Pottz dot net - Web Ramblings

Paying for search-results placement has been around for a while, but you may have yet to try this incredibly measurable way of driving traffic to your Web site.

You only pay for the placement if someone actually clicks on your link, not if they just see it and do nothing–therefore, you’re really paying for performance. By spending as little as $2 or $3 per day, anyone can participate, and placements can be live in minutes.

Here are some specific tips you can try to attract your target audience:

Pay for extremely specific terms.
For instance, avoid words like “art,” since many people will bid for it–winning it would be expensive and the term is not as targeted as you would like. Instead, bid for “moscow art” or “moscow gallery,” (if that’s your niche), which do a much better job of reaching your core audience.

Works best for content-rich sites.
The practice of paying for search results is recommended more for people with content-rich and content-specific sites. For example, if you have a site that specializes in “vintage railroad facts,” you’ll have a ton of opportunities to target your desired audience, and it won’t be very expensive. However, if your site is just a list of online auction sites, you’ll probably have more competition for your key search words.

Get ready to test everything.
The benefit of these services is that they give you a lot of data. They show you how many people searched for your keyword, and how many clicks you’ve received. You can then watch your server logs to see the increase in traffic and compare it to your daily sales and visits.

At the end of the day you have to make sure that you have content that will keep your visitors coming back. No matter how many visitors you attract with paid search listings, you need to be sure they’re given a reason to return.