I am sure we are all familiar with the term “If it’s too good to be true…it probably is.” in the world of the internet this is usually the case. I am sure that you have all seen ads or e-mails that claim to get you thousands of hits a day. The internet seems to be full of these companies that are promising large amounts of traffic at a fraction of the cost of normal PPC, but is it really worth it?

What these companies do really depends on the method they use to get traffic. Some use browser tool bars, some use spyware programs, some use instant messenger, and some even use viruses. Have you ever seen a “free toolbar” or some other “free tool” that you install on your computer? That’s them and they are everywhere. Of course not all of these tools are bad but how are you supposed to know which ones are and are not spyware, its simply not possible in most cases. Because of this fact these programs spread across the internet and get hundreds of thousands of users.

The problem is that these users may not actually be visiting your site at all. Once again it falls to the method of choice for the traffic company but it could be pop-up ads, pop-under ads, or even bot traffic. What this means is that if you sign up for a traffic program, your page may now have become spam. Your website would be popping up on thousands of desktops world wide to people who could not care less about your products. With bot traffic, it’s even worse in that the user may not even know they went to a website at all. Their computer automatically visits the site for them, with out them ever knowing.

You can see why these paid traffic companies are often a bad idea, and why you should avoid them. The traffic is so cheap that many only need one sale to cover the cost, but so is its quality.

If you really want quality traffic that converts, the only way is to stick to what works. Stick to reputable companies with proven track records and always research a company before you enter into a contract with them. A simple internet search could save you hundreds of dollars and your reputation. It may take more time and cost a little more, but it’s better than the alternatives.

When it comes to pay per click advertising, it is important to ensure that you are being seen for your own name. Seems like a no brainer, right? Surprisingly, one of the most common misconceptions I hear (almost daily) is when clients’ tell me they already show up in the organic search results under their own name; thus there is no need to spend additional advertising dollars. This could not be any further from the truth. Here are just a few reasons why it’s extraordinarily beneficial to bid on your own name.

• Showing up under both the organic and paid results in a search engine will reinforce your brand, as well as add credibility to your company.
• Not all searchers are the same, and therefore search behavior will be unique across the board. Some will only click on paid ads, while others only organic ads. You ought to appear in both areas so as not to lose potential eyes to your site!
• It is perfectly legitimate and quite prevalent in the world of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) for your competition to bid on your name. Google and Yahoo are 2 of the main players today and also hold the largest online market share; according to a recent article which revealed Google at 69 % and Yahoo at 19%. Both engines permit this activity, which means that a competitor can snatch away your searcher without doing anything illegal; provided they do not use your actual name in their ad copy.
• As many as three paid listings can appear above a natural result, which will allow any company the chance to lure your prospective customer away. Keep in mind: this is a customer who was initially looking for YOU!

Online Advertising has become increasingly competitive. If you want to make a name for yourself, it is essential to stay ahead with your competition! How does that old saying go? If I had a nickel for every time people told me it was not necessary to bid on their company name…

Yahoo has recently added a new feature to their engine that is changing the way we search. The feature is called “Search Assist” and it predicts what you’re searching for and offers suggestions as you type. While this is a new feature for Yahoo, this system has been around for sometime in the Google Toolbar and on Ask.

Search Assist is a great tool and makes life easier for those who use it. It allows you to get results by typing fewer keystrokes and helps you find what you are looking for when you don’t know the exact words to use. However, search assistance brings some new implications for search engine marketing.

Anytime new search features are introduced, people’s search patterns are usually altered. This means that search engine marketers have to understand and adapt. One of the effects of search assistance is that people will create longer searches. Long tail searches will become more common and this will mean more traffic for those keywords.

Another interesting effect is on branding. When typing a brand or company name in the search engine, popular results are suggested as relevant news articles or related keywords. It is interesting what is suggested when you type in the names of certain products. For example, when you type “diet coke” into Yahoo, the first suggestion on the list is for “diet coke and mentos”. Adding mentos to diet coke leads to a major eruption that makes for a cool science experiment. However, marketers at the Coca-Cola Company might not want that to be the first thing suggested to people who type in their product.

Search suggestions are just one of the many ways we’ll see our search behavior change in the next few years. The effect of the suggestions will be even bigger when Google launches search suggestions on its main search page. Little changes, like a list of suggested queries will have some profound effects. Search engines play such a major role in the internet that it doesn’t take a drastic change to cause a serious impact on organizations.