Google vs Yahoo

Have you heard all about Google Ad Words or other online marketing options, but have no idea where to start and how you can make it work for your business? Well thanks partly due to the economy and the intense competition between the search giants, Google and Yahoo are going head to head to offer small businesses a free introductory offer of up to $150 for their search marketing products. If you’d like to get your hands on your share, keep reading.

Google is offering a free $75 advertising trial to their popular Ad Words product to assist small business in boosting their online presence. If you haven’t come across AdWords before, in a nutshell, it allows you to sponsor certain search words/phrases, and a link to your website is displayed when those words are searched. For example, if you were selling furniture in Bunbury, you might sponsor ‘furniture bunbury’. The complicated bit is when you have to bid for the term/phrase against others who also want to sponsor them. If implemented correctly, it can be a very cost effective way to direct traffic towards your website and is completely controlled by your set marketing budget. If until now it’s all been too hard, take advantage of the $75 offer and learn some more about it. But hurry – it expires at the end of July.

Yahoo’s BIG BANG offer is a little different. First, you need to qualify, so it is not available to everyone like Google’s. But, what you do receive is $150 search marketing campaign over 3 months, with your campaign set-up and managed by a certified Yahoo consultant. You also receive some ad space on the Yahoo7 and ninemsn websites (although there is no specification of how much, and where). Yahoo’s search advertising system works very similar to Google’s, although with the added advantage of Yahoo consultants always available to assist you in your campaign development. Yahoo’s application deadline is also the
31st July.

Search marketing might not be for everyone and it does take maintenance, but if there is an opportunity to learn a little more and try something out for free, my advice is to take it! It’s like running a free TV ad just to see whether it works! My only advice is to keep your search marketing strategic – don’t just sponsor a popular word for the sake of it, like many companies do. Do your research, or consult an expert, about what terms and budgets are right for you.

If you’d like some more information on either of these offers, I urge you to contact me. We can assist you to set-up your search campaign, and if you feel it has been successful, we can help you implement and maintain it into the future. We manage several of our client’s search marketing campaigns and know the ins and outs of the system, which can take away the pain and time required to keep it fresh and up to date.

Well done Google and Yahoo for not forgetting the little guys!