| As we've discussed, targeted traffic is the | | | | |
| lifeblood of any website. | | | | - You have no control over the results - your |
| | | | position is determined by a search engine |
| And while it is definitely worth optimizing | | | | ranking formula (also known as an |
| your website for the search engines, you're | | | | 'algorithm'). |
| likely to come across the following | | | | |
| obstacles: | | | | - You can, however, use legitimate Search |
| | | | engine optimization (SEO) techniques to give |
| 1) It takes time. It will typically take at | | | | yourself a better chance of getting a good |
| least a couple of months before your website | | | | position (refer to search engine |
| starts showing up in the search engines. | | | | optimization). |
| | | | |
| 2) The top positions in any search engine can | | | | Sponsored Results (also know as 'Paid |
| be very competitive. This means when your | | | | Results') |
| site does get listed, you'll usually start | | | | |
| off lower down the list of search results. | | | | The second type of result is Sponsored |
| | | | Results. |
| This is where Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising | | | | |
| can be a real life saver. | | | | The characteristics of sponsored results are: |
| | | | |
| Pay-Per-Click advertising is the fastest way | | | | - Listings are paid for by advertisers. |
| to start driving quality traffic to your | | | | |
| website. | | | | - Listings appear at the top of the page and |
| | | | along the right hand side of the screen. |
| What is Pay-Per-Click Advertising? | | | | |
| | | | - Unlike natural search results, you get to |
| A commonly asked question about the Internet | | | | specify your ad description and the keywords |
| is: | | | | that make your ad appear. |
| | | | |
| 'How do Search Engines make money?' | | | | Differences Between Sponsored and Natural |
| | | | Results |
| The answer is simple - search engines make | | | | |
| their money by selling advertising space to | | | | 1. Fast set-up |
| website owners. | | | | |
| | | | Sponsored results can be set-up immediately, |
| This type of advertising is known as | | | | whereas natural results often take months to |
| 'Pay-Per-Click' and it is a very effective | | | | show a new site listing. |
| and affordable form of promotion. | | | | |
| | | | 2. You have total control over your ads |
| The concept of Pay-Per-Click (also known as | | | | |
| 'pay-per-performance' or 'paid search') is | | | | You control the appearance of your ad, what |
| based around the simple concept of matching | | | | position it appears in and how often it is |
| buyers with sellers. | | | | displayed to web surfers. |
| | | | |
| How does Pay-Per-Click Work? | | | | Once you have your ad up and running, you are |
| | | | free to update it whenever your want. This |
| When someone types in a keyword or keyword | | | | differs from the natural search results where |
| phrase into a search engine, they receive two | | | | you have no control over your listing or its |
| kinds of results; Natural Results and | | | | position. |
| Sponsored Results. | | | | |
| | | | 3. You choose the keywords that your ad will |
| Search engine optimization focuses on | | | | appear for |
| improving your ranking in the natural | | | | |
| results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on | | | | Sponsored results allow you to specify |
| the sponsored results area. | | | | exactly which keywords your ad will appear |
| | | | for. You can also specify which keywords you |
| Natural Results (also know as 'Organic | | | | do not want your ad to appear for. |
| Results') | | | | |
| | | | For example, if you sold Harley Davidson |
| Natural results are free listings which are | | | | motorbikes then you'd want you ad to show up |
| generated from the search engine's database. | | | | for searches related to 'Harleys' or 'Harley |
| They are also sometimes referred to as | | | | Bikes'. |
| 'organic results'. | | | | |
| | | | At the same time, you wouldn't want your ad |
| The characteristics of natural results are: | | | | to show up for other searches that include |
| | | | the word 'bike' like 'mountain bikes' or |
| - Listings are free. Website owners don't pay | | | | 'racing bikes'. |
| to be listed in the natural results. | | | | |
| | | | 4. You determine how much you are willing to |
| - There are often millions of results for | | | | spend |
| each topic, but most web surfers don't go | | | | |
| past the first 30 results. | | | | Pay-Per-Click advertising allows you to |
| | | | specify exactly what you're willing to spend |
| - With popular search terms the competition | | | | on a daily basis. Generally, the higher you |
| can be fiercely aggressive for the top | | | | bid, the higher your ad will appear on the |
| positions. | | | | page. |