Overture http://www.overture.com
was one of the first search engines to implement a pay-per-click
strategy in their search results.
One of the biggest advantages of Overture is that your listing
will also appear in the search results of their partners'
sites, which include major search engines such as MSN, Yahoo,
Infospace, Lycos, AltaVista and Netscape.
To get started, you can use either their Fast Track or
Self Serve plan. The Fast Track plan is a little more expensive,
but it provides you with professional help in choosing your
keywords, cost-per-click, and more. It also provides you
with a turn-around time of approximately three days.
In contrast, the Self Serve plan has no service fee, and
you choose your own keywords and prices. Turn around time
is approximately five days.
Regardless of which route you choose to take, there is
an initial non-refundable deposit that is applied to your
clicks. A minimum monthly budget is also required, as well
as a minimum cost-per-click.
Google AdWords
Google itself
is not a pay-per-click search engine, but does features
a pay-per-click advertising program called Google AdWords
https://adwords.google.com/select/main.
AdWords allows you to purchase a sponsored listing. The
listings show up on the same page as other Google search
results, but appear in highlighted boxes to give them more
attention. One major advantage of AdWords is that your
ads start immediately; there is no three- to five-day waiting
period as there is with Overture.
Startup cost with Google is minimal and there is no
minimum monthly budget. You have unlimited free access
to your account which allows you complete control over your
ads, keywords and budget. You can choose whether or not
you want your listing to show up on their partner sites,
which include AOL, Earthlink and Sympatico, as well as which
countries and languages you want to target.
Your ad's position depends on two factors - cost-per-click
and click-through-rate. The higher your click-through-rate,
the less you'll have to pay for a top position.
Looksmart recently jumped on the pay-per-click bandwagon.
However, they take a different approach. With Looksmart,
all participants pay the exact same amount per click. Your
position or ranking depends on how well you write your title
and description.
The biggest advantage of getting listed with Looksmart
is that their results are fed to other major search engines
such as MSN, About.com, AltaVista, Netscape, and more.
Looksmart does charge a non-refundable startup fee and
also requires a deposit to activate your account. Choosing
keywords with Looksmart does not necessarily mean that your
site will receive a ranking with those keywords. It can
also take five days or more for your listing to be activated,
and all listings are subject to editorial review and approval.
Looksmart also charges a fee if you want to change your
listing in the future.
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