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Part 2 - Outsourcing Search Marketing
By Mike Murray | January 2, 2008
If you have money to spend with Google, Yahoo! and others, paid search may be a viable option for you.
As with search engine optimization, you could go it alone. But should you? Who on your staff has the knowledge to make wise choices with your cash on a daily basis?
Search engines make paid search look so easy. Your ad can be up in minutes - literally. But is it the right ad? Is it the right keyword? Is it the right campaign structure? Is it the right landing page? Is it the right time of day or week? Is it the right geography? Is it the right price?
Your paid search specialist may be a gifted writer but lack the marketing sense to formulate effective campaigns. Or, he or she can be a numbers wizard and help with the analysis all day long. But a knack for words and messages may not be the person’s strength. Similarly, the landing pages may involve visuals a writer or programmer simply can’t handle.
An effective paid search undertaking involves a team. If you have one in place, is it working as it should? Is everyone on board about costs, your brand and conversions? What’s at stake? Who is accountable for failure?
Based on past experience, a seasoned consultant can get it right all around, from competitive keyword research to the logic behind each campaign and appropriate landing page design to conversion tracking.
Time and time again, we encounter businesses that try to approach paid search on their own. Even if they’re somewhat successful, they miss out on revenue because of a limited perspective.
It’s all in timing and technique. Often, they use broad keywords and don’t seem to understand when partial or exaxt matches may work best. Companies seem content with their existing landing pages rather than make the effort to create custom ones for their ads. One of the worst mistakes involves Google’s Content Match option. Marketers feed the meter even though the conversion data just doesn’t measure up.
Paid search takes skill and patience as well as an appreciation for the nuances and tools offered by the search engines themselves.
Who is spending your money? Are you performing as well as you could?
Want to know more about search?Visit our search engine marketing forum.
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Stop by our Internet video marketing forum.
