Search Engine Marketing Blog

Google are currently rolling out the new AdWords Local PlusBox which will now enable the top featured sponsored result in the Google search engine to display even more information.

This information will consist of a map, contact details, address and will even allow people to get directions. The best part is there is no extra charge for this and you will only billed by Google as normal, when someone clicks on your add and arrives at your landing page.

For local businesses looking specifically to target their particular geographical location this could prove very helpful in maximising the online visibility received.

More information can be found here at the Inside AdWords Blog

Why is Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click advertising so important?

• The search engines are the web surfers first point of contact when it comes to finding what they want online and statistics show that over 90% go on to make a purchase / conversion. It would be a grave mistake to miss out on this amount of highly converting targeted traffic.

• If your website isn’t optimised for your specific keywords then you are practically invisible to your online target audience.

• Google, MSN Search, Yahoo! Search and Ask Jeeves between them powered 81% of all search traffic in the UK during September 2006.

• Having an effective and useful website will provide you with a 24 hour online sales representative that will be consistently available to prospective clients. If you produce relevant quality content that effectively sells your products then part of your sales pitch is already done for you and hasn’t taken up any of your time!

• Appearing in the search engine’s natural listings is completely free of charge making search engine optimisation extremely cost effective producing a fantastic ROI.

• An effectively managed Pay Per Click campaign can provide large quantities of pre-qualified leads within hours. The ad can be easily set up within minutes gaining you top placements in the major search engines and instantly bringing in highly converting traffic.

• You are in complete control of the budget and campaign meaning that you can determine your own daily, weekly or monthly budget, keywords and keywords phrases you want to appear for and how long you want to run the ad for.

If you have a business and are serious about getting the maximum exposure possible then you cannot overlook the power of the search engines.

Of course, there’s no absolute answer to this question as many search marketing agencies will charge for their PPC services at different rates.

With Impact Media, we work with our clients typically by charging an initial fee to set up their Google AdWords PPC campaign or to optimise an existing campaign. This varies based upon complexity and/or number of products or services but is flexible enough to accommodate most budgets.

We then work on a monthly retainer basis, the purpose of which is to allow us sufficient time to further optimise the account, develop additional Ad Groups and provide comprehensive reporting. Given that we see what we do as a partnership with our clients, no one is tied into any long term contracts and we only want our clients to stay with us if they feel we are adding value.

Some agencies will also charge a monthly service fee as a percentage of the spend they are managing through the pay per click search engine(s) and you should check the details if that is the case as this could develop into a hefty additional charge.

When shopping around for a company to use for PPC management, make sure you have a good chat with them to understand their approach and also ask for testimonials or case studies. If you find a good one, stick with them! Once you do this, the question will change to “How Much is PPC Management Gaining Me?”

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Impact Media provide AdWords management tailored to fit your needs.

We are pleased to announce we have been appointed as Simply Mirror TV’s professional search marketing partner.

Simply Mirror TV specialise in Mirror TV’s and that’s it, they also offer customised Mirror TV’s in unusual shapes with bespoke frames.

We will be running Simply Mirror TV’s Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign via Google AdWords to ensure it is both cost effective and efficient from the outset, providing the best possible return on investment.

We are very much looking forward to working with Simply Mirror TV on their PPC project.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Internet Advertising Bureau UK, the amount of money invested in online advertising has risen to £1.33 billion for the first six months of this year compared to £917.2 million for the same period in 2006.

The survey goes on to suggest that this figure could reach £2.75 billion by the end of 2007.

Such has been the growth in UK Internet advertising that it now accounts for almost 15% of all UK advertising.

57.1% of the total spent to date has been invested in paid search, or Pay per Click (PPC). With £762.3 million spent, this is a 44% increase compared to 2006.