Pay Per Click Search Engines - September 2000
By Jim Norris

As you are already aware, once you have built your website, one of the first methods for obtaining traffic is getting listed on the major search engines. Submitting your URL to the major search engines is easy but ensuring that your site rises to the top in searches for your chosen key words is very difficult and is the subject of several books and hundreds of newsletter articles. To make it even more challenging is the fact that every search engine has different rules and a page that may do well in one search engine may be penalized in another.

   On solution to this is the advent of pay-per-click search engines on which your position on key word searches is decided by how much money you are willing to bid per click received. This gives you exceptional control of your traffic, your spending and which page of your site you wish to show for certain keywords.

   One of the original and busiest search engines of this type is GoTo.com (www.goto.com).

   To participate, you need to go to GoTo.com and open an account submitting your company information and an amount on your credit card to charge your click-throughs against.You can then choose as few or as many number of keywords and keyword phrases as you like with a URL and description for each. If there is no one bidding on a certain keyword, a bid of $.01 will secure you top spot. If there are outstanding bids, you must beat them by $.01 to get the spot above them. Generally speaking, you should be in the top ten, to get any increase in traffic, so you have to decide on your budget per click since some key words may command more than you wish to pay. Use your imagination when devising keywords but make sure they are relevant to your site or you will attract traffic that will never become qualified visitors. Using GoTo.com forces you to constantly find new key words that you can use in other search engines. You can get an online report at any time for the click-throughs generated by each key word and the ranking of your keywords against other bidders. Check these on a regular basis, otherwise your superior position will disappear over time. When your money on deposit is about to run out, GoTo.com will send you an e-mail advising you to visit and replenish your funds.

   Two other sites that provide a similar service are Microsoft Network (msn.com) and FindWhat.com (www.findwhat.com). For an extensive list of pay-per-click sites, visit www.payperclicksearchengines.com.

   For most of us, with a limited website promotional budget, the pay-per-click method is an economical and targetted method to bring new visitors to whatever part of your site makes sense. We have been using GoTo.com for several months and we have been very happy with the results.

Resources

• Digidesign has completely redesigned their website at www.digidesign.com. Featured are product specifications, user profiles, links to third-party manufacturers and a comprehensive set of technical support pages. Demonstrations of Pro Tools are available online
• If you are always filling out forms on the Internet, purchasing using your credit card or logging on to sites using an ID and password, Gator will save you a lot of time. It remembers all your personal information, your credit card information and once you log on to a site with Gator running, it remembers that info for the next time. Get it for free at www.gator.com.
• FMcanada.com has launched 350 radio stations across Canada making music and local information available anywhere, anytime. The stations are available in 7 major markets with 50 channels in each city focussing on different musical styles.The network will also feature Internet only concerts and interviews. Fmcanada.com is receptive to emerging Canadian artists who are unable to get adequate airplay on traditional radio. For more information, call (613) 751-4458 or visit www.fmcanada.com.
• Drum Workshop has recently announced the expansion and redesign of its website at www.dwdrums.com. In addition to more images and information on its line of percussion products, the site also features greater coverage of DW artists and educational activities as well as online shopping for DW DrumWear, posters and promotional items.
• Johnson Amplification has established a revamped website at www.johnson-amp.com. The site features interactive sound bytes for Johnson amps, downloadable software updates offering new presets and patches and contests to win free products.
• Tonos is an online music insider's network founded by Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster and songwriter/producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The underlying purpose of Tonos is to not only seek out and develop undiscovered talent through their online Challenges contests, but also to inspire, enlighten and educate musicians and artists around the world through exclusive artist interviews. Beginners can also learn to play music with their interactive music lessons. Drop by at www.tonos.com.
• Music Books Plus has greatly expanded their catalogue and now features online over 4,000 books, videos and CD-ROMs on music, recording, audio, songwriting, MIDI, multimedia and the Internet. You can join the electronic newsletter or request a printed catalogue online at www.musicbooksplus.com.
• Norris-Whitney Communications operates The Music & Audio Connection, the international on-line resource for music enthusiasts, musicians, music and audio professionals. Included are classified ads, products for sale, company````` showcases, discussion forums, associations, music education, music & audio resources, career information and file libraries. New additions are the Calendar Plus personal information systems and Music News, updated daily. Updates to the site are available by electronic newsletter. Visit at musicandaudio.com. For more information, e-mail to [email protected], Fax (905) 641-1648 or call (905) 641-3471.