As we mentioned, PPC (pay per click) does not only apply to search engine advertising. We have seen that advertisements can be placed on content sites. PPC can also refer to display advertising, where advertisers pay only for each click-through to their site, as opposed to each impression of the banner. PPC is also used by many online comparison engines.
You have probably come across online comparison engines when searching for a particular product. Popular comparison engines include the following:
These engines contract with retailers. The retailers supply the engine with a product feed (XML [extensible markup language]A standard used for creating structured documents. XML promises more efficient and organized delivery of data over the Internet. XHTML is the XML version of hypertext markup language (HTML). or CSV [comma-separated values]Used to send databases of information separated into specific column headings.) that contains the following information:
Figure 7.10
A shopping comparison engine will show offers from a number of retailers.
When a user searches for a product on one of the comparison engines, the engine will list all retailers who offer that product. When the engines contract the retailers, they also agree on how much the retailer is willing to pay for each click from the comparison engine through to the retailer’s Web site. The minimum CPC (cost per click) will vary from category to category (consumer electronics, for example, could have a higher CPC than baby clothes).
When results are shown, priority is given to those retailers who are willing to pay a higher CPC. However, the user has the option of sorting results by price, alphabetically, and so on.
Online comparison engines form an important part of the online marketing mix for an online retailer. As well as comparing products from different retailers, they also offer users the chance to review products as well as retailers. Many users prefer to start their product search on a comparison engine, as they can see a variety of prices for the same product in one place.
So what can you do to market your site more effectively through online comparison engines? You may try any of the following:
Optimize the product feed you supply:
Make sure your price is right:
The foundation of search marketing is keyword research, and there are a number of tools that will both aid you in growing your keyword list and in determining keyword volumes. Some are free and some require a fee. Many keyword volume tools have relied on OvertureFormerly GoTo.com, bought by Yahoo! and provider of Yahoo!’s PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. Panama has replaced Overture as the platform that powers Yahoo! Search Marketing., and as Yahoo! is no longer supporting this tool, the information is not necessarily accurate. All these tools should be used as guidelines only. Test the data with your own campaigns to determine what works best for you.
Figure 7.11 Google’s Ad Preview Tool
Keyword volume tools include the following:
Keyword suggestion tools include the following:
Google AdWords has an Ad Preview Tool, which allows you to see where your advertisement would appear on the page (without using the search engine and thus skewing data). This can be accessed at http://adwords.google.com/select/AdTargetingPreviewTool.
Some paid services that aid with keyword research are the following:
Spreadsheets, such as Microsoft’s Excel, are useful to aid you in building your keyword lists. Getting to grips with functions such as concatenation will be useful.
