Google Adwords Keyword Tool

Google Adwords has updated their Keyword Search Tool which now returns approximate search volume statistics.

The secret of attracting traffic to a website is to carry out sound keyword research. If you build a website that reflects the actual terms that people type into search engines then you will have a massive advantage over your competition. It’s a hackneyed phrase but if you carry out the correct research you can “reverse engineer” your website.

If you sell widgets on line then an obvious keyword for you to use would be “widgets”. However, there will be a multitude of other associated search terms that you will need to know about to either include in your pay per click campaign or to optimise your web pages for. If you enter the seed word “widget” into the Google keyword tool then you will obtain a list of all associated search terms that have been typed into the Google search box.

Google’s new keyword tool will tell you approximate search statistics for the previous calendar month and an overall average.

It is slightly disappointing to have “approximate averages” from Google and not hard data, as there may be some grey areas in the results.There are many other keyword research tools available on the internet so it would be wise to compare the results with another programme before making decisions on which keywords to use in your internet marketing campaign. Keyword tools are usually purchased on an annual subscription basis.

Google’s new keyword tool has the advantage of being free and is suitable for SEO beginners.

Search Marketing or Pay Per Click Advertising: 7 Successful Steps!

Pay per click advertising on the major search engines Google, Yahoo & MSN can drive targeted traffic to businesses websites cost effectively. Before you start pay per click advertising it’s important to learn the basics - so here are 7 steps to bring you pay per click success.

When you carry out a basic search on Google you may have noticed that the top two results on the left hand side are in a beige box that has a headline of "Sponsored Listings". In the right hand column there are also up to eight sponsored listings. These sponsored listings are pay per click adverts. If you click on these adverts then the business providing the advert pays for the cost of the click.

The ranking or order of the adverts is determined by a bidding system. The two top left adverts are ranked one and two and then the adverts that appear on the right are three, four and so on. Ideally you want to be in the top 10, so your advert will be shown on the first page of search results.

Business need to follow these 7 steps:

1.) Key words

Time needs to be spent in researching the actual key words and phrases that potential clients type into a Google, Yahoo or MSN search. If you don’t have a keyword associated with an advert then that advert CANNOT appear.

There is a disadvantage in having a very large selection of unrelated key words as there are “quality scores” in place on search engines that grade your advert and will display your advert in a higher ranking position if you meet their quality standards.

Quality Scores have been introduced to meet the needs of user by stopping irrelevant ads from appearing.

Some of the keywords will be easy to add as they will be logical ones but there are research tools that can tell us what was typed into search engines in the last calendar month. This is invaluable information. Sometimes the phrases and language you use in your business is not the same as your customers. A good example of this is the key phrase "clinical negligence". My research shows that in one month there were 928 searches for this phrase on Yahoo in the UK. However the phrase "medical negligence" was searched for 34,130 times. Which key phrase would you use in your pay per click campaign?

2.) Advert Development

Successful adverts have the keywords repeated in the title of the advert and on the landing page of the website. Searchers want to see a good match between an advert and what they typed in the search box. Multiple adverts pertaining to each of the key service areas of your business are better than one generic advert. For example if you are a solicitor then you need an advert for each key service area such as wills, probate, divorce etc. The description copy which follows the headline is also important in persuading people to click through to your website. It needs to be relevant to what the individual has typed into the search box so if you sell 10 different products you need 10 different adverts with 10 unique product descriptions to maximise sales.

3.) Landing Pages

Many pay per click beginners direct potential clients to the homepage of their website. This is usually a mistake; your visitors need to get to the part of your website that relates to their search. If a searcher is looking for an employment lawyer then they should be taken straight to the employment page - anything less and you risk losing your potential customer at this stage. Take the time to identify the most relevant landing pages.

4.) Call To Action

Once a potential client is on your page you need to give them a call to action such as "request a call back", “buy now” button or “ask a question“. You will reduce your chances of success if your landing page only says in small print "for further details call us on". Make your site interactive!

5.) Campaign Implementation

The next stage involves setting up an account with the appropriate service provider (Google, Yahoo and MSN); going through the bidding process for the key phrases / words you have identified and then initiating the campaign. Part of this will involve setting a budget - initially you may decide on a small amount - you can change this at any time. Google is the most popular search engine in the UK but it is unwise to ignore Yahoo and MSN as they still deliver large amounts of traffic.

6.) Campaign Monitoring

One of the major benefits of this form of marketing is that everything can be measured - number of times your ad gets shown, number of clicks to your website, new clients or sales resulting from enquiry etc. Thorough tracking will enable you to maximise the return on your investment.

7.) Management

If you find the prospect of setting up and managing a pay per click campaign too daunting then seek professional assistance. Apart from the cost of the clicks you can expect to pay a set up and a monthly management fee. Look for a “Google Adwords Professional” in your city or county.

Optimising for Search Engines – 8 Common Mistakes

Search Engine Optimization can give a massive boost to your website’s traffic but make sure you learn the 8 common reasons why SEO campaigns crash and burn.

Search Engine Optimization is a powerful tool that can be used to increase the level of relevant traffic to your website.

Used correctly, optimisation is a fantastic way to boost your business. However there are some pitfalls to watch out for.

Take a look at a few of the reasons why SEO campaigns have failed and make sure you learn from their mistakes.


1. Bad Keywords – Make sure the text on your website is uncomplicated and reflects what your company is about. You need to be sure that people searching for your website will use your terminology, and more importantly, know what it means. Common mistakes include making keywords too specific, using technical jargon which only fellow professionals can understand and generalising terms so they become generic and bring in the wrong type of person.

2. Page format - Good optimisation takes into account the format of your webpage. Make sure your sections are placed in a logical way which draws customers in. It's also important to have enough page content. As a rule of thumb look to write a minimum 200-300 words on each page of your site. Don’t forget that websites are for humans not search engine spiders.

3. Don't forget to build links – Part of a good optimisation campaign includes building links from other websites into yours. In simplistic terms the more people who link to you without you offering a reciprocal link, the better your rating will become. Link building is perhaps the most important aspect of Google optimisation and can help to push you to the top of the page.

4. Work with a reliable internet marketing company – Some SEO consultants will use illegitimate means to boost your website and give the impression that you are receiving more hits. This can be done by using multiple names, owning shadow domains or by guaranteeing rankings with obscure keyword phrases which are not relevant to your business. Make sure the company you use explains how they will be getting more hits on your site. The concepts relating to SEO are fairly simple. If the company you use is being secretive about their methods make sure you find out why.

5. Consult a professional - Unless you are a specialist in SEO you should consider consulting with a reputable company. A professional internet marketing consultant who cares about his or her work and is dedicated to making your site a success can easily save you from the blunders that could cost you time, resources and money.

6. Do some market research - Make sure the words you use are relevant to the business you want to receive. Several proprietary keyword research tools are available. Wordtracker, for example, is an extensive tool that allows you to find popular search terms, the frequency with which they are entered into search engines, as well as the amount of indexed sites that are competing.

7. Monitor and maintain your internet marketing campaign – After successfully optimising your site, check back and make sure your rankings are being maintained. This is also a good method of checking who your competition is. If you don't want to check all your keywords manually there is automatic software available such as Google's web API.

8. Keep up to date – The most effective SEO campaigns are changing all the time. Make you sure you, or your internet marketing specialist, are continually keeping up to date with progressions in the marketplace. This can include staying abreast of blog pages, newsletters, forum postings or case studies.

Yellow Pages Spine Adverts Available By Book

You may have noticed the new adverts on the outside spine of the Yellow Pages directory. These box adverts were previously sold as a national package by highest appropriate bid but will now be available by book.

A 10% discount is available on 2 -3 spines and a 20% discount is available on 3 or more. 2008 costs begin around £2,500 and reach up to £5,500.

Yell.com’s Netreach Opportunity

Netreach provides a comprehensive method of increasing the exposure of your business.

For £150 per year the Netreach feature can be applied to the following Yell.com products.

Priority Adverts with a web link feature

Priority Adverts (with no web link)

Priority Advert Yell.com information pages

Yell.com site builders program

Local sponsored listings

Converting to Netreach will give your information an even greater level of exposure within other networks. Moreover, by staying relevant to your location and context, your message is honed to the right clients and is available at the right time.

Yell.com Pay Per Click Advertising

There is no set price for yell.com keywords. You choose how much you are willing to pay for each click-through. Minimum bid is 20p. The more you pay the higher up the list you will appear, so, the advertiser who bids the most for a keyword will be shown first.

The pay per click listings will appear when a searcher looks UK wide (the default search) or specifies a county. The pay per click listings won’t appear if a searcher specifies a town or city.

You can set a daily budget to ensure you do not overspend and there is no minimum time or spend commitment (other than the initial payment which must exceed £50 - this will be offset against click-throughs to your site).

You need to specify a maximum price you are willing to pay for a click-through to your website. Suggest you start at minimum bid to see how you fare against your competitors.

Yell only charge you when someone clicks through to your site to find further information about your company. You are able to update your advert, keywords and maximum cost per click (bid price) as often as you like.

You can trial yell.com pay per click for 30 days and throw £50 at it to see what happens. You should duplicate the most successful keywords/adverts you have on your Google ppc campaign.

A 10% discount applies if you pre-pay the cost of your clicks through an appointed agency ie they would purchase £50 + VAT worth of clicks but invoice you for £45 + VAT. Strongly suggest you add a tracking 0800 number to the listing. You will be able to monitor click throughs to your website via Google analytics.

Internet Marketing vs Yellow Pages

More and more businesses continue to cut back on their Yellow Pages advertising due to the increasing success of search and paid marketing on the internet.

This trend is reflected in Yellow Pages own market analysis, which shows a downward trend in client retention from 78% to 75% year on year. Interestingly, it is newer customers who are leaving.

If you are reluctant to cut your Yellow Pages advertisements then at a minimum you need to track the response of your ads, so that next year you can weed out the poor performers and begin to invest in the necessity of the internet.

If you can't measure it you can't manage it.