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Three Tips for Optimizing Paid Search Campaigns
In addition to search engine optimization, there exists the pay-per-click / paid search / paid inclusion branch of search engine marketing. We’ve all dipped our feet into search advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing or Microsoft adCenter (or even more vertical-specific networks).
Certain keywords can get quite costly, so here are some tips for optimizing paid search campaigns and getting the most bang for our budget bucks. These tips all center around efficiently allocating our funds.
1. Choice of Network
AdWords campaigns can be specifically targeted to the search network (i.e., in the SERPs), and/or the content network (i.e., in AdSense). Similarly, Yahoo Search Marketing campaigns can be directed to their search network and/or their content network (Yahoo Publisher Network). The search network is generally where you’ll get better conversions and ROI, so bid up if you’re exclusively advertising there.
If you’re still advertising in the content network, then be sure to exclude poor sites from it using site exclusion options.
Tags: adCenter, AdWords, pay-per-click, search traffic, SEM, Yahoo Search MarketingMicrosoft adCenter Wins Wall Street Journal Deal
The Wall Street Journal Digital Network (WSJDN) has delegated Microsoft adCenter with the responsibility of delivering advertisements to its network. This partnership is beneficial to Microsoft in many ways and sheds some light as to where adCenter could be headed in the years to come.
The WSJDN comprises of some notable Internet properties including Barrons.com, MarketWatch.com, and of course the Wall Street Journal homepage WSJ.com. They draw in over 20 million unique visitors each month with over 330 million pageviews, but it’s really the demographic of these visitors that’s the goldmine.
Tags: adCenter, MicrosoftMore adCenter Tools for Search Marketers
Microsoft has presented search marketers and advertisers with an early Christmas present this year, with plans for a more extensive array of tools in adCenter. Some advertisers have been critical of Microsoft’s search engine Live.com, as it only commands about 7.4% of search traffic in the United States, placing it well behind Google and Yahoo, and only a few percentage points above Ask.com.
Despite lower search volumes, adCenter is continuing to delight the marketing folks with its innovative and practical tools. Among the newest additions is the ability to geotarget ads and better direct messages to local markets. Through the dayparting feature, advertisers can choose to have their ads displayed between certain time slots. These bells and whistles are further complemented by the demographic targeting of a searcher’s age and gender.
Tags: adCenter, Microsoft, pay-per-click, SEM, tools