SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and refers to advertising your business through the paid advertising section (a.k.a. Sponsored Links) on search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo!. SEM is not difficult to understand as long as you consider: Consumers use search engines only when they need something. Consumers search using keywords and phrases such as "Boston Plumber.” As an advertiser, you can choose to have your ads appear when consumers search for your specific products or services and only pay when those consumers search, see your ads, and are interested enough to click through to your web site.

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Product Name uses our software along with specific business rules to constantly assess the number of clicks received for a campaign against where it sits within the contract period. If the account is running ahead of pace or behind pace, we are able to manipulate a number of variables, both technologically and through the efforts of our professional editorial team, to get the program on track and deliver the contracted visitors over the life of the campaign.

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Our editors and copywriters do. Through both historical performance data and a comprehensive review of each merchant's web site, they discern the best keywords possible to drive qualified potential customers searching for the products and services you offer.

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Conversion rates vary greatly depending on the business you are in and the products and services you offer. However, you can control the biggest piece of the equation - your web site. A professional look establishes credibility, compelling content with simple navigation shows what you do, and a “call to action” offer is more likely to turn passive viewers into buyers. Clearly displaying your contact information and ways to reach you are also imperative.

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After our Editorial team initially selects your keywords, we suggest you let them run for 30-60 days to assess their performance. At that time, if there are keyword changes you’d like to make, we’ll make them for you. In addition, you may change your geographic targeting (city/county names used to help pinpoint qualified traffic) at any time based on your business needs.

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Although some search engines are more popular than others, we believe that you want broad exposure – if someone is searching for what you offer, you want to be available to them - it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Think of the search engine as the bridge that a potential consumer uses to find your business. The intent or sincerity of a searcher does not change based on the search engine they use.

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The search engines do not allow multiple campaigns to be run against the same web site URL. If you believe you are better off running your own search engine marketing (SEM) campaign, then Product Name is not right for you. The exception to this rule occurs when the web site has a distinct sub-page that is dedicated to a different product or service than the main page. An example of this might be a car dealer website where the product is related to selling new cars (www.joescars.com) that has a sub-page dedicated to used cars(www.joescars.com\used cars). This type of situation is typically accepted by the search engines.

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No. Search engines are a very democratic place. Additionally, this is a performance-based product (i.e. you are not buying static inventory). You're buying a number of targeted clicks to your website. The total number of clicks generated in a given month is determined by the interest of the consumers - the search engine users. Therefore, it is impossible to "corner" the market, as the market is always changing.

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On some search engines we can focus the campaigns that specifically, but other search engines can only target down to the DMA level based on a user's computer location (their IP address). Guaranteed Clicks takes the extra step to use a local geographic terms in your ad (e.g. Burlington auto repair). This lets the search engine user know where your service area is located. Thus, the user will only click on your ad when he or she truly is interested in your business and your location. changing.

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Alcohol, aids to pass drug tests, violence against any organization or person (public, private, or protected), bulk marketing, cable descramblers or black boxes, counterfeit design goods, defamatory subject matter, dialers, drugs and/or drug paraphernalia, fake documents, fireworks or explosives, computer hacking or cracking, gambling, gratuitous or graphic violence, miracle cures, material that infringes or violates the rights of others, material that promotes products or activities that are illegal in the US, modification chips, political or activist causes, prostitution, solicitation of funds, cigarette / tobacco use, traffic devices, and weapons.

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Due to search engine policies, service is refused to any web site that uses pop-up ads.

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Not with this product. The left-hand side of Google is reserved for the organic search results. These results and links are based on the relevancy calculation that Google uses, through a frequently changing algorithm. These links are not for sale and cannot be impacted by search engine marketing (SEM).

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You may be able to buy clicks on search engines for less, but are you buying the right ones? We also feel that your time has value as well. Guaranteed Clicks is a full-service, turn-key program that automates delivery of clicks for you on up to 30 top search engines that capture over 95% of the overall search audience. We do all the work with full-time experienced pros – select the keywords, write the ad copy, submit to the search engines, monitor your progress, etc. -- to allow you to focus on what you do best, running your business and securing new customers.

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All of the search engines are audited to confirm the numbers they give us are correct. In addition, our company has been audited by an independent third-party (ARC) to validate the click numbers we report.

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Advertisers use online marketing to reach different buyers. There are two different types of buyers - those that know exactly what they are looking for and those who are emotionally motivated by the advertising they see. SEM works for buyers who know exactly what they want. Banner advertising provides brand name recognition, creating an emotional tie. SEM only advertises to buyers who are looking for a specific product or service that is relevant to you. These buyers have already recognized a need they are looking to satisfy. You only pay for visits (clicks) to your web site. .

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Great question -- most business owners wonder that same thing with all types of advertising. Something to keep in mind, the leads we are directing to your web site are only those who are looking specifically for your type of business in your area. Just like yellow pages, SEM is a directional advertising medium. Ease of navigation throughout your web site, whether you have a call to action, and relevant content and easily available contact points are all factors that will increase the conversion rate of your SEM campaign.

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We can build you a single page web presence (Landing Page) that will provide customers with summary information about your business. The Landing Page is focused on the key information that consumers want before contacting you (moving toward becoming a customer). The Landing Page includes directory information, a map, an overview of your business, your business logo, and a printable coupon/offer. This will allow you to start getting business now. Your competitors are online today! Buyers are looking for your business online today! You can’t afford to wait!

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Through our years of experience in managing SEM campaigns for local businesses, we are able to assess available inventory and implement proven methods to find a guaranteed number of people who are looking for a business like yours. The latest shows over 1 billion local commerce-driven searches occur every month! We constantly monitor the progress of your campaign and make the necessary editorial and campaign changes to ensure we fulfill 100% of the contracted clicks within the contract term..

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Our proven system monitors your account to minimize underperformance or performance spikes. When your account is underperforming, our Editorial reviews your ad copy and keywords to ensure optimal performance. In addition, we place your ad more frequently on the search engines in higher priority positions to drive traffic (clicks) to your site. When your campaign is over-performing, we ‘turn down the dial’ to minimize traffic spikes and even out the delivery of visitors.

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Over 7 billion searches are conducted on the Internet each month. A large percentage of them are Local Searches – searches in which a local buyer is trying to find a local merchant with which to do business.

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Actually, you can’t afford NOT to be spending part of your budget on SEM. SEM allows you to precisely target Internet searchers who are only looking for your type of business in your local area. In addition, many times SEM advertising costs less (per customer acquisition) than many other forms of advertising. While certain forms of media are experiencing a decline in “eyeballs”, search engine use continues to experience strong growth. Our Guaranteed Clicks package allows you to lock in your Pay Per Click costs for the term of the contract. Let’s calculate your Return on Investment (ROI) – something you can’t do with most other forms of advertising.

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The size of the Internet can be overwhelming. Our system will initially set up your account to target your city or DMA. We then attach geographic terms (city/county names) to your keywords (e.g. ‘Fremont plumber’ instead of ‘plumber’) for all of the smaller, local communities within your target area.

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SEM consists of placing paid ads in the Paid or Sponsored Links sections of the search engines.
SEO consists of updating your web site (title text, meta tags, content, links to other sites, etc.) which will affect your ranking in the Organic (Free) listings section of the search engine. Making these changes will affect (positively or negatively) how a search engine “ranks” your site versus other sites with similar content. Changing the content of your web site will have no bearing on where your ad appears in the Sponsored Links section. SEM has clear financial metrics – you pay for the ad and you can see how many new customers you convert. SEO can have tremendous benefits, but is much less predictable in its results.

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No. While suggestions for specific keywords that you feel are important to be included with your campaign, coming up with specific keywords is neither necessary nor encouraged. With this program, you will have purchased a turn-key service that is managed by professionals experienced in SEM and trained to select the best keywords to drive potential customers to the your web site.

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More than one package can be purchased if a) you have more than one distinct web site, OR b) if you have one web site that has multiple distinct sub-pages, each with a unique product or service being marketed. For example, a company that has both a real estate listings and a mortgage business.

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A Landing Page is a specific web page that showcases content that is an extension of the link or ad. Many times, it is a 1-page summary of an advertiser’s web site. A Landing Page will often be customized in an SEM campaign as a way to both monitor the effectiveness of paid ads as well as a way to supply copy, images, or other content that is specifically targeted to the advertisement.

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The costs and time associated with running a campaign directly with the search engines will vary considerably. Factors that influence it are:
The number of search engines the advertiser uses
The keyword being bid on, the business category, and how generic/specific it is
The time spent managing the campaign and reviewing performance
The time, and therefore expense, of effectively managing a campaign directly with the search engines can be considerable. Getting started can take up to 40 hours and most estimates range from 15-20 hours per month, just for managing a campaign on 1 search engine.

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This phenomenon -- known as 'click fraud' -- is actively monitored and tracked by the search engines. While the methods that each search engine employs to deal with this vary, they each have effective measures in place to ensure that advertisers are only charged for a 'click' when the individual clicking on the ad has a valid interest in the product/service being marketed. In the event that an ad is clicked on more than once within a 24 hour period, the advertiser is only charged for one click.

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Yes, we have testimonials that speak to the quality and results of the product.

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The timeframe is generally 2-3 business days after we receive the order in our software system, unless you specify a later date. You will receive a Welcome e-mail when the campaign goes live.

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No. The Sponsored Link sections on each search engine are not exclusive to any particular entity. This space is allocated to advertisers based on the keyword bid being searched on, the amount each advertiser is bidding for that word, and the Quality Score (QS) that each search engine has assigned to the advertiser's website.

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This product works very well for seasonal businesses for a number of reasons. First, it’s highly flexible. You can suggest changes to the keywords and ad copy for your campaign as frequently as you need to in order to adequately represent the products/services you are marketing during any particular season. As an example, an accountant might gear their campaign towards their tax preparation services between January and April, and then change the focus of the campaign from May through December to represent the other aspects of their accountancy practice (financial planning, estate planning, etc.). The other benefit of this program from a seasonal perspective is that it allows you to secure targeted leads to your site even in 'off-season' periods. This program will help you secure interested visitors to your site even during these off-periods when the number of those searching for your particular product/service would be lower.

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Currently, we start your campaign after we create it and distribute it to the search engines. Since we can make changes to the campaign (different from a print ad after printed), we can spend very small amounts, learn a lot, and make changes if necessary. You will receive the keywords that we selected on your behalf via the Welcome Letter that is e-mailed once the campaign goes live. Once you receive the letter, you have the ability to send in feedback/suggestions for consideration by our editorial team.

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Your ad will not appear on every search engine and every search that occurs. Unlike banner advertising, your ad is not in a set rotation to appear on the search engines a specific number of times. However, your ad will appear with enough frequency to deliver you the guaranteed number of clicks you purchased. The more clicks you buy, the more likely your ad is to appear when you search for it.

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