Newbie needs a little advice

[MrPeabodyNJ]

Hi guys and gals!

I have just been given the assignment of online marketing for my company. This is a new venture for us. I am not a techie, but I know enough to get around.

My boss, however, knows just enough to make him dangerous! He did a search on Alexa and has now decided that since Yahoo is bigger then Google (according to Alexa) then it must be worth more and we should be spending more there.

Is there a report somewhere that I can pull that shows what percentage of searches are done on which engine? I found one here at this site, but it is from last summer and I could use something more recent.

By the way, since I'm already asking, I am currently buying ads on Google, Yahoo and MSN. Am I missing anything by not buying clicks on Ask.com or AOL?

Thanks for any advice you guys can give!

Dave

[PPC]

I would just concentrate on Google, Yahoo and MSN. Ask (due to their network) has given us nothing but garbage traffic and if you are bidding on Goolge, your ads will show up on Ask and AOL searches.

Here is a recent article on search engine market share...
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2007/01/google-yahoo-gain-market-share-msft-askcom-decline.html

Also, here is a blog about Alexa...
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/070305-111926

[ppcuser]

Yes, I would agree with the advice already given by PPC - restrict your initial efforts to the big 3 i.e. Google, YSM, MSN.

Also I would advise that you closely monitor the clicks from each site, if not in real-time, then at least on a daily basis. Always for new campaigns it is important to determine the optimum keyword matching types to ensure acceptable traffic levels and conversion rates - perhaps this is best achieved by monitoring/adjusting in the early stages of the campaigns.

I wonder if you (Dave, MrPeabodyNJ) would do me a favour (favor) please. For a long time now I have seen occasions of the usage of the word 'then' in a 'comparative sense', rather than in a 'sequential/dependent sense'; this has puzzled me because in UK English the word 'than' is always used in the 'comparative sense' (e.g. 100 is larger than 5). I noticed in your posting that you used the word 'then' in both senses in a single sentence. ["...since Yahoo is bigger then Google (according to Alexa) then it must be worth more and we should be spending more there...."].

I have seen this usage of 'then' in the comparative sense so frequently now by users of USA English that I think that it must be a standard part of education in USA - I wondered if you could confirm this? Many thanks.

[MrPeabodyNJ]

Yes, I would agree with the advice already given by PPC - restrict your initial efforts to the big 3 i.e. Google, YSM, MSN.

Also I would advise that you closely monitor the clicks from each site, if not in real-time, then at least on a daily basis. Always for new campaigns it is important to determine the optimum keyword matching types to ensure acceptable traffic levels and conversion rates - perhaps this is best achieved by monitoring/adjusting in the early stages of the campaigns.

I wonder if you (Dave, MrPeabodyNJ) would do me a favour (favor) please. For a long time now I have seen occasions of the usage of the word 'then' in a 'comparative sense', rather than in a 'sequential/dependent sense'; this has puzzled me because in UK English the word 'than' is always used in the 'comparative sense' (e.g. 100 is larger than 5). I noticed in your posting that you used the word 'then' in both senses in a single sentence. ["...since Yahoo is bigger then Google (according to Alexa) then it must be worth more and we should be spending more there...."].

I have seen this usage of 'then' in the comparative sense so frequently now by users of USA English that I think that it must be a standard part of education in USA - I wondered if you could confirm this? Many thanks.

Thanks for the advice! I am running reports daily to see which keywords work best on which engines. It's funny that while I'll get many more impressions and clicks on Google, My CTR on MSN much greater!

As far as your US Grammar Lesson, you are correct I tend to type faster then I think and usually don't check for typos or grammar mistakes on forum posts!

I also write fiction for a hobby and I drive more poor editor crazy because of typos like that. I tell her that's what she gets paid for!!!

[AussieWebmaster]

MSN and Yahoo tend to convert cheaper but have so much less traffic.... hence less conversions.

So long as the cost is less than the income from conversion they all should look good.

If you own a store do you stop selling something after you meet a set number each day????

[dog24]

Google is definitely better than any other PPC search engines. Google offers best quality.

[AussieWebmaster]

Google is definitely better than any other PPC search engines. Google offers best quality.

I would agrue that MSN and Yahoo offer better quality - they just don't have the numbers.... my conversion numbers are better on a CPA basis from those two but for pure numbers Google wins.

[allsux]

honestly, you're going to find that the different services (msn, yahoo and google) are good for different things. and really, you're not going to know until you test them. just start out slow then work your way up - spend more time than money at first and you'll learn a lot fast. i'd also recommend using 'smart ads' on your site ... one of which is explained here:[edited]