City, and in some cases even by a given radius around a pinpoint latitude/longitude location. In your case, 10 miles around your computer screen...

Just remember, the more you target your ads, the more you reduce the number of searches on which your ads appear. You might also want to consider running on keywords that include the names of towns/neighborhoods in the area you are targeting. Or even keywords that are frequently searched in the area in general, because it is a local "hot topic." That might help you gain additional "reach" - impressions.

As for bang for your buck and not going overboard, well...
It really depends on what type of keywords you want to appear on. Some of the most expensive keywords on the internet are local, but those are usually for lawyer's offices believe it or not. Restaurants are highly competitive in the Boston market, so you can expect to see some other folks bidding against you.

I would suggest you also explore Local Business Ads on Google - and make sure your restaurant is listed in Google Maps - that will help your local search campaigns on these types of keywords in particular. If you participate in any local printed or digital Yellow Pages marketing programs, also be sure to ask them who they partner with online, as many of these folks syndicate their listings to other online local content sites and maps properties. So you may gain exposure that way in search listings as well.

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers,
Michelle

Hi jeffhoyer,

As noted above, many local listing companies syndicate their information, so you should make sure you local listing with then engines are up-to-date, but also update information with local yellow pages and phone companies. Sometimes that information appears in search engine results. And on some engines more than others.

If you are looking to update your Natural listings, take a look at the meta tags on your web pages. Could be you have some old info burried in there to remove.

Good info is what the engines want. What you want. And what customers want. So folks are eager to help get that cleared up...

Cheers,
MC