Advertising in Search

In today’s technologically-advanced world, almost everything is digital. Almost every business has its own website or an online setup on the world wide web. Since the start of the 20th century, online activities have continued to grow. The same can be said about online sales. In this article, we will discuss advertising in search and how you can benefit from it. 

In our article about SEO, we discussed how search engines choose what results to display. As a quick recap, they display results to search queries based on their proprietary algorithms. These algorithms constantly change to avoid those who are using Blackhat SEO and forbidden SEO tactics. 

Now, there are several search engines that people use. Most commonly, people use Google. Each search engine uses their own formula to determine what results to display for every search query. 

According to PEW internet, approximately 73% of all Americans use search engines. Out of those 73%, 59% uses search engines on a daily basis. Not only that, but 91% of people who expressed they use search engines say that they find what they are looking for most of the time. 

This can only mean that search engines are getting so much traffic because they deliver such a high value to their users. But where do these search engines get their revenue to keep their operations running? And with so many search engines to choose from, how do you know if you are choosing their right one? These queries will be answered in this article. 

Which search engine is the best one for you?

As we said, there are so many search engines nowadays. Most of the time, when you purchase a smartphone, a tablet, or a computer, a built-in web browser is already installed. This web browser has its own search engine ready for you to use. The web browser and search engine depends on the brand of your device. 

You can also choose to install your preferred web browser, too. Most of the time, the differences between these search engines and browsers are small in terms of editorial policy. However, they do have their own different user interface that sets them apart. 

There are also a few theories going around that these different platforms serve different industries better. For instance, it was theorized that Yahoo does better than Google when it comes to travel advertising. 

However, it is important to bear in mind that all of these are subjective. And most large advertisers know how crucial it is to run PPC campaigns on a number of platforms. If you are unsure what platform or search engine would serve your business best, then do some testing.

Just like in every single aspect of digital marketing, split testing is the key to finding which platform suits you best. Currently, the most popular search advertising platform is Google Adwords. They are considered as the standard in the industry. 

Google Adwords allows its users to transact in any currency of their choice, so anyone from all over the world can use it. On top of that, Google Adwords is also tied to a comprehensive analytics tool. They offer multiple training programmes and certifications. 

When it comes to contextual and geographical targeting worldwide, Google Adwords is also considered the best as of this writing. On the other hand, there are also other options such as Bing Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads, and YouTube video ads that offer geo-targeting. 

How to Structure your Search Advertising Campaign

Just like in any marketing or advertising campaign, you need to have a plan in search advertising. Plans are crucial, and you should not just create a whole stream of ads and expect everything to go the way you want to. 

Remember that your AdWords account is where your ads reside. Every ad that you are currently running will live inside your AdWords account, so it is extremely important that it is structured properly to reflect your business and marketing strategy.

Fortunately, Google AdWords makes it easier for everyone to be organized. Inside the platform, you can easily organize your search advertisements in different groups called campaigns. These campaigns should be organized based on your strategy and the ads you are running.

Not only that, but you can also separate the ad groups inside each campaign. The ad groups are sets of ads that have a common characteristic and focus. 

For instance, if you are running a fitness brand online, you may have ad groups focused around specific needs such as weight training equipment, resistance equipment, etc. You can also create ad groups and campaigns on special offers. You can also choose to have ad groups around general themes such as promoting your local store or making online sales.

A Clearer Picture on How Campaigns and Groups are Set up

The main constituents of an AdWords campaign. (Source: Google, 2008)

If you structure your account based on this Google Adword photo, you will easily oversee every aspect of each campaign. This includes advertising spend, ROIs, customer acquisition costs, and more. 

This model structure also helps you determine the effectiveness of your ads. Google Adwords also make it easier for advertisers to manage your ads and bids. And you can easily switch off any ads that aren’t working effectively.

Naturally, in order for this to work, you need to have a detailed plan, as we mentioned above. By having a detailed plan, you can easily compare it to your dashboard in Google Adwords and see which campaigns are going as expected, and which ones are not working just as well. 

These are only some of the major things you need to remember when it comes to advertising in search. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand advertising in search of better. In the next article, we will continue our search advertising series and talk about the elements of a search ad and how to write an effective copy. See you then!

© Image credits to Negative Space