Northwest Phoenix – Marketing & Business Development, Inc.

Why do I keep getting phone calls from Google about placing my website on the First Page?

by W. Dyer Vest
Northwest Phoenix – Marketing & Business Development, Inc.

Over the last 12 months, clients and other business professionals have asked me repeatedly about why they have received phone calls from Google regarding their Search Engine Placement. So, what is this and why are they calling you?

The short answer is Google DOES NOT directly solicit search engine placement. Google’s entire philosophy as a “free” search engine is based on unbiased and relevant search engine results. The phone call “from Google” is actually from a third party company inviting you to participate in their Google AdWords campaign.

Anyone claiming to be “from Google” is not being honest and should be reported to Google’s fraud division. Unfortunately, there are a fair amount of companies that make this claim. Out of professional respect, I will not list them here.

What is AdWords?

AdWords – Wikipedia
Google AdWords

Adwords is a direct placement marketing tool allowing any business to “bid” for Sponsored Link placement under specific criteria; Bid Price, Daily Budget, Keyword(s) and Geographic among other options. This is often called Pay-Per-Click or Search Engine Placement (SEP). This differs from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as you are not relying on Google’s search engine spiders to index your website. Rather, you directly inform Google what keywords you wish to be listed and how much you are willing to pay for each click through.

The ranking within the Sponsored Links are determined by bid price and your Google relevancy score.

Benefits of Search Engine Placement Include:

• Guaranteed Placement Control
• Immediate Placement (SEO can take 6-8 months)
• Budget Control (often a flat fee through a third party )
• No long-term commitments or contracts
• On Demand reporting
• Geographic/Demographic Targeting
• Custom AdText Variations

This is an effective and affordable method to test potential marketing and research demand while generating immediate website traffic.

Is this a profitable marketing strategy?

This is another very popular question and the answer is, maybe. The effectiveness of an AdWords campaign is derived from many factors such as what keywords you select, the ad copy, your product, and the time of year. It is not difficult to setup an AdWords campaign but if you are not diligent in monitoring the account’s performance or use keywords that are too broad, you will find you are spending more than if you had hired a third party provider.

Because marketing experience can be critical to success and the AdWords program can be overwhelming, most business owners find hiring a third party professional will save them a lot of money, increase the effectiveness of the ad, and relieve the stress of constant monitoring.

AdWords should not be used as a stand alone marketing tool. This strategy works hand in hand with standard SEO strategies and should be coordinated with all other marketing ventures.

Questions to ask a potential third party provider:

When considering a third party provider, you should consider the following criteria:

1. Has the firm represented themselves honestly?
   There are many companies that offer Search Engine Placement but only a handful do so in an ethical manner. If you received a phone call from a salesman claiming the are “calling from Google,” it is recommended you should instantly hang-up the phone.
2. Does the company provide “Content Network” solutions?
   Google has an additional option to not only list you on the first page of the search engine, but also on other highly visited sites that incorporate Google’s AdCents program. These sites include newspapers, e-magazines, blogs, etc. This can be a very effective and very inexpensive avenue to reach demographics that are not actively searching for you. Most third party companies do not offer this service because it requires additional monitoring. We feel this is a very valuable component that is not always appropriate, but it should not be ignored.
3. Does the company provide systematic reporting?
   We believe the best feature AdWords provides is the ability to track performance at any given moment. A good company will provide constant contact and reporting.The most common frustration I hear about third party providers is the lack of follow through once the sale has been completed. Most companies are structured as a call center with reps dialing for dollars. At the conclusion of the sale, the account is moved to a customer service department who’s primary purpose is account retention and not account effectiveness. Rarely do you hear from the original salesman again unless you are aggressive about reaching them on your own schedule.
4. Perform Due Diligence
   Before you provide any credit card information, perform your due diligence by Googling the company’s name. The salesman that calls you has most likely been well trained to close the sale in one call. They will tell you they only have one position available. While that may be true within their company, another company will be able to place you with your preferred keywords. Do not allow them to rush or intimidate you. By Googling the company, you will find a vast amount of information, good and bad, about their commitment to their clients. Do not be afraid to ask for keyword bid price(s), expected monthly traffic and for references. This will help you avoid price gouging.

Does Northwest Phoenix provide search engine placement services?

Yes, if we feel this strategy is appropriate for your current marketing plan.

Northwest Phoenix – Marketing & Business Development, Inc. is a full service marketing and web development firm.  We excel in coordinating your multiple marketing efforts to ensure the highest level of effectiveness.

For more information, feel free to call Northwest Phoenix – Marketing & Business Development, Inc. or listen to Search Engine Placement interview hosted by Indie Biz Chicks.

Search Engine Placement Interview

October 2, 2008

Crissy Gipson of Indie Biz Chicks interviews W. Dyer Vest