Search Advertising Services
Every second there are approximately 60,000+ searches performed on the internet across different search engines. OEPMA knows how to craft effective search advertising campaigns that show up when searchers are looking for something you offer.
Search Advertising FAQ
What is search advertising, paid search, search engine advertising, etc?
Note: All of those phrases in the question mean the same thing. We refer to it as “search advertising” on this page.
Search engines, like Google and Bing, allow advertisers to show text-based ads on search results that they serve users who are completing searches with their product.
Google and Bing serve an add based on a keyword. When the ad is clicked, Google or Bing is paid by the advertiser based on the amount that was bid for the ad. This is also known as “pay-per-click” because the transaction between Google and Bing only happens if an ad is clicked.
These types of ads are shown above and below the organic listings.
How can search advertising help my business?
With a detailed plan, search advertising can do wonders for your business. The most significant advantage of this type of promotion is that it is controlled. You can turn it on and cut it off any time you please, depending upon how much money you have to spend.
You’re not locked into any contract with Google or Bing. If done correctly, search advertising can provide your business with leads and sales instantly. For some, it can serve as their main line of business, and for others, it can bring some activity here and there. It all depends on your industry and your advertising mix and budget.
How much of my budget should I dedicate to search advertising?
It depends. Answering this question with something like “25% IS A MUST!” would be a disservice to you. It all depends on your goals, your industry, and your current advertising mix.
If you have never participated in search advertising, we’d suggest you dip your toe in and see what’s going on. You don’t have to break the bank just to see what’s going on. You’ll want to dip your toe in with someone who knows what they’re doing, however. That is very important.
If you have someone in your office do it that isn’t experienced, we can guarantee you that you will have an underwhelming (at best) and costly (at worst) experience.
How does location work in Search Advertising?
How do Keywords work in Search Advertising?
Keywords are the words or phrases being typed or spoken into a search engine where you would like to serve ads in the search engine results page, also known as SERP. A straightforward example would be for a florist around Valentine’s Day using the following keywords to drum up some business:
roses
dozen roses
valentines roses
If someone wants to get their significant other roses and searches online for deals, hopefully, the florist’s website link will show up. If he has a useful landing page and a competitive bid, it most likely will.
Not all keywords are created equal. There are match types involved with search advertising that allow you to tailor everything down to exactly what you want.
The match types are:
Exact Match – example: [one dozen roses]
The florist’s ad will only show up when someone searches one dozen roses. It will not show up when someone searches roses by the dozen or even I need a dozen roses for my wife. It will only show up if someone types one dozen roses into the search engine.
Phrase Match – example: “one dozen roses”
The florist’s ad will display if someone uses that phrase in a search even if something comes before or after it. The ad will show up for “I need one dozen roses for my wife,” it will not show up for “roses by the dozen” or “dozen roses for wife.”
Broad Match – example: one dozen roses
The florist’s ad will show up if those words, synonyms of those words, misspellings of those words, or related searches of those words are present in a search. This ad may display for “one dozen flowers for my wife,” and “why are roses grouped by the dozen?”
Modified Broad – example: +one +dozen +roses
The florist’s ad will show if these three words or variations are present within a search. This ad will display for “one dozen roses for my wife,” and “why do men give one dozen roses to their loved one on valentine’s day?” It will not show for “roses by the dozen.”
Keyword strategy is essential, and there is a lot that goes into it. Without proper knowledge of how they work, you could waste money. It’s also an ongoing process. You have to keep up with what people are searching for and seeing if it’s relevant. If it’s not, then you can start adding negative keywords to serve your ROI better.
With every new client, before we even start to build their Search Advertising accounts, we do days worth of research on both keywords and negative keywords. It usually involves a very detailed conversation with you to get to know your business and figuring out what goals you’re trying to accomplish.
What are negative keywords in Search Advertising?
Think of keywords as a Welcome Mat at your front door. You have invited these people in, and you want to show them your place. Negative keywords are like a bouncer at a bar. They get rid of unwanted visitors.
Negative keywords are critical. You simply cannot ignore them if you’re running a campaign with many broad matches or modified broad keywords. Let’s stay with the example from above and focus on the Modified Broad. In that example, the ad showed on a common question that might be typed in around Valentine’s Day.
Search Text: why do men give one dozen roses to their wife on valentine’s day?
The florist’s ad is showing up for that because it contains the three words in the broad modified search, and it would most likely show for the broad search as well. If the florist wanted to head off any type of curious questions like this that would not net a sale, he could add the negative keyword of “why” to his Roses Ad Group.
Now, when someone is curious about Valentine’s Day social norms involving roses, he won’t pop up and risk wasting money on a click with a very low probability of conversion into a paying customer.
Again, this is very important if you have any kind of broad or modified broad campaign. We’re continually adding negative keywords to campaigns that we have been managing for months and years. You can never stop fine-tuning your search campaigns. If you do, you risk losing money and crashing your ROI.
