The Fastest Way to Get Traffic to Your Site

Lots of people would like to get their Web site to the top of Google's free listings. But that's precisely the problem: You're competing with lots of people. It's certainly possible to get to the top - after all, somebody has to be there! - but it takes a lot of time and effort. Alternatively, you could pay a search engine marketing company to do this for you.

But by far the better way to get to the top of Google is to pay for it. Google's "AdWords" program allows even a small business to buy advertising for selected key words and phrases. You might be surprised at how little you have to pay.

Here's how it works ...

Google (at www.google.com) has two types of listings: Free and paid. Google makes its money from the paid listings.

Google AdWords is the name of Google's paid advertising system. It is a pay-per-click advertising system, which means that you only pay when someone clicks on your advertisement.

AdWords is an auction-based system. You offer to pay a certain price for each click, and you compete with other bidders for higher placement.

You choose which words or phrases you would like to use for your ad. When somebody searches Google using those search terms, your ad will appear. If they then click on your ad, it takes them to a specific page on your Web site.

The biggest advantage is that it gives you CONTROL.

Another problem with trying to get into the free listings at Google is that you don't have much control over how your page will appear. You're not sure exactly which search phrases will display it; you're not sure what Google will say about it; and you're not sure which pages of your site will match Google's criteria for each search phrase.

With AdWords, all those problems disappear. You can control the exact wording of your ads, the exact page they link to, the exact search phrases they match, and exactly when they appear.

For example, when I went overseas for a month last year, I turned off all my Google advertising while I was away. (That was in the days before I had fine-tuned my advertising campaigns. Nowadays, I would just leave the ads running, knowing that they would make me money in my absence :-))

You can control where the ads appear in the world. For example, at the time of the Australian election last October, one of my clients had an election-related Web site, so we ran some Google ads - but only for Australian Internet users.

You can get even more specific with geography. For example, I can run ads for events that I'm conducting in Sydney, and only show those ads to people in and around Sydney.

You can run two ads side by side and find out which is more responsive. Then you delete the weaker ad and replace it with a third ad that you pit against the stronger ad. Keep doing this until you find the ad that gets the best results.

Google tells you exactly which words and phrases people used when searching. For example, when we did the advertising for the election campaign, we found that "Australian election" had 50% more searches than "federal election"; and "liberal party" had three times as many searches as "labor party"!

With all these benefits, why would you ever go for free listings?

I hope I've convinced you by now that Google AdWords is the best way to get traffic from search engines.

But what about the free listings?

Actually, I'm NOT suggesting that you give up the idea of getting a free listing in Google. There are definitely advantages to these listings.

What I am saying is that you should go for the paid listings first - to test your market, refine your ad copy and improve your marketing. Then put your efforts into the free listings if you choose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gihan Perera is a co-author of "Get Traffic Fast", a fast-track program to get started with Google advertising, avoiding the common traps and pitfalls.

Sign up to his free mini-course "Google Kick Start" here:

http://GihanPerera.com/get-traffic-fast.html

---

Plan Your Way to Pay-Per-Click Campaign Success!

Have you heard the saying, "planning is everything?" Perhaps there... Read More

The Truth - Adsense Click Fraud Can NOT be Stopped

Your probably reading this article because you use Google Adwords... Read More

Google AdSense Fraud - Deep Insight

It's worthwhile to examine Google's definition of Google AdSense and... Read More

Tips for Maximizing AdSense Revenue

Google's AdSense program is probably the best affiliate program on... Read More

PPC Fraud, Google Stands to Lose Millions

Google stands to lose millions if fraud continues. It is... Read More

Web Advertising: Its All About the Click Thrus!

Working in research and development for a large infomercial company,... Read More

Make Free Money With Google

Have you received your check from Google? If you own... Read More

Adlink Success - A New Advertising Style From Google Adsense

There is a new advertising style from Google Adsense that... Read More

Using Google AdWords to Increase your Adsense Profits

I had been using Google's Adsense program to generate some... Read More

What Should You Know About Search Engines and Pay-Per-Click?

Here's a fact for you, 85 to 95% of Websites... Read More

Discover the Art of the Pay-per-Click Start (Round 1 of 2)

Setting up a pay-per-click campaign is simple, right? Practically all... Read More

How to Use Pay Per Click Advertising to Increase Web Site Traffic

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to... Read More

Independent Search Engine & Directory Network (ISEDN) - Breaking News!

Watch out for a shift in the pay-per-click (PPC) industry,... Read More

Local Business Advertising & Google Adwords

"I don't need the Internet to advertise - I'm a... Read More

Price Your ClickBank Products for Maximum Profit

Choosing the right price for your digital products is one... Read More

Success with Adwords

Google's Adwords service has brought success to many businesses by... Read More

Pay-Per-Click Fraud Exposed--Part II

According to Andy Jones, a member of the Best Practices... Read More

3 Strategies to Profit When Click Prices Increase (Part 3 of 3 Series)

What is Average Customer Lifetime Value?Traditional business philosophy is that... Read More

The AdSense Formula for Making Money

I often get asked what the secret is to making... Read More

Pay-Per-Click Marketing & Natural Search Engine Traffic

PPC advertising has many great benefits. First of all, you... Read More

Increase SEO Sales by Teaching Clients about SEO Truths

In private consultations with some Search Engine Optimizers I am... Read More

Keyword Prices Decline 3.0% in the First Quarter of 2005

An analysis of web's most popular 20,000 keywords by TopPayingKeywords.com,... Read More

Googles AdWords Select(tm) Groundbreaking Program

One of the absolute best online marketing processes available to... Read More

Ten Tips for Affiliate Marketers Using Google AdWords

One of the hottest ways to sell affiliate products is... Read More

The Truth About Pay-Per-Click Ads

Are pay-per-click ads the best method of getting customers to... Read More

How to Quickly Create an Adsense Site That Brings In the Bucks

One of the hottest crazes for online marketers is Adsense... Read More

How To Get Banned From Google Adsense In Just 2 Clicks

The darkest nightmare a hardworking affiliate webmaster fears is receiving... Read More

Organic Natural Search Engine Optimization versus Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Advertising

When you purchase visitors or "clicks" from a search engine,... Read More

Find Powerful Keyword Phrases in Five Easy Steps!

You may not realize it, but in the next few... Read More

How to Save Money on the Adwords Network

Over the years I have had many accounts with Adwords,... Read More

The One Simple Trick That Can Double Your Adsense Revenue

I've been working with Google's Adsense program for a while... Read More

Irresistible Click-Me Tools for Marketing

Never mind the irritating, but effective, pop-up window. There is... Read More

How To Use Pay Per Click Ads Without Ruining Yourself

It may seem to be a very expensive way of... Read More