Dear Mr. Internet:

What is the secret to consistently driving new traffic to my Web site from the major search engines? Is it really necessary to hire an "expert" to do this?

Cornelia A. Netter
NETTER REAL ESTATE
New York, NY

Dear Cornelia:

Last issue we explored how Overture.com offers an easy to implement and cost effective "pay-per-click" model for placing your site at the top of several major search engines. This month we are going to explore a similar model of search engine placement using one of the most popular search engines on the Web.

Google is without a doubt one of the biggest, fastest, baddest, and most popular search engines on the Net. The key to using this powerhouse to drive major traffic to your site is to achieve top "visibility" position within Google search results —without spending a fortune. Fortunately, Google's pay-per-click Adword Select program allows you to do just that. And the best part is that you can have it up and sending you new business in 15 minutes!

Visibility vs. Position

Let's say you want prospects to find your site on Google when they put "Dallas Real Estate" into the search field. It is difficult (and potentially expensive) to get your site to consistently show up near the top of the Google search results. However, you can purchase the search phrase "Dallas Real Estate" within the Adword Select program which enables a small ad for your Website to show up on the top right hand side of the search results page ( CLICK HERE to see an example). And like Overture, you only pay if someone actually clicks on the ad.

Fortunately, it is easy to tell how effectively your ad sends business to your site just by looking at it. Each one has a "bar" underneath the ad copy. The length of the green within the bar is an indication of its click-through rate (longer is better). See the example below.

Since you are not buying exclusive rights to a particular search phrase, more than one ad (up to 8 total) may show however (see "Ad Ranking" below).

How It Works

This is an impressively well thought-out advertising program that goes way beyond the typical PPC search engine models. Here are some of its features and benefits:

• Set up fee is only $5 - considerably less than the $50 it costs to start an Overture.com PPC campaign;
• Minimum cost per click is $.05;
• Ad ranking (i.e. its position from the top) is determined by the maximum you are willing to pay per click and how often your ad gets clicked. The more effective your ad is in generating clicks the less your maximum "bid" needs to be in order to be positioned at the top;
• Google's built-in AdWord Discounter program automatically makes sure you pay the minimum amount to stay on top. It constantly compares your ad maximum bid and click-through rate with that of your competitors and adjusts your click-through cost accordingly. This feature solves a big complaint that many people have using the typical pay-per-click models where you must constantly monitor your position to avoid paying too much or being kicked out of the top position;
• AdWord ads start showing up within 5 minutes of registration - it takes 3 - 5 days for your site to show up on Overture.com searches;
• You can set a daily budget which allows you to achieve a more even set of click-throughs over time where on other pay-per-click search engines you can theoretically go through your entire monthly budget in just one day.

It only takes four steps (and about 15 minutes) to get your targeted ads working for you:

1. Choose your target countries and languages - you can have your ads delivered in more than one language, great for those working with international buyers;
2. Create your ad(s) and choose your targeted search phrases - you can create multiple ads and link them to as many search phrases as you want;
3. Specify you daily budget - no minimum is required, though the higher the budget, the more often your ad will show up;
4. Create your account - gives you a password protected access to all aspects of your ad campaign(s).

As you create your ads, Google will offer tips on how to write them in a way to maximize the number of click-throughs to your site. It will also give you an idea as to your likely ad position based upon the maximum amount you are willing to pay per click (this is about as close as you get to knowing what others are willing to pay for the same search phrase). By logging into your account you can see how many times your ad was shown (i.e. number of impressions), the number of clicks those impressions generated, and how much money those clicks cost you. And of course you have complete control of your ad budget and all other aspects of you ad campaigns. CLICK HERE to see a great one-page overview of the whole AdWord Select program.

Pay-per-click is an awesome alternative to spending thousands hiring a search engine specialist to position your site, often without consistent results. Overture.com has done a great job of establishing the relevancy of this kind of search engine advertising model. However Google has taken the idea and made it much better and easier to use than the typical pay-per-click search engine model. Also, Google's 150 million searches a day makes it a must in your arsenal of site traffic generating strategies.

By the way, if you are excited about the possibility of driving tons of new traffic to you site but still feel intimidated by the process —no problem! Just hire a Virtual Assistant to start up and run your whole AdWord Select program for you! Remember, success is not about knowing how to do something, it's knowing what to do (which is what I help you with each month) and who to hire to get it done.

Published: September 18, 2002

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Michael J. Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®) is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry and small business. He is also the exclusive Internet columnist for REALTOR® Magazine, the architect of the revolutionary e-ProductivityTM system and leading voice for the use of Virtual Assistants in small business. You can subscribe to his free monthly leading-edge newsletter ePOWER NEWS by going to ePowerNews.com.