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The first post I made was about what to do with a $100 budget and a new website. Well using the advice I got I did very well over the xmas season.
I am back now and I have a much larger budget. I have been doing primarly overture and adwords, spending about $200/day between the two of them and this has worked great!
I will add some of the B team PPC engines soon just to cover bases and I am waiting for the next Google update to see if all my links and optimization for my site has paid off in this area.
I would like some help coming up with a strategy for PFI. I am already in Fast so I won't submit here but what about the other guys?
I feel like I should wait to see what happens with Inktomi before dumping money into them or should I get in early? I don't know.
I can spend $5000++ / month if the return is there, any suggestions?
I would also like to include branding into this campaign as I am in this for the long run not a quick buck.
Thanks in advance!
kman
This can reduce the need for PPC on "content" specific keywords & keyphrases allowing diversity in marketing. (e.g. holiday promotions) people may look of "widgets" normally but at Christmas look for "Christmas gifts", "gift ideas" more -- which the vast majority are also not normally your target market at any other "normal" time of year.
A few Yahoo listings is good to do as well.
I've only had the site for 6 weeks so its still too early to see how well my site will place. I am totaly comfortable with PPC and feel I have this area down pat.
What I need advice with is primarly PFI. You mentioned yahoo, but I really wouldn't spend the 300 bucks there until we can see what happens with the whole inktomi deal. I have fast covered but what about lycos, Teoma and the all the other guys any PFI engines out there that are just not worth it?
I am also running a commercial on cable TV soon, I have managed to get 500 spots for $1000. I figure this should give me a good idea if it is worth while.
Any other ideas out there? People always post on this board what to do with a small budget ect. and they get lots of response. Now nobody has any advice for someone with a full sized budget?
Well I am constantly working on my site and learning more and more about SEO everyday and I would not outsource any SEO services when I can do it myself, or at least try .
I've only had the site for 6 weeks so its still too early to see how well my site will place. I am totaly comfortable with PPC and feel I have this area down pat.
Cause and Effect I assume you pay yourself a wage, but it is unlikely you pay yourself to learn optimization techniques, appreciate search engine algorithms, anticipate new directions and trends in competitiveness, market reach and new market penetration, and more importantly what not to do.
PPC works well but by itself it isn't that cost effective.
If you sat down and factored in click to visits to sale conversions based on individual chosen keyword and/or keyphrases, some are much more profitable than others.
The best conversions tend to be those keyphrases that associate a noun - with a verb (generic product/service name with a action - buy, purchase, find, download, etc.)
>> widget << and >> widgets << may produce vast visitation but cost per sale increases substantially (you don't normally accommodate every possible use/need of widget(s) or even blue widget(s) for that matter.
If you took a portion of that expense turning it to SEO if you're top ranked on a keyword/keyphrase that has lower conversion rates, no need to pay per click.
What I need advice with is primarly PFI. You mentioned yahoo, but I really wouldn't spend the 300 bucks there until we can see what happens with the whole inktomi deal. I have fast covered but what about lycos, Teoma and the all the other guys any PFI engines out there that are just not worth it?
In general - effective SEO in Google pretty much covers most major online marketing channels. Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Teoma, Inkotmi, Netscape, Hotbot, Atlavista, Lycos, and AlltheWeb. (assuming that DMOZ and AdWords)is part of the strategy. Some of these may take a little time to propagate, but the big convertor are quick. Yahoo is my only exception.
I am also running a commercial on cable TV soon, I have managed to get 500 spots for $1000. I figure this should give me a good idea if it is worth while.
As with anything specific and precise (individual) campaign measurement is the only way to really determine if something works. TV can produce lots but it also has two major inherent disadvantages.
1. No direct conversion channel separate from others channels (it's more passive advertising particularly if dragging off-line to online.
2. Very effective branding is needed... people tend not the watch TV for ads thus the impulse fades quickly unless cognitive reconition has been carefully planned.
Any other ideas out there? People always post on this board what to do with a small budget ect. and they get lots of response. Now nobody has any advice for someone with a full sized budget?
Professional assistance is my first choice.
Second... If intent on "learn as you go"... customer support mechanisms. Build chat/forum into web site. Returning satisfied customers are more profitable than once only customers. Adding... back side support marketing is more important than front end advertsing when growth and sustainability is your concern.
Third... Interactive content development and linkage. In themselves - if you develop these on a ongoing basis you really won't need much else.
My two cents anyway.
I should have explained the products I sell my supplier drop ships them for me. So this leaves me with to spend 90% of my time marketing my site, I spend around 6-7 hours a day just marketing my site, this and dealing with customers is really all I do. I have taken the site from zero profit to being on target to net over $200,000, so my efforts have not been in vain.
Since my site is so new I have had no choice but to rely on PPC traffic and I have been coverting at around 3%. When wording my ads I always pre-qualify my traffic so I don't waste money on garbage traffic. The profit margin is very good on my products so I have a great ROI so far.
I have done pretty good with the recent google update but a month is a long time to wait for another change. This is why I wanted to look into PFI. I do realize that most of them realy don't drive much traffic compared to google but if I want brand my site I think I should show up everywhere.
This is part of the reason for the commercial. I realize that very few people that see my spot are going to get up from the couch, go to their computer and look up my site. BUT if they see my site in the serps this may increase my click through rate.
Do you really think that Yahoo would be good idea right now? I would like to wait to see what happens with Inktomi before I drop the cash.
I really appreciate your input you really seem to know your stuff and you have give me some new insite and helped me plan my strategy.
I may be just stubborn but I doubt I will hire anyone for SEO. There would be nothing left for me to do :(.
Thanks again for everything
Greater and ease of returns will be found by increasing your conversion rate from 3% and this can really only be accomplished by diversifying your web site; more content and diversity of content, more motivators and diversity of motivators, and more attention to customer support and service issues.
Based on your current returns though... you can inexpensively submit to Looksmart, Altavista, Teoma, Fast, (although Inktomi and Yahoo is likely where you will find additional returns) and develop Lycos Insite (adword variation) but the returns will be substantially less.
Note: Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN controls 80+ percent of search engine markets, thus an average of 3% conversion in the remainder is worth about 1/5th increase on current revenues but spread across many, many search channels (including Overture), again "market dependent".
I think If I really want to be a player in my industry I have no choice but to be listed everywhere possible. I should be really spending my time improving my user experience and increasing my conversions.
You are a very smart an Fathom. With my great success the last month I think I got a little cocky, you just proved that I have a long long way to go. This is of course great news since I also realize that there is a lot room for growth for my site.
Thanks!
I should be really spending my time improving my user experience and increasing my conversions.
And the key here is the visitor's experience. Many companies design for their own experience, and forget why they are developing for in the first place. Rarely does the company buy from itself.
Spend a great deal of time finding out what will motivate them after first visit. (to buy and to come back).
Obviously the 3% "buyers" don't need it but this will help produce customer loyalty.
Anything else you have Fathom is great appreciated!
Good luck KevinC, let us know how things turn out.
$200,000 net and you are worried about whether Yahoo is worth $300? Teoma worth $30?
$300 for Yahoo on those sorts of figures would put it in the "no-brainer" category. If you get a 3% conversion from PPC, then if you got the same from the Yahoo directory stuff (ignoring any other benefits that the directory listing gives you, like link pop and possible Inktomi goodies), you'd make your money back inside a few months.
Teoma, well that is a different kettle of fish. There has been a lot of talk about how good Teoma is going to be, but we have yet to see it, but again $30 is a pizza and a few beers.
As you rightly state a month is a long time to wait for things to happen. There is no guarantee you will get traffic if you go PFI, but at least you know your lottery ticket is in the drum.
You'll find that in time your ability to maintain things yourself will diminsh as you get more successful, but with this success will come less opportunity to keep on top of things, all of the good PPC work you do will start to unhinge, you will find yourself paying more than you need to, ROI will erode, as will turnover.
Regardless of whether you CAN do something yourself. At least if you can, you will know if someone you outsource to will be able to do what you did (or better). If I spent the time to learn I could do my own teeth, perform an appendectomy if I needed it, build my own car from scrap metal, cut my own hair etc.. but I prefer to pay experts in that field to do it for me.
Good luck with the venture though, it sounds exciting!
