The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
October 2008, Volume 7, Issue 10
Second Tier Search Engines & PPC
By George Gayl, Search Marketing Specialist, iProspect
Just like the expansion of specialty television and radio stations, magazines, and websites, search engines are following suit to keep up with what consumers want: relevance. And as niche, second tier search engines emerge and gain audience, it’s important for marketers to consider the various methods of search that their target audience engages in online.
More is Not Always Better
Chances are, your target audience probably relies on one of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo!, or MSN, so optimizing and targeting your PPC campaigns in these search properties is certainly crucial. However, keep in mind that the major search engines might justify the quality of their audience by the sheer magnitude of people using their services. Moreover, impressions – and even clicks – are commonly diluted by unqualified traffic. Be wary of this – it isn’t always about volume; more is not always better. In fact, targeted campaigns yield more desirable results. Fortunately, second tier engines offer exactly that.
Evaluating Tier Two Possibilities
Tier two search engines like Ask.com, 7search, LookSmart, or employment search engines like Indeed and SimplyHired are gaining awareness amongst their corresponding user bases. Some other tier two search engines include ValueClick, Kanoodle, ABCSearch, MIVA, Business.com, and Industry Brains.
With so many second tier search engines out there, you need to research which ones apply to your industry and determine where your target audience searches. A great way of doing this is to keep tabs on the traffic analytics of your website. For example, each month you might notice that some organic traffic arrives from a common domain. Seize the opportunity and explore it. You never know, it could end up being a relevant tier two engine that has a PPC program.
Test & Refine
The performance of your PPC campaigns in second tier search engines is likely to vary depending on your industry and the particular engine. Given that, testing is a must. Simply designate a budget for testing campaigns in multiple tier two engines, and be sure to create variations of ad copy, and monitor the traffic and conversions for each. Then, refine for improvements.
Things to Consider
Keep in mind that since second tier engines are less competitive, there is a good chance that your average CPC will be lower than that of the major engines. However, even though these smaller, niche search engines can prove successful, there are certainly some things to watch out for. For instance, customer service levels may vary considerably, click fraud detection technology may not be as robust as that of the more experienced, leading search engines, and audience-targeting options may also be less sophisticated.
Overall, relevance is more important to users than ever, and second tier search engines continue to emerge to improve it. Additionally, these engines also offer marketers a means to better reach their target audience. Smart search marketers will explore which second tier engines best match their audience, and capitalize on all they have to offer.
