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How
to make the most of GoTo.com
Teacher: Ken
Evoy
GoTo.com charges you "per-click" to
your site -- *you* decide how much to pay for each click by
bidding against others for the same word. Bidding starts at
a penny. You can bid for as many keywords as you like (must
be relevant to the website).
Last issue, we mentioned how
this was almost the exact opposite of RealNames, where you
pay US$100/year to buy a RealName. So your RN goal is to get
as many clicks as possible to your site for your FLAT FEE of
$100.
With GoTo.com, however, you almost
want the opposite.. as FEW clicks as possible. Why?
Because you pay for each click!
Now, you don't really want as
FEW clicks as possible... you want as FEW OFF-target visitors
as possible. So gear everything you do to maximizing on-target
visitors for the least amount of money.
Bottom line strategy?...
1) Bid for hundreds of ON-target
keywords, especially the less-obvious ones which will be quite
cheap to buy. Unfortunately, obvious, popular keywords have
become too expensive. I'll tell you this -- there's no way
I'm paying $5.00 for popular keywords -- not unless I'm selling
a product that has a profit of $500 and I have a 10% Conversion
Rate!
2) Write your Title and Description
so that *ONLY* your target market clicks (since each click
costs you). A GoTo searcher who reads your Title and Description
should clearly understand what she'll get if she clicks. If
it does not interest her, she'll give you a pass. Which is
EXACTLY what you want when it comes to GoTo.com.
That's GoTo 101. Now let's take
the advanced course.
GoTo.com is *NOT* your normal
search engine. You actually have to pay to get your site listed.
Ridiculous? Not really...
Think of GoTo.com as another
advertising media. Use it wisely, and you'll turn your advertising
dollars into handsome profits.
With GoTo.com you basically bid
for search term positioning. Each time someone clicks through
to your site via the link on GoTo.com, they charge you the
amount that you bid. Bidding starts at a penny. You can bid
for as many relevant keywords as you like.
Go see for yourself now. Do a
search at GoTo.com for a keyword that is important to your
business. See where it says, "Cost to advertiser: $_.__)" These
are what advertisers pay whenever someone clicks on their links.
You'll see that each rank lower costs less, of course.
If you do a search for a keyword
and you don't see any price listing, that means no one has
bid for that word yet. The entire bidless search results (and
those that appear below the lowest bid) are powered by Inktomi
(which also sells its search engine technology to Yahoo!, HotBot,
etc).
Don't be surprised to see bids
going as high as $5.00, or even higher. Money talks *loudly*
at GoTo.com. To get top positions, you either need to have...
BIG BUCKS
-or-
BIG SMARTS.
This issue of the EDGE will give
you the SMARTS! It will show you a step-by-step approach to
getting maximal bang for your GoTo.com advertising campaign.
It's a bit heavy going at times. But hang on tight... it's
worth it. :-)
1. How much is a click-through
worth to you?
2. Destination URL
3. Keyword Selection and Bids
4. Title and Description
5. Time to Blast Into Hyperdrive
6. Submitting Your Bids
7. Maintenance
8. Bits and Pieces
9. Conclusion
1. How much is a click-through
worth to you?
Before forking out any money,
always think of what you can get in return first (sorry, I'm
a mercenary guy here). So ask yourself... if you pay GoTo.com
$x per click-through, how much profit can you get in return?
Confused? A little math will
clear things up in a jiffy...
Suppose you are selling a digital
product (i.e., zero incremental per-unit cost of production)
at $50, and you have a 1% conversion ratio, i.e., you make
one sale for every 100 visitors. So one visitor is worth $0.50
($50/100), and that is the maximum amount you should bid at
GoTo.com for each keyword. We will call this your BID CAP.
----- SIDEBAR -----
To find out your conversion ratio,
check your website stats. If you're promoting an affiliate
program, find out if such information is available from the
affiliate stats page.
Your conversion ratio is the
best starting guide to determine your BID CAP. The CAP is just
an estimate, and should be refined along the way.
----- SIDEBAR -----
2. Destination URL
Isn't the destination obvious?
Not necessarily...
If you only sell one product,
yes... it's obvious -- just direct visitors to the URL where
you do your normal web selling. Of course, I'm assuming you
have Made a Site that SELLS!. :-)
But if you sell many products,
don't send every keyword search to your Home Page. Send each
one to your most relevant product page.
If you have a large Web store
with 500 SKUs, pick your most important 50. Create a special
page for each of those to land GoTo visitors upon. It should
contain solid content all about that product, From there, the
visitor can click straight into the shopping cart. (Gradually
expand this program for all of your products.)
Even send some to your e-zine
URL...
If you can't get them to buy
on their first visit, get them to buy on subsequent visits,
or even get them to buy something else! But there is only ONE
way for you to do this back-end selling -- you *must* first
get their email addresses.
You do publish an e-zine, right?
You **must, must, must** put up a subscription box to ask for
your visitors' email addresses! Once they give you their email
addresses, they are hooked to you, for life! (Or until they
unsubscribe, of course.) You can then send them periodic mails
and continue your gentle blend of sales pitch and content,
week after week, month after month, and year after year.
Getting the email address is
your Backup Response.
----- SIDEBAR -----
The Most Wanted Response and
the Backup Response are fully covered in MYSS!. They are critical
concepts. If you're a bit hazy, take a few minutes off to read
about them in MYSS!.
----- SIDEBAR -----
3. Keyword Selection and Bids
Now, the crucial step, and the
most time-consuming one... What keywords do you want to target?
For the sake of simplicity, I'm
using keywords, key phrases and search terms interchangeably
with one another.
GoTo.com recently issued their
new relevancy guide...
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/relevancy.jhtml.
Why the new guide? Because their
search results have been degrading! A direct result of advertisers
buying up hundreds and hundreds of irrelevant keywords to get
more traffic. GoTo.com is likely to go heavy on this one, so
*MAKE SURE* your keywords are relevant to your site, or it
won't be accepted by GoTo.com.
Here's GoTo.com global relevancy
standard...
"Advertisers may bid on a search
term if their Web site has content that is clearly and obviously
reflective of the search term, and their search listing (the
search title and description) accurately describes why their
Web site is listed for the search term."
The key point? It must be obvious
that your site is **about** your search term, or has obvious
links to it. Let's call this the "ABOUT" test...
If you bid for the keyword "panda," your
page must be *about* pandas. Having a cute little picture of
a panda on a page that discusses wild life does not make that
page relevant to the keyword.
But it should be OK if you created
a wonderful page all about pandas. This page would conclude
by leading into your main site, and the navbar would of course
present full-site navigation choices.
Remember, GoTo.com is just like
any other search engine. It needs to give relevant search results
to attract users. Or surfers will stop using it. Plain and
simple.
So put yourself in the shoes
of a GoTo.com reviewer. Take a hard look at your keyword, and
your page. Are they consistent with each other? Does it pass
the "ABOUT" test? Would *YOU* approve it if *YOU* were GoTo.com?
GoTo.com's new relevancy guide
has some good examples on listings that are considered relevant.
Use them as references...
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/relevancy.jhtml
If you're new to GoTo.com, I
suggest that you start off with about 50 search terms as a
test to make sure that you are doing everything correctly.
No point submitting thousands
of keywords, only to have them rejected. Once your listing
has been approved, usually within 3-5 business days, build
up more search terms gradually. If you already have an account
with GoTo.com, you will quickly hear if any of your search
term falls short of their relevancy requirement.
Ready to brainstorm your keywords?
-----SIDEBAR-----
We discuss several keyword-brainstorming
techniques in MYSS!. Now would be a good time to review those.
We'll cover a couple with specific applicability here.
-----SIDEBAR-----
First, open your word processor,
text editor, spreadsheet, database or any thing where you can
jot down notes. Done? Ok, let's get rolling!
Go to...
http://inventory.goto.com/inventory/Search_Suggestion.jhtml
This is the GoTo.com Suggestion
Tool, and is extremely useful to our brainstorming exercise.
Suppose you are offering web
design services. Enter "web design" and click "Find it." This
gives you a list of all searches that were done in the preceding
month that contained or were related to "web design", and also
how many times each search term was requested.
This is what you get (may change
by the time you read this)...
Count Search Term
20950 web design
15979 web site design
3749 web page design
574 web design firm
543 free web design
469 web design company
409 e-commerce web design
326 free web page design
245 web design software
207 web design award
<SNIP>
Wow, you are in a highly competitive
area! Tens of thousands of searches have been made. Can you
imagine the kind of traffic you get if you occupy the top position?
But it doesn't come cheap...
Do a search for "web design" at
GoTo.com. The top position will cost you $2.53 per click! Sorry,
this way exceeds your BID CAP of $0.50 (we worked this out
earlier in the first section, remember?).
So what position can you get
with $0.50? The 47th position, which is listed on the second
page. Take note, for the same bid, GoTo.com works on a first-come
first-served basis. That is, your new $0.50 bid will appear
at the end of all existing $0.50 bids.
If you look carefully, you realize
that you can easily get a first page listing, without spending
**much** more. If you just increase your bid by 1 cent, you
get the 38th position, a first page listing. Remember, our
BID CAP is just a ballpark estimate. Be flexible. And be observant.
1 cent to improve 9 positions and get a first page listing?
It's a steal!
Jot down the search term "web
design" and the corresponding bid of "$0.51" in your word processor
(or text editor, spreadsheet, database, etc.).
Let's look at the second relevant
search term that our GoTo.com Suggestion Tool has generated
-- "web site design." Now enter "web site design" and let the
Suggestion Tool churn out our second list of related search
terms.
Count Search Term
15979 web site design
99 how to design a web site
90 free web site design
55 web site design company
50 best web site design
49 web site design services
44 web site design award
43 web site design software
35 web site design new jersey
33 design web site
<SNIP>
This second list is slightly
different from the first list that we've generated. It is more
*related* to "web site design." Due to the similarity between "web
design" and "web site design," expect some duplication in both
lists.
Repeat the same procedure. Do
a search at GoTo.com for "web site design." Good news! This
time you get to sit at the 27th position with a $0.50 bid.
Continue with the second search
term of your second list -- "how to design a web site." Good
news, again. :-) The top bid is only $0.11, way below your
$0.50 CAP. You can now get a top position at $0.12.
Make sure you note down all this
information (i.e., your search term and bid). You need them
later.
The next term is "free web site
design." Do you really offer free design service? If you offer
free trial design service or something like that, you qualify
for this search term. Remember GoTo.com's relevancy guide that
we discussed earlier? We don't want to trick the search engines,
or your visitors. We only want *targeted visitors*.
Let's move on to the fourth term "web
site design company." Take a hard look at the search results.
Yes, you can buy the first position for $0.19. But wait, if
you look closer, you'll find something of real value...
Check out the bids for the 4th
and 5th listing -- 15 cents and 4 cents respectively. Now that
is a very wide spread! Why? Because people are lazy, and they
didn't do their homework... Unlike you. :-)
If you just bid at 5 cents, you
get the 5th position. That is a good saving of 14 cents! Of
course, you miss out some traffic from the top position. But
if you can craft an interesting title and a compelling description,
you more than make up for it, especially if the focus of your
product and the target market are different from those ahead
of you (more on title and description later).
Here's a great little tool that
spots the "bid holes" quickly and accurately...
http://www.jimtools.com/gotocost/index.html
Bottom line --> Do your home
work and be observant, and you'll get better deals. :-)
Just repeat the same procedure
until you're done with the second list. Then, using the first
list, generate the third list, and the forth list, and the...
You get the idea, right? :-)
Tough work? You bet! But you
don't have to do it all in one go. Spread it out. Like I said,
if you're just starting out with GoTo.com, begin with just
50 search terms. Build up your list gradually.
A few more tips. If "web" is
in your search term list, make sure you also include "web site" and "website" in
the list. Similarly, include "e-mail" if you have "email," "ecommerce" if
you have "e-commerce," and so on. Don't miss out such related
terms. They can greatly expand your list.
And forget about pluralizing
your search term. GoTo.com has a powerful pluralizing feature
that does this automatically for you. So the search results
for "web design" and "web designs" are exactly the same.
Still not enough keywords? Then
try the JimTools Keyword Research Tool at...
http://www.jimtools.com/keywords/index.html
This slick little keyword-generator
will come up with a whole bunch more for you! It searches the
major search engines for your keywords, then examines the meta
tags and page contents of the top rated pages to develop a
list of words that those sites consider important.
Combine these two tools together
(GoTo's Suggestion Tool and Jim's Keyword Research Tool) and
you can easily generate thousands of keywords.
4. Title and Description
You pay for every click-through.
So word your title and description carefully -- weed out the "off-target" click.
Here's how...
Write your title and description
so that they...
o *REALLY* relate to the keywords
that you are bidding
o *REALLY* are relevant to your
site -- you definitely do not want to trick anyone to your
site.
o compete effectively against
listings before and after you.
o shout "Click Me! Click Me!" But
only the right customers hear the shout!
Unlike other search engines,
your bid is the only thing that determines your search position
in GoTo.com. Does that mean you don't have to worry about working
your keyword into the title or description? Well, although
your search position will not be affected, your click-through
rate will...
Based on GoTo.com's own research,
including your keyword in your title and/or description actually
increases your click-through rate, sometimes by as much as
50%. This is a fact, so we shall use it to our advantage.
Let's continue with our "web
design" case. You are looking for people to sell your web design
service to.
So your title (maximum 40 characters)
might be...
"Looking for web design services?"
And your description (maximum
190 characters) could be...
"We provide a full range of services
to cater to all your web design needs. Affordable and professional.
For a limited time only, we give you a... "
Read the description and tell
me honestly, are you keen to find out more? Absolutely! Why?
Because it's a real teaser... But it only teases those looking
for a Web designer. Perfect!
-----SIDEBAR-----
Getting a click-through from GoTo.com is different from getting a click-through
from other search engines. With other search engines, all you want is traffic,
the more the merrier. All click-throughs are free.
But with GoTo.com, you only want
targeted traffic, because you PAY for every single click-through.
If you trick your visitors with your title and description,
yeah, you get lots of traffic. But it's non-targeted traffic
that does *NOT* buy. All you get is a big GoTo bill!
Also, make sure you have a web
site that really SELLS. Otherwise you're just wasting your
click-throughs, and your money, and only make GoTo.com happier.
:-(
-----SIDEBAR-----
Let's do one more example to
make sure you understand this important point...
Let's say that you have bid a
penny for "commercial lawyers." You want to...
a) Attract lawyers who want to
sell their services through the Web.
b) Repel people who are looking
for commercial lawyers. They're looking for a lawyer, not for
ways to sell their legal services on the Web.
So your title (maximum of 40
characters) might be...
"Commercial Lawyer? Sell Your
Services!"
And the description (maximum
of 190 characters) could be...
"Are you a commercial lawyer?
The Web is the perfect way to build your business. Special
commercial niche? Clientele global in nature. Here's how to
use the Net to expand your business."
Of course, your Web site should
have a "law theme." And the destination page should be about
commercial law.
5. Submitting Your Bids
Ok, you have done all your homework
-- keywords, bids, title, description, and a killer web site
that really SELLS. You are ready...
Open your GoTo.com account. You
only need to begin with a deposit of $25, which will be gradually
depleted with every click-through.
Download the Power Advertiser
Change Form at...
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/powerform.jhtml
This is actually an Excel template
where you can submit a large number of search terms for approval...
If you are not comfortable with
Excel or you only have a few keywords to bid (say, fewer than
20), use the Online Change Request Form (below the links where
you download the Excel spreadsheets)...
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/adchange.jhtml
Remember the notes that you've
made along the way -- keywords, bids, titles and descriptions?
Just do some cutting and pasting, and then submit your bids.
-----SIDEBAR-----
None of this is hard. Each step is quite easy, but there *are* a lot of steps.
If you learn faster with an experienced person showing you one-on-one,
take advantage of GoTo.com's $99 Express Service. More info at...
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/adchange.jhtml
-----SIDEBAR-----
6. Time to Blast Into Hyperdrive
OK, now that you've got your
feet wet, you're ready to go big-time.
The real key to success with
GoTo is to work the fringes. Brainstorm hundreds, even thousands,
of lesser-searched-but-relevant keywords.
Phew! Don't faint -- just do
10 per day. In a month, you'll start to feel the build. This
is a "the race goes to the tortoise" affair.
Use the GoTo.com Excel spreadsheet
template to accelerate the process.
7. Maintenance
GoTo.com has a useful web-based
account management interface. It's called DirecTraffic Center...
https://secure.goto.com/s/dtc/center/
Use it to...
o add more money to your account
(You can even opt to have your account topped up automatically.)
o view online reports about your
keywords
o make changes, including adjusting
your bids in real time.
Due to the dynamic Internet environment,
you need to regularly update your GoTo.com listing to maintain
a steady flow of traffic. As you get more traffic and sales
stats, you may want to change your bid, title, description,
and/or destination URL to better suit your needs.
If you do nothing, I'm afraid
your traffic from GoTo.com may drop. As GoTo.com becomes more
popular, its customer base will expand and higher bids will
be made. This only pushes your listing position down. A lower
position means less traffic.
Of course, if GoTo.com's USER-SEARCHER
base expands more than its CUSTOMER-ADVERTISER base, the increase
in searches made at GoTo.com may make up for the reduced traffic
from your lower listing position. Only time will tell.
And if GoTo gets too expensive,
there are several GoTo clones ready to help you find cheaper
solutions (more on this below).
One word of caution...
Want to change a listing title
and/or description WITHOUT increasing the bid? Make sure your
change is a substantial improvement. Why?
GoTo.com ranks sites, for the
same keyword bid, on a first-come first-served basis. A re-submission,
for the same bid, will be considered a new submission. Once
approved, it will be listed right at the end of all other sites
of the same bid. Be careful on this!
8. Bits and Pieces
a) Additional exposures
If your GoTo.com listing is in
the top 10 positions, it will show up in meta-search engines
such as DogPile.com. In DogPile.com, it will be listed in the
first page of results. MetaCrawler.com also displays GoTo.com
listings.
b) Advice from GoTo.com
Please read these reports to
maximize your results...
Ten Ways to Maximize Your Clickthroughs
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/tips/
Listing Relevancy Guide
http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/relevancy.jhtml
c) GoTo.com Clones
With the success of GoTo.com,
a few other pay-for-clicks search engines have surfaced. The
notable ones, in approximate order of importance) are...
RocketLinks (the most popular
clone)
http://www.rocketlinks.com
Kanoodle
http://www.kanoodle.com
FindWhat
http://www.findwhat.com
SimpleSearch
http://www.simplesearch.com
OneSearch
http://www.onesearch.com
Should you advertise with them?
They are certainly less popular than GoTo.com, so bids are
also much lower. But they do not attract the same volume of
traffic like GoTo.com, and their customer service may not be
up to par.
Advice about the clones? Since
you only pay per-click, follow the strategies outlined above
and you should do fine.
9. Conclusion
This is probably the most cost-effective
advertising on the Net today. Take advantage of it while it
lasts. The key for the "rest of us?" Work the fringes...
If you have never made it to
the top placements in other search engines, you will certainly
do so at GoTo.com. Now that you have the full scoop, the rest
is up to you.
Good luck! :-)
About the teacher:
Ken Evoy, M.D.,
President of GoodBytes Information Products Inc. and author of
the best selling Make Your Site Sell! http://webmasters.sitesell.com The
article was originally published in Ken's "Sales from the EDGE" newsletter
and is reproduced here with kind permission.(c) copyright 2000
GoodBytes Information Products Inc.
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