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| The 2 main options are outlined below. There are relative advantages to each, and in our experience a combination of both is normally the most effective. |
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| We often recommend Pay per Click (PPC) advertising initially, as this is a faster and more guaranteed route to page 1 search engine ranking positions, which means results can be generated very quickly which is both psychologically important having invested in a new site, but also helps to achieve a return on your investment as soon as possible. |
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| Also, having studied the detailed PPC statistics that you receive, this analysis will reveal which keywords are proving to be the most effective for your website. For example, you can track which keywords generated the most on-line sales, or enquiry form submissions. Armed with this information you can then make informed decisions about which keywords to focus your attention on for search engine optimisation (SEO) work. |
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| (1) Pay per Click (PPC) Advertising |
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In summary, you pay for your company name & advert to appear when users search for specific keywords/terms relevant to your products/services. You only incur a cost when a user visits your site.
Pay per click (PPC) advertising is a fast, proven and effective route to achieving high ranking positions in the search engines for your chosen keywords and therefore forms an important part of your web promotion strategy.
The two main providers are; |
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Google Adwords - for top rankings in search engines such as Google, AOL, Ask Jeeves, Tiscali, Virgin, NTL |
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| (b) |
Yahoo! Search Marketing (formely known as Overture) - for top rankings in search engines such as MSN, Yahoo, Altavista, Lycos, Wanadoo |
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| Well researched keyword selection and a careful return on investment (ROI) analysis are critical to achieve the optimum results. |
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| Key advantages include; |
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Budgets limits are set giving you full control over your expenditure |
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Very quick setup - can be on page 1 of Google within same day, and other search engines like MSN, Yahoo within on average 3 working days |
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Custom setup - you can select exactly which keywords your site ads appear for, and many other factors including if UK only, specific countries, or worldwide |
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Easy to make changes to keywords, ad copy, website landing pages etc |
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Highly flexible - you can turn your marketing spend on/off like a tap |
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Great for specific promotions, time/event related marketing |
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Measurable - detailed performance statistics make this one of, if not the, most measurable & accountable forms of marketing |
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Features conversion tracking - measure which keywords are generating the most on-line sales, or quote requests/enquiry form submissions |
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Degree of measurability ensures most effective use of your marketing budget |
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Your ranking positions unaffected by big changes in the Search Engines methods & formula for ranking sites |
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| In terms of managing your PPC advertising, we normally take control initially, conducting the keyword research & analysis, arranging account setup, campaign design & implementation. |
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| We will test/pilot, track results and monitor your performance, implementing changes as required. |
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| Some clients prefer that we continually manage their PPC web promotion campaigns, whilst with others after often a couple of months or so, we hand this over to them, with the necessary advice & support as required. |
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| (2) Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) |
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This is the name given to a range of advanced techniques for improving the ranking of your website.
To give just one example, what is known as 'Link Popularity' is another important aspect to web promotion. Basically, the number, and more importantly the quality (e.g. their relevancy and popularity), of other sites linking to your website, can also impact your ranking position. |
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| The results of SEO can be effectively measured as with PPC advertising. |
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| SEO in the medium to long term can prove more cost effective than PPC advertising. Also, it is feasible (although there is no cast iron guarantee) that following an up front investment in SEO your site could achieve a page 1 ranking in a major search engine and then at no further investment remain in that high position for some time. Therefore you receive a significant number of enquiries and/or online sales at a very cost effective rate. |
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| As we indicated above, there are relative advantages to both methods. It is worth noting with regards to SEO, that it can take considerable time to achieve a high ranking position i.e. we are not talking weeks, but rather months. Also, if (as they do) a search engine changes the way they assess and rank sites, you could find your site moving from a page 1 ranking position to page 6 virtually overnight. |
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| Bespoke Web Promotion Strategy |
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| We will advise you on what in our experience would be the most effective promotion strategy for your website, given your specific requirements. |
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