Re: Search Engine Keywords

From: Jonathan Tice <imeanitpeanut_at_aol.com>
Date: Thu 02 Aug 2001 10:55:30 -0500

RON SHERIDAN <ron_at_ronsheridan.com> WROTE:

>I am interested in member experiences and opinions on
>buying search engine Keywords (both Yahoo/MSN type
>engines and Pay-for-Placement engines like GOTO) to
>secure Links and or Keyword anchored Banners.

> -Do they work and why?:
> -Easy to buy?:
> -Use the regularly or intermitently?:
> -What type of sites do theywork best for?:
> -What are the best places to buy?:
> -What are some Competitive Rates?:

I should be able to shed some light on keyword ads
from my experience both managing keyword inventory and
analyzing ad metrics while at one of the most heavily
trafficked portals worldwide. Some of your questions
I'll leave unanswered as they are not applicable to my
work experience.

1) Do they work and why?

Overall keywords and key phrases are among the most
popular ad buys as well as the best performing in terms
of CTR. If used properly, they can pinpoint potential
customers more accurately than almost any other type
of online media, in my opinion, because your ad is
served to someone actively seeking results for that
keyword. Serving an ad on a site popular with your
target demographic, or using demographic information
from cookies to target your audience cannot tell what
that user is interested at that moment in time.
Keyword targeted ads can.

A note of caution: be aware of the potential of keywords
to mean different things to different users. If your
client was a cooking supplies store who was interested
in selling "hot peppers" online, and you bought all of
the keyword inventory for that phrase ... your ads will
be served not only to potential buyers of "hot peppers"
but also to music fans interested in the latest Red Hot
Chili Peppers album.

Anticipating why the user is searching on that particular
word should be considered. Buying all the ad inventory
available for the phrase "Britney Spears" might not be
wise if you are interested in selling Britney Spears
CDs. However, buying the keyword "honeymoon" or the
phrase "new home" might be wise if your client offers
online banking, since marriage and purchasing new homes
are typically major financial strains.

2) Easy to buy?

Since this inventory is a popular buy for internet
portals, proposals should not be a problem to expedite.

3) -Use them regularly or intermittently?:

Seasonality and other shifts in user behavior can have an
effect on delivery. As such, forecasting inventory
availability for long periods of time can be very
difficult. I recommend renewing your proposal every 3-4
months, or regularly checking the delivery of your
campaign to make sure that you are not buying on an
atypical shift in traffic.

For instance, if you were negotiating an RFP today for
the keyword phase "school supplies", those inventory
levels would reflect a much higher forecast than the
same forecast ran in June. As another example, if you
purchased keyword inventory on the word "napster" a few
months ago, you might see your delivery lagging now given
recent events.

Regards,

Jonathan Tice
tice_jonathan_at_hotmail.com



Received on Thu Aug 02 2001 - 10:55:30 CDT