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I already have thousands of people visiting my web site because I have a very well known brand name. Why would I want to pay for sponsored links?

The answer here is actually pretty simple.  No matter how many people search for your brand name, there are many times more people looking for your product categories.  An example will illustrate the case.  "Toshiba" is one of our better known computer manufacturers, and laptops is one of their largest categories.  Their brand name -- "Toshiba" -- was searched around many thousand times in July 2009.  Those searches would have found the manufacturer.  However, the search volume opportunity for the word "laptop" was signifcantly in the same month.  If Toshiba doesn't come up in the search results for "laptop", it misses out on the opportunity to speak to all those people searching.

Try this test.  Search for your own brand name and see if loyal customers can find you -- the results should be pleasing.  Then, search for your biggest product category (or most profitable, or fastest selling) and see if your potential customers still find you -- the results may be sobering.

What is Google's Keyword tool and what are some tips for using it?

The Keyword Tool is a great way to find new keywords for your ad campaigns. Try using it to:

• Find keywords based on your site content. Instead of entering your own keywords, try using the Website Content option. It lets you enter the URL of your business website, or of any site related to your business. The AdWords system will then scan your page and then suggest relevant keywords. (This feature is available only in some languages.)


• Create new, separate ad groups with similar keywords. We recommend creating several ad groups in each campaign, each with a small, narrowly-focused set of similar keywords. Use the Keyword Tool to discover relevant keywords, then divide them into lists of 5 to 20 similar terms. See examples of ad groups promoting a single product or service and multiple products or services.


• Identify negative keywords. The Keyword Tool can show you off-topic keywords that users may be thinking about. Suppose you sell Plasma TV's and you give the Keyword Tool the 'plasma tv.' It may suggest the related term 'guide' and you may want to add that term to your ad group as a negative keyword. That will keep your ad from showing on searches for 'tv guide' or similar terms. This helps make sure only interested customers see your ads.


• Find synonyms - or not. The Use synonyms box in the Descriptive words or phrases option is always checked by default. (This means it might suggest 'bed and breakfast' as a synonym for the keyword 'hotel.') If you uncheck the box, the tool will suggest only keywords that contain at least one of the terms that you entered.


• Specify a language and location. If you're using the Keyword Tool while signed in to your account, you may see an option to tailor results to a particular location and language. If you happen to be targeting Spanish speakers who live in France, make sure you set the Keyword Tool to that language and location.


• Start broad and then get specific. Try broad terms like 'cameras' in the Keyword Tool first. Then try specific terms like 'video camera' or 'slr'.

How do I measure the value of Search traffic coming to my website from consumers in the 'consideration' and 'research' stages of the purchase cycle?

Quite often Search users come to your website through keywords that do not convert immediately to sales. These keywords are introductory terms, serving to create engagement with your brand and raise awareness of your products and services. Therefore, although not instantly effective in terms of sales, these terms can be incredibly important as the user moves from “curious” to “interested” to “consideration” to "purchase".

Just like with all other media, there needs to be financial accountability for any marketing that is incurred in raising awareness or brand engagement. So with respect to Search Marketing, how can you measure the value of those keyword terms that do not convert to sales?

Avinash Kaushik (Web Analytics Expert) gives a simple solution:

1) Understand each stage of the customer purchase life cycle.

2) Map your keyword portfolio to each of those life cycle stages (curious, awareness, interested, consideration, purchase etc).

3) Measure success of keywords in each step differently: - "Early stage / upper funnel / long tail keywords" are significantly cheaper, let’s hold them to a lower standard. - “Purchase stage” life cycle keywords can be expensive. Let’s hold them to a much much higher standard.