Many Internet businesses fail because of bad web designs. In fact, thousands of Internet business and Internet based service websites close each year because they are failing to attract visitors or make money. One common thread among all this is that website owners did not take time to design a professional looking site.

In order to have a professional looking website which will inform your website visitor that the website is an authority in its given niche, you have to educate yourself.

Template

It is important to have a template that you can use for each page of your website. This is should be your first step when you are designing your website. Having a template means that all the pages of your website will have the same look and feel.

The template should have your page design, log, images, and specific area for your content and navigational links. Every time you create a new page, you can use the template, insert the page content and save it with a different name.

Formatting the Pages of your Website

It is advisable to have the entire contents of a webpage in HTML tables. This way you have complete control over the contents of each page and you will know how each page will be displayed.

If you place all the content of a page in a single table, the loading time of your site will increase. Therefore, always stack your tables so that you decrease the time to load your site while having the ability to format the tables.

Your Homepage

Your homepage is the most important part of your website as it gives a clear indication to what products or services you are offering. If your website visitor cannot find the information he is looking for, he will not waste time hanging around your site.

Navigation

Have good navigational links on each webpage of your site. Use tables to align your links and give your site a neat and organized look.

Check Out More Articles:

CSS Html Template Tutorial, Image Maps Client Side Coding HTML, Buying cars eBay tips,

Author: Pauline Go
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital economy, mobile technology

We were talking about error pages and he told me something that I had never heard before. “Of course you can customize your error pages”.

I was amazed. He nearly fell off his chair laughing at me when I said that I always thought those 404 error pages came from some central internet point beyond my reach and that they all looked exactly the same.

When he had calmed down a little, he patiently explained that an there are scores of error codes covering many different situations. They are all three digits, such as 500 – Server Error, 408 – Request Timeout and of course the familiar 404 – Not found, which most of us see fairly regularly.

He went on to say that 404 errors are sometimes caused by users incorrectly typing in a page name, but quite often it can be just a communication glitch between one end and the other and if you hit refresh, you’ll usually get right back on track.

Despite what I thought, the content of error pages does not come from some omnipotent global hub, some kind of web-central, but are in fact pages held on the server of your web host. When an error condition is picked up, the host simply serves up the error page.

Now that means that you can replace their standard error pages with something of your own and simply tell the host to serve that instead. All of which got me to thinking.

What if instead of infuriating my users with a bland standard page of techno-babble, I gave them something to make them smile and help them get back on track. My friend explained that we simply needed to create two files and upload them to my site.

The first one is the replacement error page itself. I decided we should give it the same look and feel as the rest of my site, so we added the banner at the top and some of the navigation links. Then I entered a cheery message saying “Oops, sorry – something’s gone wrong. It happens sometimes, but don’t worry, it’s not serious. Click here and we’ll have you back on track in no time” Then at the bottom is a simple link to take people back to my homepage.

If you have a particularly complex site with thousands of pages, then you might want to lead people to a sitemap first or give them some category links so they could start to figure out at least which section they want to get to.

The second file is one called .htaccess. This is a little text file, which contains a few lines of code telling your web-host which errors to pick up and which page to show in which event. Simple. Well simple for my friend anyway, but he assures me that anyone halfway competent can do it. In fact he says that your web-host will probably have full instructions on their help pages.

So what’s the point of doing this? Well firstly we’re all impatient with the web and as soon as anything goes wrong we want to jump off somewhere else. You don’t want to lose your potential customers that way, so this is a chance to hang on to them, just when they’re about to disappear.

Secondly, as any good web marketer knows, any chance that you have to make a positive impression is worth grabbing. We spend hours agonizing over the wording of our autoresponder e-mails in order to ensure that we build a solid relationship with our prospects, so why can’t we also get a little bit of our friendly personality across on an error page too.

So take a closer look at your error pages and learn to make them lovable.

If you would like to read more great articles on self improvement and making money online, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to my free newsletter, which you’ll find at : [http://www.money-and-mind.com]

Author: Andrew Grant
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US State tax list

First of all, you want to include photos of all the real estate that is for sale. If you have listings without photos you will miss out on most of the traffic and potential online sales simply because people want to see what they are buying and this is especially so with real estate. If I want to sell my property then the first thing people want to do is see photos of the home or else tour it in person. The next question is the price.

When people want to buy property they want to see the photos first and then know the price. This allows people to quickly determine if they can afford the home or not. Of course, I may be willing to sell my house for cheaper than the asking price but giving potential buyers an idea of the selling price will help you get more hits. That’s because people today want instant information. They don’t want to call or email you for photos or for the price. They want to see photos of the real estate on your website along with an asking price. Then, if they are still interested they will be willing to ask for more information. So, make sure that you also include a “submit a question” link on your website so that potential buyers can ask about your different properties.

Another great design tip is to break up the real estate photos in sections by location. So, all the real estate of one city in one link and real estate of other cities in other links. That makes it easy for people looking for real estate in one particular location. Or you could separate real estate by zip code. These design elements really depend on where you live and the amount of links or zip codes you would need to include.

These are just some tips for real estate websites to really gain traffic and do a good job of selling real estate over the Internet.

Caitlina Fuller writes about web design and real estate. If I want to sell my property then the first thing people want to do is see photos of the home or else tour it in person. The next question is the price. When people want to buy property they want to see the photos first and then know the price.

Author: Caitlina Fuller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Healing food: natural way to cure cancer

Another tip for website design for financial websites is layout. When you think about a financial website you want to see things very organized and easy to find. You don’t want to be searching for a way to apply for a loan or login to your account. Instead, you want it to be very obvious and easy to find. If not, you will take your business elsewhere. That’s why layout that is clear and simple is most important. If you ask any Boston website design company they will tell you the same thing so you know that layout really is important. For example, if you are logging onto a financial website to research life insurance settlements will you tend to read and believe the information on a website that is laid out in a simple and clear-cut fashion with background colors of blue or gray. Or, will you feel more comfortable with websites that are full of reds, yellows, greens, purples, pinks, and oranges and also has lots of popups, flashing lights, and the like? The answer is obvious, you will believe the more conservative website. So, think of your audience when you are wondering what kind of website to build.

Flashing graphics are another no-no when it comes to financial websites. Money is serious and people want to see serious sites. Those who try and break the mold will not prove successful. Make sure that when you are designing your financial website that you also include an “about us” page that discusses information about the company, products, service guarantee, phone numbers, address, and anything potential clients would like to know.

There are lots of other tips you can follow, but these are some of the most important ones as far as a financial website goes.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. Layout that is clear and simple is most important. If you ask any Boston website design company they will tell you the same thing so you know that layout really is important. For example, if you are logging onto a financial website to research life insurance settlements will you tend to read and believe the information on a website that is laid out in a simple and clear-cut fashion with background colors of blue or gray.

Author: Caitlina Fuller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Advice on AdSense

You can of course change a person’s first natural feeling in many different ways, good or bad. A good one is education. It could be about anything, and I’m sure you are an expert in some area that gives you more “feelings” then others who knows less in that subject.

Take wine. A beginner knows nothing, all wine taste almost the same. After a while testing and some study in the subject, they will find big differences in the taste.

The bad ones, is bad influence or pressure from other peoples opinions.
Don’t ever buy a design that you don’t like to 100% because the Agency say it best for your business. They only say so because they can’t deliver what you really like as they don’t have the right skills or education to do so.

As we all have our brains in a left and right part, some people (strong left) does not have the ability to find ideas for their web design and need help from an agency.

(The concept of right brain and left brain thinking is developed from an American psycho-biologist Roger. W. Sperry. He discovered that the human brain has two very different ways of thinking. The right brain is visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details. The left brain is verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole.)

An artist or designer (strong right) can actually “see” the painting or the design on the white canvas long before they start painting. On the other hand, they have so many options to choose from, so they need a lot of input from their client to find out what he would like to see when all parts come together as a website.

Art Director and Graphic Designer

SEO Active Consulting SL, Fuengirola, Spain

[http://www.activemarbella.es]

Author: Haze Westerlund
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty

1. It means that you know exactly what is going on with your site and how it actually ‘works’. As you have built it piece by piece, you know, quite literally, every aspect of it.

2. Doing the work yourself will save you a small fortune on web design costs.

During the past couple of weeks though, I have done something that I would have previously not even considered doing – I have started to talk to a professional web designer with a view to hiring him to build a new business website for me!!!

Why I hear you ask?

Well the answer is simple – because he can do a much better job of it than I can AND he will take on all of the stress that the project would have caused me.

I have an idea for a new online business (totally unrelated to Internet marketing/eBay or any of the other areas that I currently work in) and it needs a professional site with quite a bit of ‘behind the scenes’ functionality. There is nothing like it around at present which means that the functions I require are fairly unique to this project. I have spent some time talking to different programmers that I know around the World to see if they can pool their expertise and write different bits of the software required and link everything up through the website that I build but it was just getting too fiddly.

I was at the point where I was ready to toss the whole project out of the window when I took a step back and looked at things from a completely different angle. What I really needed was one person (or team) to take on the entire project and simply provide me with the new website based on the brief I supply them with.

So that’s exactly what I have done. I have a rough idea of what the site will cost and admittedly, it isn’t going to be the few hundred dollars that it would have cost me BUT the end result should be far more professional and will be produced to my exact specification. Most importantly though, it takes away all the sleepless nights that I would have experienced as I went through the process of trying to get everything to work together.

With this in mind therefore, I would like to amend the advice that I have been giving out for the past few years……

Learn how to design and build your own business websites BUT when you have learned how to do this, DO consider hiring professionals and outsourcing some of this work as and where possible

Copyright 2006 Richard Grady

Richard Grady has been helping people earn online since 1998. eBay sellers find wholesalers for free at: http://www.wholesale118.co.uk (UK) & http://www.thewholesaletrader.com (US).

Author: Richard Grady
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Excise Tax

Now, does this mean you have to sink thousands of dollars into a redesign? Not necessarily. An attractive, easily navigable website can be had at an affordable price if you know where to look. As you take a makeover into consideration, here are a few more web design resolutions for the new year you may wish to add to your to-do list.

1) Check all the links. It’s frustrating to visit a site and click through a link only to find a 404 error on the other end. If you do one thing with your website, make sure all the links. This includes inbound and outbound click-throughs, otherwise you may discover people would prefer to click away altogether.

2) Check your contact form. This is most important part of your site – the method by which you receive leads. It’s advised to test your forms once a month to make sure the information not only comes through but that you are alerted when somebody fills out a form. If people can’t get in touch with you, you lose sales.

3) Look into a mobile-friendly interface. It’s important to have a website for your business now, even more so that somebody using a mobile device can properly browse it. If you are using a specific CMS for your site, check to see if there are mobile plug-ins you can use. If you are using a straight HTML site, consider a design that is iPhone, Blackberry, and Android friendly.

4) Keep the relevant content prominent. If a visitor has to go six links deep into your site to find what he needs, you’re likely to lose him. For the critical content on your site, keep the link-hopping to no more than one or two clicks.

These are just a few suggestions for fixing up your website in 2012. You may want to consult with a web design firm for more tips on updating your Internet presence.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on Virginia web design and social media writing.

Author: Kathryn Lively
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Import duty tariff

A good and effective website is always measured by various factors. These would include its ability to attract and maintain the interest of visitors which automatically results to sales and profitability of your business. It is also important to ensure that the information presented on your website is always updated with the right information being inputted. It is therefore important to avoid any instances where the wrong or incorrect information is placed on your website. This will give rise to numerous negative impression of your business by your clients.

Due to the mentioned scenario, your clients will also lose trust in you and your products or services and without clients you will not be able to survive in this tough and competitive online market. When selecting a professional wen designer is it important to use the services of an individual who has innovative ideas and implement your suggestions and ideas which will play a major role in turning your business into a profitable venture. Through your website you will be able to use if to sell yourself depending on how you present it. Give your users an enjoyable and interesting experience as they browse through your website, this will increase their chances of coming back again and even referring their friends to either buy your goods. This is a good way of marketing.

It is also important to make your website as interactive as possible by coming up with a blog or forum which allows users give you different ideas on how you can improve your website or leave comments on the feel of the website. All this information will definitely assist you in working to improve your website for the better.

It would serve you better if you have a less complicated and user friendly website. This would help make navigation easier for anyone browsing through your website. In order to best accomplish this you can, strategically arrange the interface to make it easy for quick access of information. You can also clearly indicate the different available sections.

Your website background also plays a very important role in how people perceive your website. Make use of colors and designs which will attract people due to the sheer beauty and uniqueness. The font size you use is also very important in order to make it easy for people to comfortably read through all the information on your website. Tiny fonts will always discourage users from reading through due to the stress and strain. Invest enough time to your website since it is your online store without which your business cannot operate without.

Feel free to visit our site for more tweaks on Web Design Miami!

Author: Larry E Payne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
News of Solar Power and Alternative Engery

Some of the things one has to ensure they do away with when it comes to designing of a website would include the use of PDF files. It has been noted that PDF files are not amongst the popular list of browsers. This is mainly due to the fact that is interrupts with their continuity. In most cases such files more often than not require printouts or having to save the document before once can open to see the contents. Once you open it, you will come across another challenge of the font size which is usually quite tiny. This is because the page layout is normally set on standard and does not correspond with that particular browsing window.

After all your efforts of opening up the PDF file, you will still have to struggle in comprehending the information presented. This is because in most cases the layout used to present the information makes it quite difficult to easily comprehend the content which in most cases is usually too much. This completely discourages the user from staying on this page since they have to sift through a lot of material before finally getting what they need. PDF usually comes handy and should be used when dealing with manuals and various other large files that may need to be printed out. But when it comes to browsing it is more advisable to present your information on web pages.

It is also highly important to give your website an interesting and attractive background that will attract and keep users coming back to your site. One of the designs you should completely keep away from is to give your website a texted wall background. This is a complete no since it kills any form of interaction and is quite boring making it difficult for users browsing your site to gain any interest in your website. This will reduce the traffic to your website making it more difficult to make any sales.

The best way to make your site more interactive and interesting is by making use of subheadings, bullet lists as well as keywords. The latter will help to place your website high on any search list, more visitors which will then be easily converted into sales and profits. Avoiding these key points when creating your website will prove to be useful to you and creates a clear line in whether you succeed or fail in your online business. As earlier stated it is advisable to use the services of professionals.

Feel free to visit our site for more tweaks on Web Design Tampa!

Author: Larry E Payne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US Dollar credit card

Luckily for us, plenty of content management systems are free and can be easily manipulated even by non-programmers. Of course, you would need plenty of research but given enough time, and help from helpful forum members, you can build a website without paying someone to do it for you. This is not the same though if you are going to build an ecommerce site where you need to beef up the security and add a shopping cart integrated with payment options.

Now that you know that you can possibly build a website, let me warn you of some pitfalls that you should definitely avoid. First off, when choosing what CMS to use, make sure that you do your research, find the one that you would be comfortable working with. Some content management systems may provide you with plenty of features but they might tend to be very hard to manipulate or edit to suit your needs.

After settling on the best CMS for your skill level, you should avoid using free themes that are very hard to edit. Surely, you do not want your website to look and feel like hundreds of other websites using the same theme. A simple color change or resizing of buttons and the sidebar can instantly change the feel of your website so to be able to do that, the theme has to be easy to edit especially for someone who is not an advanced coder.

When creating additional pages manually, make sure that you use full path link. Relative URLs like /pages/page1.html should be coded as http:// www. website.com/pages/page1.html. This way, search engines would know exactly where to find the page.

Flashy banners and menu links might look good to you but for search engines, they are completely gibberish. Therefore, in web design, you should avoid flash and/or javascript especially for menus. Menu links created using means that if a search engine bot crawls through your website from the homepage, it cannot follow the link to the inner pages because they cannot understand javascript. Well, some bots can read it but you surely do not want to take the risk.

While modifying the website, make sure that you use a validator to ensure that your site has been coded in such a way that it follows the rules of the language used. It is like using a text editor’s spell checker and grammar tools to check if the piece you have written follows the language rules.

Other pitfalls are also present so it is best to read more about building a website so that you can build one that would be easy to use, easy on the eye, and most importantly, easy for search engine bots to read.

Learn more about the ins and outs of web design and get higher profit from your business or company websites. For more information, please visit Web Design Santa Barbara.

Author: Noel Agnote
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Anti-Cancer

Although you certainly can become a merchant right away and create your own product or service online, it is always better to start your business as an affiliate. If for example want to make 250 000 dollars a year then you don´t have to know everything about internet marketing, you just focus on one technique or niche.

The internet is growing all the time and therefore internet marketing is growing all the time. Billions of dollars are spent online every years, this means that some of this money is going to internet marketers pockets. So you can easily make half a million dollars a year, but weather or not you will actually make it, comes down to whether or not you are dedicated to learning how to become an Internet marketer. For example everyone can learn to play the piano quite well but not everyone is willing spend years learning to play it.

The secret to success is internet marketing training courses

So many people give up the hope of making money online just because they can´t do it alone. It is basically impossible to be really successful without any help at all. You can make some money of course but it will be much less than with support and it will take also longer. The internet is a jungle and if you don´t have the skills to survive then you are easy prey for the scammers.

But seriously, the best training course that gives you the support, the resources and the tools is Wealthy Affiliates. I am also a member of Wealthy Affiliates and it is the best training course online. I have tried some others as well but they don´t come even close. No matter how good the support is or how much help you get, you will have to do the work to see results. If you don´t take action and work hard every day than even the best training courses and programs are not gone help you out. I read the Wealthy Affiliate forum all the time and people are so worried about every little detail that they can´t get anything done. Take action!

There is NO program, service, e-book, or product anywhere online that is similar to Wealthy Affiliate. Regardless of your experience level, we will teach you how to improve your current financial situation. Whether you are looking to earn an extra $500 a month or an extra $15,000 per month, our system provides you with a blueprint of how to succeed in making money online.

Click Here to learn more [http://www.squidoo.com/top_affiliate_marketing_program_online].

Author: Randolph Meresmaa
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Buying Camera in US, Pick up at Canadian border

1. You are in love with a product but nobody else is. I am a firm believer that you need to promote your products with belief in them. This is why review websites do so well on the Internet today.

It gives you the chance to tell all the good and bad things about a product you want to advertise. The best way to do this is to buy a product and learn it inside out. If it is a product that you believe in you will be able to write a review in a way that gets your belief across without seeming like a sales letter.

However one problem I see with Internet marketers today is they continue to promote the same product over and over even when they’re not making any sales. If you can honestly say that you have done everything possible to promote your product, and people still do not want to buy it, then it’s time to move on to another product.

If you are not making any money, and you continue to promote something that’s not profitable, you are committing Internet marketing insanity!

2. You convince yourself that you are promoting your business in a way that will generate traffic. However it has been 3 months now and you are only getting 5 visitors a day to your website!

Any rational person would step back at this point and say I need to find another way to promote my Internet business. The exception to this would be if you are happy getting four visitors a day to your site.

This is certainly Internet marketing insanity and a definite way to go out of business. You will never make any sales or make any money If you are not getting enough quality visitors to your site every day.

These are the two primary forms of Internet marketing insanity I see all of the time. The obvious way around this is to find a quality products that people have a need for, an interest in, and that you can create a desire for.

Then market these products to the best of your ability. Find ways to get more traffic and your online business will survive another day. Stop the Internet marketing insanity!

Jeff Schuman invites you to visit his make money online website for The Niche Power Group, 4 ways to make $10 a day taking surveys, and JV With Jeff free training. Please click here now: http://www.Team-Schuman.com

Author: Jeff Schuman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Home care

You are probably asking what it takes to achieve success on the internet. You will know exactly what you need to do or where you are going wrong by the time you finish reading. Keep on reading…

First Million? Yep…Learn How To Make Yours!
There is one way to achieve success online and it is vitally important. It may sound a little hinky at first, but without it, failure is eminent. The only way you will earn million-dollars online is… each day you need to tell yourself you have the ability to achieve it. The words in which you tell yourself do not matter as long as they remain positive. In fact, truly believing in you and reaching the million-dollar mark works so much better. The correct mindset keeps you motivated and allows you to achieve anything you desire.

Maintaining the correct mindset is the key because if you are not prepared mentally, your goals will never be reached. One exercise you can do is a visualization technique; visualize yourself internet marketing and being very successful. How you determine yourself successful is what you visualize. If money in the bank is your determining factor, then visualize the number you want in your bank account, and then feel it, feel it deep down. I know that this sounds crazy; I thought so when I was first told to do so. Just make sure you always tell yourself daily, that you will reach the goals you have set.

Internet Marketing: A Guide To Success
Once you are in the right mindset, it is time for you to begin the action towards success. Your first act is for you to obtain a plan of action that is tested and proven to create wealth. The best way to find you an Internet Marketing Plan is to invest in a program with detailed systematic training and a personal advisor. Working closely with successful Internet Marketers is exciting because they let you know what works for them and then how they executed each step so you are able to mimic their every move.

No, you don’t need an internet marketing guide in order to be successful. However, it will make things a lot easier. A guide will save you a lot of time and it will ultimately make you a lot more money.

It is not pertinent that you invest in a training program to succeed, but it certainly helps. Without the guide to riches, you will spend your riches before you ever see them on different methods that may or may not work. In the end, investing in a training program will save you a whole bunch of time and money. With the economy in a downturn, saving money is a good thing.

The hard work is literally done for you. The other products have been tested to see what works and what does not; so that you do not have to. If you desire to take advantage of the hard work then click the link [http://MavericksQuickMoneyMaker.com] to learn about Internet Marketing! You do want to make money online, don’t you?

For more information on working at home – click http://sparetime-what2do.blogspot.com

Author: Katie Finken
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Benefits of electric pressure cooker

One of the first things you can look at when considering an Internet marketing tutorial is whether or not they allow you a revenue stream. In other words, when you join their program, they will allow you to be an affiliate and earn commissions on anyone that joins through your link. Many programs offer this as it is both beneficial to their enrollees and themselves. If you find one that does not offer it to you, you can certainly ask if they will consider it. If they don’t offer this service to you, move on to another program.

You will also want to look for an Internet marketing tutorial that offers step-by-step instructions on the different marketing techniques they will be discussing. It’s important that they go through each method in detail, so that you may have time to learn it, as well as enlist the method in your marketing program. If you find a program that does not offer in-depth training, but one that simply touches on the different methods you should be using, forget about them and find one that will actually take the time to teach you what you need to know to be successful. Unfortunately, there are a lot of companies offering online marketing training, but do not really have the qualifications to teach someone else.

Another item to look at when trying to choose what Internet marketing tutorial to use is feedback from their prior enrollee. If they do not provide you with a list of references, you can certainly do a search online. Generally, if they do not provide you with a list of references, you should move on. However, if you do a search and find a lot of negative feedback, you will have your answer and will have to choose another. You also want to look at the company itself. They are teaching the methods they state you should be using, but are they successful? Have the methods their teaching actually worked for them?

If you are considering methods to increase the traffic to your website and improve your sales, you may want to consider enrolling in an Internet marketing tutorial [http://www.myinternetmarketingtrainingonline.com/33/finding-the-right-internet-marketing-tutorial/] program. Find one that allows you to become an affiliate, one that will provide in-depth training, and one that has received great reviews and you will find it to be very beneficial to your business. Even if you have been in business for awhile and are making money, you may learn new methods that will help you to improve your sales.

Ken Cobb is the founder and CEO of Next Level Enterprises, LLC a recognized leader in internet marketing and CRM solutions. Ken frequently writes on various subjects related to the home business and network marketing industry. For more information related to this article, please visit [http://www.iMarketingMastermindsBlog.com] Feel free to contact Ken at ken@iMarketingMasterminds.com

Author: Ken Cobb
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Prof. Servan-Schreiber’s Moving Story on Fighting Cancer

Here, I wanted to frame up two fundamental yet interdependent approaches to search marketing – SEO and PPC marketing and discuss the important role of discovery research. We’ll cover several “real world” questions as put forward by business and marketing leaders as they thought about their own opportunities.

While presenting, it was clear that two hours was not enough time. Here, I’ve similarly found that even an introduction to search marketing is the stuff of a multi-part article. We begin this three part series with pay per click marketing. Future installments will discuss search engine optimization before tying it all together with what should actually be the first activity, keyword discover research.

Anatomy of PPC Marketing (Google AdWords)

What is PPC Marketing? What is Google Adwords? How do I build a campaign? How much does it cost? These are the most typical questions. Let’s start with a definition (mine among countless out there!)

PPC Marketing – is an internet advertising activity whereby relevant ads linking to web relevant pages are served to searchers who have keyed in specific keywords in an effort to find relevant and useful information.

Ok, so we like the word relevant. That’s cool because so does Google AdWords. It does make sense, though, right? When you “Google” something, say, “Caribbean Vacations”, do you want ads displayed that offer you uses cars? European Vacations? Of course not.

Does the Highest Bidder Get their Ad Placed First?

Not necessarily. One thing that is important to your PPC efforts will be “Quality Score”. This is Google rating you in a couple of ways. Remember that word “relevance”? Simply, Google will take the quality (preciseness) of the match between keywords you’re utilizing and the keywords entered by the searcher, its alignment with both the ad copy in the ad you created and the actual content of the page that the ad takes the searcher to (referred to commonly as the “landing page”). This example should clear it up:

Keyword
entered by searcher: ‘wedding favors’

Ad Copy
You created numerous references to wedding favors for sale
References to reception halls

Landing Page
You directed ad to page where there is a selection of wedding favors for sale
Page with reception halls

Quality Score
Google Assigns
‘Great’
‘Poor’

Bid per Click
advertiser bid – e.g. #1
50 cents
$1.00

Bid per Click

advertiser bid e.g. #2
50 cents
50 cents

Cost per Click Impact Google dictates
Lower
Higher

Ad Placement
Google dictates
Better/Higher
Poor/Lower

So, what’s happening here? In short, the advertiser with the best Quality Score wins and you get that “great” quality score by connecting the relevance dots between the search term, the ad served, and the landing page content. You’ve effectively done what Google wants from it’s advertisers to benefit its users; you’ve served great targeted content.

Did you catch the two ‘Bid per Click’ examples? The obvious questions…

In example one, why would Google reward the advertiser bidding 50 cents over the one bidding double? They’re leaving money on the table, right? No because searchers will invariably click on the more relevant ad (incidentally here, with the lower bid) with much greater frequency than the less relevant one. You are being rewarded for ‘doing it right’ – being relevant. As such, the lower bid ad will actually receive a higher ad placement than the other.

In example two, the more relevant ad will be served more frequently and with better ad placement than the other with the same bid, right? (You’re catching on to this relevance thing, good!). The added advantage to being “more” relevant is that although your bid per click is what you’re willing to pay per click is not actually what you will pay per click. That means that you will be rewarded with lower costs per click in addition to better ad placement.

I’ve seen many instances where keywords with “great” quality scores are actually costing far less than the set maximum bids. I call this marketing efficiency and it’s achieved only by employing effective PPC advertising strategies.

Return on PPC Marketing Investment

Let’s use the conventional marketing acronym ROMI (return on marketing investment). Based on what we’ve seen above, two competing advertisers both with $2000 monthly online marketing budgets can see very different results…and meet different business fates. When competition is tight, every dollar you can extend further means:

1. More money flowing to your bottom line (i.e., your pocket)
2. A relative advantage you have versus competitors

One can die while one can thrive. Pennies per click can break your business back if you’re not careful. SME’s with tighter budgets have a shorter lifeline but internet marketing levels the playing field in many ways. There will likely be firms with larger marketing budgets, but in PPC marketing it’s often the “smarter” marketer that takes share and wins. Will it be the difference between success and failure for you?

There’s more to PPC Marketing, Too!

We’ve not touched on other tactical approaches you can employ with PPC marketing; like geographic, time-of-day/week, demographic, content and placement targeting. These serve to ensure your ad serving is even more refined and yes – even more efficient. Some of these advertising components are subjects unto themselves, so stay tuned for future articles in our search marketing series.

In part two of our SEO and PPC Internet Marketing series we’ll delve into the anatomy of search engine optimization while contrasting it to PPC marketing.

We’ll round out the series with part three and discuss what I’d say matters most to ensure effectiveness (and the efficiency that follows) – discovery research. Stay tuned!

Carm Maesano is an internet marketing professional and Managing Partner at Annex Media Marketing, Inc. http://www.AnnexMediaMarketing.com. Carm has authored various original articles on the subject and focuses on internet marketing as part of the overall business strategy of organizations. Annex Media provides SEO and Paid Search strategy guidance and management for firms in Canada and the U.S. seeking to grow their online presence.
Article Author: Carm Maesano
Annex Media – Internet & Marketing Strategy
© Annex Media.
Article may be used/circulated only with the above author’s credit (otherwise with expressed written permission).

Author: Carm Maesano
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
White Coat Hypertension