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Using Google AdWords to drive traffic to your site. 

The AdWords program offered on Google is designed to compete with the pay-per-click program offered by Overture. AdWords are similar to Overture's program in that you bid on the keywords you want to appear for. However, unlike Overture's program, your listing appears as an ad to the right of the search results (see graphic below). The other difference is that your position is not solely based on your bid amount, but also the number of click throughs and your daily spend amount.  So in theory, if you have a well written ad you could be positioned higher then someone who is bidding more then you, but has a poorly written ad.  

Benefits of AdWords - Google is now supplying AOL and Netscape their search results and the AdWords listings are now the "Sponsored Listings" on AOL. Because AOL does not accept direct submissions, Google is the easiest way to get listed on AOL.  Another benefit of AdWords is that Google is the number one search engine and by purchasing AdWords you ensure your listing will appear on the first page of search results.  

How to write a good AdWord - Google limits the number of characters each line of your ad can be. So you need to be creative and precise in what you say. Let's look at a couple of ads:

This was the first ad I ran for our client Scholz Design in Toledo, OH. This ad had a click through rate of 2.0% and an average cost-per-click of $0.37.
This is what we changed the ad to. This ad has a click through rate of 6.6% and an average cost-per-click of $0.31.

You can see that the second ad is more of an attention getter and tells people what they can find at the site. Not only did the click through rate increase, but the cost-per-click was reduced.  

The first ad you write may not be your best, but try it and see what the results are. Then reword it slightly and see if the results change. Google makes it very easy to update your keywords and ads.  
For more information about AdWords, go to https://adwords.google.com/select/main or give Virtualtech a call at (800) 474-7001.
 

The Internet is a great place to market a business and to sell products.  However, the thing to remember is that it is not easy. It will take time and money, and a lot of each, to build a successful on-line business - just as it does to build a successful brick and mortar business.

To determine what line of business is best suited for you, first determine what you are good at. What are your interests? Your expertise? Starting a business is hard enough without having to learn about a product or service. Next, determine if there is a need for your product or service and if people will pay you for it. Let's say you like to repair watches. People need watches repaired every day, so there is a market for this service. However, every jewelry store offers watch repair. Instead, you could expand your interest to include repairing cuckoo clocks. This would be a service that people need, but might not be able to find easily.  

If you are going to try and start a business that is not based on any of your interests, you definitely need to find an unfilled niche. Is there a product or service that you have tried to find and couldn't?  
I remembering reading an article about a women here in the Appleton area who come up with a business idea while at McDonalds. Her kids were playing on the indoor playground and she started to think about the cleanliness of the area. When she asked about how they cleaned the area, she learned that they really didn't. So she started a company to go into restaurants to clean and sanitizes play areas. As far as I know she is still in business. She found a niche that needed filling.  

The Internet provides a wonderful opportunity to entrepreneurs who are creative and willing to work hard and take a chance. But it will take planning and money.
 

We will get results from your website!

What happens is this: You submit your site to a search engine for possible placement in their index. The search engine attempts to access your site to check for relevant content. However, for several reasons, your website may not load quickly enough to be completely displayed in the time the search engine allots. As a result, the search engine does not see your entire page, if any of it. These speed issues can be related to your website host's connection speed, in addition to design elements such as overly large graphic files or banner ads on your page. A worse case scenario is that your website host is not reliable and your site is actually down at the time the search engine chooses to spider your site. If the search engine cannot reach your site, it will not be indexed.

To minimize the chance of search engines "missing" your site due to unreliable or slow connections, your website host should, at a minimum:

If your company is hosting your website in-house, take a look at the above requirements and make sure that they are met. If your company has a T-1 line and you are hosting your website in addition to offering Internet access to your employees, your site is being penalized from a speed perspective. 

(920) 954-1923
(800) 474-7001
tammy@virtualtech.com
http://www.virtualtech.com