Tag Archives: Google AdWords

About 2303 days ago Search Engine Optimization

Does Google Enable Trademark Infringement?

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As small and mid-size businesses jump on the online marketing bandwagon in droves, there’s an issue they need to consider: trademark infringement risk. Most companies know that using a competitor’s trademarked buzzword, buzzphrase, or logo in a traditional advertisement could get a company in legal hot water. But even using a competitor’s trademarked item to generate an online ad during a basic Internet search could land a company in court, legal analysts warn. Smaller companies, which often lack legal teams, need to be especially aware of the risk. To be sure, there’s a lot of evidence that online marketing is a good way for small businesses to grow. A November 2006 survey of 700-plus small businesses by theYankee Group, of Boston, found that those surveyed will spend between 10 percent and 20 percent more on online marketing in 2007 than in 2006. “This is the biggest jump in spending that I’ve seen ever,” says Gary Chen, a Yankee Group analyst. “There is much more awareness that the Internet lets them reach all these consumers that they’d never be able to reach.” What a trademark is A trademark is any word, name, symbol, logo or device that a company has officially registered to distinguish a product or service from its competitors. Trademarks must be registered separately in each country where a company does business. Multiple companies can use the same trademark if they are in different industries and are not direct competitors. In the United States, a trademark that is registered, re-filed after five years, and actively used can last indefinitely. Paid-search ads also carry risks But companies purchasing paid-search ads need to understand the risks of using a competitor’s trademark as a search term to trigger advertising for their own business. Paid search ads are now offered by Google’s AdWords and AdSense, or Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture). Google tells companies seeking keywords for its ads — words that trigger the purchasing company’s ad to appear in the margin — that “you alone are responsible … for making sure that your use of the keywords does not violate … any applicable trademark laws.”  On its site, Google says it will review trademark complaints relating to the content of ads, but “not the keywords used to trigger the ads.” When companies use Google AdWords to develop their keyword list, the AdWords program automatically lists trademarked items as suggested synonyms. For example, a customer keying in the word “computer” to start a keyword list will be offered a long list of terms, including the trademarked buzzphrase “Apple computer” as suggested options. Because a term is suggested, some companies might think it’s okay to use it to trigger their ads. But Terry Ross of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, the international law firm, who specializes in trademark law, says companies should not assume this. “If I were advising a small business owner using Google, I’d tell them that they should not use anything that’s a registered trademark,” Ross says. “It’s that simple.” According to Ross, this means checking every buzzword or buzzphrase a business plans to use against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office electronic trademark database. A history of litigation Google’s success in defending its let-the-user-beware approach to trademark protection has been mixed in the courts. But now its paid-search customers are landing in court, too. In 2004, a U.S. federal court ruled that Google was not at fault in a case against insurance giant GEICO by using trademarks as keywords to trigger advertising. However, the case also concerned Overture/Yahoo! Search Marketing, which reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with GEICO. In 2005, however, a French court ruled that Google must stop using the trademarks of French hotel chain Le Meridien Hotels to trigger competitor’s ads. A case against Google by American Blind & Wallpaper Factory remains in court. Meanwhile, three outstanding U.S. cases concern charges of trademark infringement against companies using Google’s paid-search ads: 1-800-J.R. Cigar Inc. (plaintiff) vs. Goto.com Inc., Edina Realty Inc. (plaintiff) vs. The MLSOnline.com and Buying for the Home LLC (plaintiff) vs. Humble Abode LLC. Ross says using the USPTO’s database to check buzzwords first can help companies avoid the courtroom.  “It’s easy to check,” he says. “You don’t even need to hire a lawyer to do it.”

About 2303 days ago Search Engine Optimization

How to Learn Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fast becoming a must-have body of knowledge for business owners. Nearly 91 percent of all Internet users resort to a search engine to find information, according to a recent survey by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project. The question is: how easily can they find your business? You already could be making costly mistakes, such as a home page that is almost all images and little text, causing your site to have unnecessarily low rankings and little traffic. Or worse, you could be using hidden text and winding up with an every more onerous problem because some search engines ban sites that use tricks to improve rankings. Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or you use an outside SEO firm, the more you know the more effective and successful your business can be online. I’ve assembled the five best categories of resources for business owners to learn about SEO and search marketing. To help with this article, I interviewed Jennifer Laycock, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Guide, a website designed specifically for business owners and entrepreneurs.  Conferences and seminars Attending search engine conferences is the fastest way to learn because it immerses you in the subject. When you are starting out, choose events designed to give well-rounded instruction in basic principles, such as Jill Whalen’s High Rankings seminars. Don’t go to advanced events intended for industry experts until you first learn the basics — trust me, you will just feel frustrated.  However, there is one good reason for a newbie to attend events targeting industry professionals, such as Search Engine Strategies conferences.  That’s to find and interview SEO vendors.  At no other venue will you find so many search professionals in one place at one time.  Books There are a few excellent eBooks — downloadable PDF documents — suitable for beginners.  The best eBooks typically come with a package of extras, such as lifetime updates, private forums, sometimes even money-back guarantees.  Aaron Wall’s SEO Book  is widely acknowledged as one of the best. Laycock’s own Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing is another I would recommend, because it focuses on SEO from the perspective of a business owner who is not a search expert.  Printed books, another possibility, are less expensive ($15 -$30 for printed books versus $75 – $100 for eBooks). The disadvantage is that printed books can get out of date quickly because search constantly changes. Tactics accepted several years ago, such as doorway pages, today may get your site dropped by search engines. If you opt for a printed book, make sure it is reasonably recent. Newsletters and blogs One of the great things about the Web today is that we are lucky to have so many excellent free newsletters and blogs on search.  Among newsletters, Jill Whalen’s High Rankings is notable, because she answers real-life questions from readers.  Among blogs designed for business owners, a particularly helpful one is Small Business SEM.  Carston Cumbrowski also has a helpful page of resources for SEO beginners. Search Engine Land  featuring search guru Danny Sullivan, is a good one to add to your reading list later on as your knowledge builds. It is industry focused, but has the advantage of experts who write on specific topics such as link-building and contextual advertising — not to mention its excellent blogroll of search sites to explore. Discussion forums As you begin to learn some of the basics of SEO, you will have questions.  Head to discussion forums to get answers.  Discussion forums are excellent sounding boards to bounce ideas off of others. Try Webmaster World and Digital Point Forums. When you first approach a new discussion forum, read and observe for a while before jumping in to participate.  Every forum has a “personality” all its own — make sure you feel comfortable.  Observing also helps you learn which participants’ advice to trust. Some participants are more knowledgeable than others. Interactive tools No article on search for newbies would be complete without mentioning some of the excellent free or low-cost tools available.  I have learned a great deal simply through using tools such as: WordTracker keyword tool — Using relevant keywords in your site content and when purchasing search ads can make all the difference in attracting visitors who actually buy. You may already know the obvious keywords, but WordTracker helps you broaden your choices to identify non-obvious terms. A free trial or a single day’s subscription costs around $8. Analytics programs — These help you understand which parts of your site visitors use most, such as which navigation links they click on most. Armed with that knowledge, you can make changes to your site to emphasize the most important elements to increase sales and newsletter signups. Google Analytics is a robust free analytics tool.  For those who run Google AdWords campaigns and do not like the idea of giving sensitive site data to the same company you purchase ads from, ClickTracks is an alternative.  ClickTracks offers a free version called ClickTracks Appetizer. SEO Moz page strength tool — This interactive tool gives you a quick snapshot of some of the factors search engines consider when determining site rankings.  Don’t take it as the complete word on ranking factors, but do have fun with it.   Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.

About 2303 days ago Web Analytics

How to Learn Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fast becoming a must-have body of knowledge for business owners. Nearly 91 percent of all Internet users resort to a search engine to find information, according to a recent survey by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project. The question is: how easily can they find your business? You already could be making costly mistakes, such as a home page that is almost all images and little text, causing your site to have unnecessarily low rankings and little traffic. Or worse, you could be using hidden text and winding up with an every more onerous problem because some search engines ban sites that use tricks to improve rankings. Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or you use an outside SEO firm, the more you know the more effective and successful your business can be online. I’ve assembled the five best categories of resources for business owners to learn about SEO and search marketing. To help with this article, I interviewed Jennifer Laycock, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Guide, a website designed specifically for business owners and entrepreneurs.  Conferences and seminars Attending search engine conferences is the fastest way to learn because it immerses you in the subject. When you are starting out, choose events designed to give well-rounded instruction in basic principles, such as Jill Whalen’s High Rankings seminars. Don’t go to advanced events intended for industry experts until you first learn the basics — trust me, you will just feel frustrated.  However, there is one good reason for a newbie to attend events targeting industry professionals, such as Search Engine Strategies conferences.  That’s to find and interview SEO vendors.  At no other venue will you find so many search professionals in one place at one time.  Books There are a few excellent eBooks — downloadable PDF documents — suitable for beginners.  The best eBooks typically come with a package of extras, such as lifetime updates, private forums, sometimes even money-back guarantees.  Aaron Wall’s SEO Book  is widely acknowledged as one of the best. Laycock’s own Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing is another I would recommend, because it focuses on SEO from the perspective of a business owner who is not a search expert.  Printed books, another possibility, are less expensive ($15 -$30 for printed books versus $75 – $100 for eBooks). The disadvantage is that printed books can get out of date quickly because search constantly changes. Tactics accepted several years ago, such as doorway pages, today may get your site dropped by search engines. If you opt for a printed book, make sure it is reasonably recent. Newsletters and blogs One of the great things about the Web today is that we are lucky to have so many excellent free newsletters and blogs on search.  Among newsletters, Jill Whalen’s High Rankings is notable, because she answers real-life questions from readers.  Among blogs designed for business owners, a particularly helpful one is Small Business SEM.  Carston Cumbrowski also has a helpful page of resources for SEO beginners. Search Engine Land  featuring search guru Danny Sullivan, is a good one to add to your reading list later on as your knowledge builds. It is industry focused, but has the advantage of experts who write on specific topics such as link-building and contextual advertising — not to mention its excellent blogroll of search sites to explore. Discussion forums As you begin to learn some of the basics of SEO, you will have questions.  Head to discussion forums to get answers.  Discussion forums are excellent sounding boards to bounce ideas off of others. Try Webmaster World and Digital Point Forums. When you first approach a new discussion forum, read and observe for a while before jumping in to participate.  Every forum has a “personality” all its own — make sure you feel comfortable.  Observing also helps you learn which participants’ advice to trust. Some participants are more knowledgeable than others. Interactive tools No article on search for newbies would be complete without mentioning some of the excellent free or low-cost tools available.  I have learned a great deal simply through using tools such as: WordTracker keyword tool — Using relevant keywords in your site content and when purchasing search ads can make all the difference in attracting visitors who actually buy. You may already know the obvious keywords, but WordTracker helps you broaden your choices to identify non-obvious terms. A free trial or a single day’s subscription costs around $8. Analytics programs — These help you understand which parts of your site visitors use most, such as which navigation links they click on most. Armed with that knowledge, you can make changes to your site to emphasize the most important elements to increase sales and newsletter signups. Google Analytics is a robust free analytics tool.  For those who run Google AdWords campaigns and do not like the idea of giving sensitive site data to the same company you purchase ads from, ClickTracks is an alternative.  ClickTracks offers a free version called ClickTracks Appetizer. SEO Moz page strength tool — This interactive tool gives you a quick snapshot of some of the factors search engines consider when determining site rankings.  Don’t take it as the complete word on ranking factors, but do have fun with it.   Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.

About 2334 days ago Search Engine Optimization

Local Search — How Do I Use it for My Business?

Studies show that the majority of small businesses draw customers from within a 50-mile radius. The good news is that a variety of tools make it easier for your business to be found by people searching for local businesses.  And the tools are getting more precise and more intelligent as the search engine companies invest in local search technology. Here’s a primer on local search. What is local search Local search is a pretty simple concept.  It’s when people search in Google or another search engine using a geographical parameter. For instance, let’s say I want to order a pizza.  I might search for “pizza” plus the name of my local city “Medina” or maybe by city AND state, “Medina, Ohio.” Or I might plug in my zip code in place of the city and state if I want to be especially precise. That’s local search.  You may have done searches this way yourself.  But there’s another way local search occurs:  when the search engines help out.  For instance, some of the search engines can detect from my IP (computer) address where I am located, and will deliver up local search results even if I neglect to plug in the city, state or zip code.  The search engine technology “fills in” the searcher’s location. How can local search for my business If you want your business to get found by those searching for local businesses, there are a number of specific actions you can take to increase your chances of being located. To provide local search insights, I called on Bill Slawski, an expert in local search and President of SEO by the Sea, Inc..  Here are some of the pointers Slawski suggested: 1. Include address information on your website The most common reason businesses do not rank well in local searches is that they fail to include their full address information prominently on their websites. Remember to: Include your address in text, not in an image — search engine spiders read text. Use your full address, including street, city, state/province and zip code.  That way your business shows up for all those search parameters. Spell out the state or province, not just the postal abbreviation, since many people search by full state name (“Ohio” rather than “OH”). Do not bury your address three layers deep. Put it in the footer of your home page. Include city and/or state in your title tags and/or Meta tags in your site’s HTML code. 2. Use “key value pairs” to describe contact information Some search engines recognize something called key value pairs.  In other words, their spiders look for information paired up with a key term.  The word “telephone” is a key and your actual telephone number is a value:  Thus, use a word such as telephone along with a colon and the number.  Example:  “Telephone: 800-000-0000.”  This way, your contact information will be more likely to be found. 3. Include hours, disabled access and more Some specialized local search engines provide more information about a business than simply address.  For instance, they may provide business hours, accessibility for the disabled, and so on.  According to Slawski, one of the search engine patents says its algorithm considers pages with such detailed business information to be more important than other kinds of pages.  Plus, detailed information is a sign of credibility for your business, aside from the search engines.  4. Remember local searchers using mobile phones Residents in your local area are the obvious people searching for local businesses.  But don’t overlook a wider potential audience. Slawski says,  “Remember business travelers, tourists, those visiting relatives in the area, commuters who live elsewhere but work in your area, and relocating newcomers who will soon be moving to the area — they will be looking for you via their mobile phones.“  Local search is becoming tied closely to mobile search.  Those looking on their cell phones may find you if you are listed well in local search engines.  Consider optimizing your site for mobile-phone viewing.  5. Consider mail forwarding for a home business Home-based businesses have a special problem.  They want to be found, yet for security reasons prefer not to publicize their home addresses on the Web.  A mail forwarding service that provides a physical address for mail may be worth it.  Even a post office box address is helpful.  For fax and phone, consider a phone forwarding and fax forwarding service (I use GotVMail) so that the numbers cannot be cross-referenced to your home.  6. If you can’t get a link, at least get a mention Standard search engine optimization advice beats us silly with the idea that we must get links to our websites.  “But for purposes of local search, mentions even without hyperlinks can have value,” says Slawski. If you can get your business mentioned where the mention also includes your address or phone number, the search engines may extract the information and use it to validate that the business is in fact associated with that location.  So, for example, getting mentioned in the local chamber of commerce website or in your local online newspaper, can be helpful for local search purposes.  The more mentions, and the more specific the mentions, the better.   7. Geo-target paid search campaigns So far we have been talking about unpaid search results.  But if you purchase search advertising, such as Google AdWords, be sure to geo-target your ads, so that they are shown only to those in your area. Paid search for a local market is not as expensive as for a global market. 8. Be found even without a website It is possible to be found via local search even though you don’t have a website.  Visit some of the local search engines and local directories to:  (1) make sure your business is listed, and (2) make sure the information is correct.  To do this, look for a link, often near the bottom of the page, saying something like “add/edit your business” or “list your business.” Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.

About 2395 days ago E-Commerce

Making Paid Search Pay Off

In the first half of 2006, companies spent $2.5 billion to reach consumers online, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers and Interactive Advertising Bureau report. But, to paraphrase advertising legend John Wanamaker, how much of that expense really works? Online, it’s sometimes easier to know, especially when it comes to paying for clicks on search results. Google, Yahoo, and other search engines offer advertising programs that highlight your business when customers search for your related product — and you only pay when someone clicks on your company’s ad. “The biggest advantage lies in your ability to manage your costs and spend strategically through only appearing for people who are making search inquires,” says Garrett French, a search specialist at Market Smart Interactive, a Morrisville, N.C. Internet marketing firm. “Every small business should experiment with paid search if they have an existing website that generates leads or sells product.” Here are ways to make it pay off. TIP #1: Consider the short-term and long-term benefits Click-through ads should not only be looked at as a short-term sales opportunity, but as part of the company’s long-term brand awareness strategy. “Search engines act as brand builders as well as shopping tour guides,” says Catherine Seda, author of Search Engine Advertising: Buying Your Way to the Top to Increase Sales. “It’s interesting to note that search engine listings fall behind only print ads as a brand-building tool used by U.S. companies.” TIP #2: Know the different search engines Determine what your needs are and find what services match them best. Google AdWords is the most popular click-through service. Google provides a link to your website and a short text ad every time a potential customer does a relevant search. It has partnerships with America Online, Ask Jeeves, and Earthlink. Yahoo Search Marketing uses a system similar to Google. A key difference is the Content Match program: Yahoo takes traditional click-through ads and places them beside actual articles, not just related searches. Aside from Yahoo news content, Content Match includes articles from MSN, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and National Geographic.. TIP #3: Find out which search terms consumers use Text-based click-through ads are like classifieds: the more words, the more it costs. Choosing the right words to “trigger” your ad are essential. “Any companies new to paid search should spend time doing keyword research to determine appropriate terms for bidding on,” French says. He recommends using search engine software to find out what words customers usually use to find your site. Google, Yahoo, and other search engines can show how viewers reach you. Basic Web counter software can also give search information. TIP #4: It costs whether they buy or not Search engines charge based on how many people click through the ad — not how many people are actually buying product. Experts recommend evaluating the cost of Internet ads without assuming every ad participant will buy. Also, be wary of “click fraud,” a growing category of crime in which competitors or organized rings of thieves click on your ad to drive up your costs.

About 2426 days ago Search Engine Optimization

Should You Pay for Clicks?

In September, the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers released a startling figure. The groups said the first six months of 2006 brought $7.9 billion in Internet advertising revenues. This number, according to the trade website Internet Ad Sales, is the highest ever recorded. It is almost 40 percent more revenue than the same period in 2005. Where is all that ad money going? Roughly one-third of the sales were related to click-through ads. Beyond the traditional flashing banner ads, click-through advertisements also include recommended products by search engines such as Google and Yahoo! Relevant ads are shown side-by-side next to searches. For instance, someone searching for “gym shoes” may get a highlighted link for a company selling the latest Nikes. The revenue seems to be increasing, but would these click-through campaigns be effective for your business? Here are some points to consider before making the jump: How much it costs Unlike traditional advertisements, click-through campaigns are paid for, after the fact, by the number of clicks, not by a flat fee. In other words, if Google AdWords charges you $.10 per click and your business ad receives 10,000 clicks per month, your company owes $1,000 at the end of the month, regardless of whether you sold something or not. The cost for clicks rises as the term becomes more popular. “By 2005, the average cost of popular keywords had risen to $1.75 a click, with some hot industries even higher,” says Joanna Krotz, co-author of the Microsoft Small Business Kit on Microsoft’s website. She says that the charges are $5.39 per click for mortgage/refinancing services and $1.85 for telecommunications/broadband. While some clicks might turn into valuable customers, when click fraud enters the picture those illegal clicks can end up hurting your bottom line. Krotz recommends checking for frequent IP addresses, reporting suspicious behavior to the search engine company and, perhaps most importantly, not putting your ad revenue all in one basket. How it impacts customers Catherine Seda, author of the book Search Engine Advertising: Buying Your Way to the Top to Increase Sales, says that the goal should be long-term brand recognition at an affordable rate. “Increasing your clicks is a good sign, but businesses need to track down how many customers actually come from paying for placement on search engines,” Seda says. “The next question, then, is how much are you spending to attract each new paying customer? Measuring return on investment is nothing new, but it’s something small to medium size businesses often forget when blinded by the light of pay-per-click advertising.” Be wary of click fraud What spam is to e-mail, click fraud is to click-through advertising, though the latter can be a much costlier nuisance. Click fraud isn’t caused by the average Web user who clicks on an ad without intending to purchase. Click fraud is a more organized and orchestrated. Some companies target competitors that use click-through advertising, particularly if the competitor has to pay money each time a Web user clicks on their ad. Either manually or by using “robot” software, the company perpetrating the fraud clicks on the competitors’ ads, running up their advertising tab. Often the pay-per-click contracts have a budget cap and, once the advertiser reaches that cap, the ad will no longer run online. The goal is often to get Internet traffic away from the company that advertises so that Web users buy at other sites. Outsell Inc., a market research firm in Burlingame, Calif., estimates that click fraud is a $1.3 billion annual problem for publishers, advertisers and some of the big search sites, like Google and Yahoo!

About 2456 days ago Search Engine Optimization

Top Tips for Boosting Your Search Engine Ranking

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Who doesn’t want to be listed first in a search engine list of results? Such prominence usually leads to increased sales and higher visibility in your industry. So how do you get there? It’s not easy. It requires some savvy on the methodology of search rankings. These tips and tricks should help to make your website stand out from the other 50 billion Web pages crowding the Internet: Let them know you’re there “Your first move should be to register your site on DMOZ.org, the Internet directory that search engines use to add new listings to their databases,” says Sandra Jimenez, a partner in Santa Monica, Calif.-based Westside Websites, a Web development firm. Essentially, if DMOZ.org doesn’t know you’re out there, it’s likely the search engines won’t, either — unless you contact each one and register individually. Registering on DMOZ.org is free. Make keywords count “Purchasing the right keyword ad buy through Google Adwords (and Yahoo) will immediately expose your site to your target audience and help improve your ranking,” says Jimenez. “In addition to exposure on Google itself, your founded will also appear on the websites that are carrying Google ads.” That said, be sure to choose your keywords wisely — and use them liberally. Say you’re a mechanic named Rudy who wants to advertise online. Instead of giving your homepage the generic title “Rudy’s Repairs,” use the more specific “Rudy’s Automotive Repairs. ” The keyword “automotive” will likely boost your chances of being listed correctly and prominently on a search results page when users type in “automotive repairs,” sans Rudy, for example. Keyword density is also important. Search engines look for a repetition of keywords on a single page or across your site when matching a page to a search request. Therefore, it is important to repeat your keywords frequently in your site’s visible content (articles or product tags) and source code, including in image descriptions (ALT tags), meta tags, and comment tags. Go directly to Google While DMOZ.org allows the search engines to know about you, they’ll have more information when you go direct. Every search engine includes a link that will allow you to add your site’s URL and keywords to their index. If you have a multi-page site, add the URL of each page, along with the keywords it contains. Update constantly Adding new content to your website on a regular basis will cause search engines to resubmit the site or page to their databases. This frequent re-indexing means that your content will be listed in the search results more quickly and prominently, because frequent changes are an indication that a URL is not a stale or dead link. “One easy way to add content is through a blog or news section. And submitting an RSS feed to a search engine is a sure-fire way to increase ranking attention,” Jimenez says. Get linked Since Google and other major search engines give priority to pages that are heavily linked to by other sites, it’s important, and worth the effort, to try to get your URL onto as many other major websites as possible. Links containing your specific keywords — “Rudy’s Automotive Repairs” — will rank higher than links that merely say “click here.” Pay up Search engines offer paid advertising that will get your link on more pages, resulting in a higher ranking. The most common method is through pay-per-click ads listed above and to the right of unpaid listings. Companies are charged a fixed amount whenever a user clicks on the ad. Prices vary according to search engine and keyword popularity, but as a rule, the more you spend, the more prominently your site will appear.

About 2579 days ago E-Commerce

Squelch the Summertime E-tailing Blues

Summertime is fast approaching. Many e-tailers embrace this time of year with excitement, while others are plagued with fear. Why? The difference lies in that some e-tailers sell products that are ripe for the summer months–think a swimsuit apparel e-tailer–while others who sell ski equipment may be bracing for a few slow months. It’s always been my experience–unbiased, of course as a marketer–that e-tailers should be spending on marketing when times are good as well as when they are bad. Spending on marketing when times are good usually ensures you of taking a larger slice of the pie, while spending when times are bad ensures you a better chance of overall business survival and recovery. So if the summer doldrums stand to affect your business, you should be looking at stepping up your search marketing efforts. Search marketing works–and works well–because it puts the customer in the driver’s seat. Web shoppers are searching for specific products and services–your products and services–using major search engines. Helping them find you when they’re ready to commit or spend can close sales for your business. That’s where search marketing comes in. Though natural or organic search–whereby a website’s owner optimizes its content with relevant keywords–is a must for any e-tailer, there is no guarantee on placement. That means your website could be shoved down to page three of the results. Today, pay-per-click search is a growing option and has become a must-have in driving traffic to e-tail websites. Pay-per-click search works on a keyword-based, bidding process. Essentially, e-tailers create a small text ad, select a geo-territory (local, regional, nationwide), upload a bunch of keywords that describe their products or services, and then individually bid against competitors for the “top positions.” Google and Yahoo! account for a very high percentage of searches, making Google AdWords and Yahoo! / Overture’s services a must in your arsenal. However, Ask.com, MSN.com, 7Search, ABC Search, and Search Feed are others that account for a very high percentage of the pay-per-click market. As an e-tailer, you’ve made a commitment to sell online–period. The only way to ensure that the commitment will pay off is to ensure you’re reaching the highest percentage of people searching for your types of products and services. Exposure to potential buyers is the only way you can be fully in the game. The bottom line is that you can’t rely on one method only. Business owners need to constantly test their search marketing efforts. While you may be enjoying Google AdWords, it’s logical that a test budget for Yahoo!, MSN, or Ask.com is in order But just like you’ve done in the past with other marketing initiatives, you must be diligent in ensuring that you know what’s working, and the only way to do this is to track and measure to the best of your company’s abilities. Be sure to understand where your traffic is coming from and how much of it is converting to sales, because at the end of the day your efforts need to impact your revenue. If they’re not, it’s time to re-examine your search initiatives.