When google introduced the automatic bidding option where they claim to get you the most clicks for your money, I opted in. BIG MISTAKE.

I recently ran a search term report and sorted by CPC (highest to lowest) to see which keywords were costing the most. The image below is what I saw (click image to enlarge)

These are the search terms that Google has charged me for, generated by my broad matched keywords, set to automatic bid. As you can see, Google has charged me up $65.75 for one click on the long tail phrases. (long tail is supposed to be CHEAPER) This is how they claim to get the best value for your budget?

A lot of these terms have nothing to do with the dental industry, such as ‘silicone placements’ for which they charged me $37.48, ‘butt augmentation costs’ for which they charged me $35, ‘best hair transplant’ which they charged $33.22, ‘osteoporosis prevention’, another $32.93, ‘price for hair transplant’, $30.64, and the list goes on and on. All of which I have as negatives in my account.

I just called Google, and asked for a refund on these keywords,(which have costa  total of $5,000) but they wont.

To see if Google is ripping you off too, simply select ‘all time’ in the report options on the right, then select the keywords tab. Then click on ‘see search terms’ then ‘all’. Then click Avg CPC (to sort from highest to lowest).

A Company blog is a great PR tool. Through a blog you can get the word out about your business, generate a following, and cultivate a more personal approach to potential clients. Below is a screen shot of two of the blogs that we have created. The first is for a Beverly Hills Prosthodontist. We decided to create a blog for this dental practice for a number of reasons. The main being to increase the dentists’ exposure on the natural listings of all the major search engines. This means that this blog will appear under the results for certain keywords, and there is no charge for this (unlike Sponsored listings).

The reason blogs are used for this purpose is because Search engines love blogs. They love blogs because the very nature of a blog is that it features new, fresh, regularly updated, up-to-date content. This means relevant content for the user, which heightens the user experience, which is the ultimate goal of the search engine. By producing a company blog, which we update frequently, you not only create great PR for the company, and foster existing relationships, but you also increase your exposure on the search engines, and generate new business.

Should you be interested in creating and maintaining a company blog, this can be done. If you are an expert in a certain area, a blog is an ideal outlet for you, if you wish to express an opinion. If on the other hand, you do not feel like blogging, we can blog on your behalf. A blog is an excellent tool for brand building and cultivating the right image. See blog below that I created for a Beverly Hills Prosthodontist, or visit the actual blog. I also created a blog for Philippe Starck’s work, see below, or visit the actual blog.

Beverly Hills Dental Implant Blog

Philippe Starck Blog

]]> http://drivenclicks.com/2010/01/blogs/feed/ 0 http://drivenclicks.com/2009/10/case-study/ http://drivenclicks.com/2009/10/case-study/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:24:50 +0000 Chloe Shlosberg http://drivenclicks.com/?p=197 Beverly Hills Prosthodontist

We were presented with a project involving a Beverly Hills prosthodontist who wanted to expand his practice and focus his efforts on offering a unique service concerning dental implants. The idea was to offer dental implants at an affordable price and have the implants placed by a highly skilled, experienced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. The Prosthodontist would then do all the restoration work thereafter. This area of dentistry was particularly appealing and as a result, very competitive. We were given the task of promoting the service online in an effort to generate business. Our efforts paid off, and the practice took off and grew substantially as a result, whilst maintaining costs relatively low. The Practice went from seeing an average of 4 new patients a month, to 80. The Practice is now looking to expand as they can’t cope with all the new patients.

Local Business ads are an excellent way to reach relevant, local clientele for free. Local Business ads appear at the top of the first page on Google in the organic search listings when a relevant keyword is typed into the Google search box. The local business ad contains the Company’s name, display URL, and phone number. When the title is clicked, you are taken to the company’s website. The user also has the option of clicking on reviews. This takes them to the local business ad page where the user can see what other people have said about the business., as well as details relating to the business, such as photos, videos and even short updates. A local business ad also appears on Google maps.

Beverly Hills Dental Implant Dentist Local Business Ad

]]> http://drivenclicks.com/2009/10/local-business-ads/feed/ 0 http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/social-media/ http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/social-media/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:33:07 +0000 Chloe Shlosberg http://drivenclicks.com/?p=60 Social Media Marketing

Social Media is a great way to relate to your audience and tap into a greater market share (for free). You could have a Twitter account for example, or even a facebook fan page. See below examples of both that we created for Secure Smiles.

Secure Smiles Dental Implant Specialist’s Twitter Page

Secure Smiles Dental Implant Specialist’s Facebook Fan Page

High Rankings on the Major Search Engines

SEO is an investment. It is time consuming, a huge amount of work, and quite a lengthy process. However, the rewards are immense. Once you start appearing on the first page of the natural listings for your relevant key terms, you are pretty much set. These listings are free, so, unlike PPC, you do not pay every time some-one clicks on your ad. Once you have paid for the very labor intensive job of ensuring that you appear at the top of the results for a given key term, you can sit back and let the business roll in, without further expenditure. Of course, if your search terms are very competitive, it can take a while before you see any dividends for the work, but if you are patient, in time, it will happen. However, in my opinion, it is worth the investment. PPC is great for driving traffic to your site immediately, and is a great short term solution, but cost Per Click prices are only going to go up, and with time, the game is going to get a lot more expensive with increased competition. So it’s definitely worth securing your place on the natural listings and getting that free traffic. The way I see it, is being on the first page for your major key terms, is like having a shop front on the busiest street in the world that attracts people who are looking for exactly what you do. Whats more, is that once you are at the top of the search engines for a certain term, you will appear all over the world for that term. Ideal if you want to attract people from all over the world.

]]> http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/seo/feed/ 0 http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/web-design/ http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/web-design/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:40:43 +0000 Chloe Shlosberg http://drivenclicks.com/?p=22 A great Website is essential for Generating Business

If you do not have a website, then you definitely need one. If you have one, but it’s old and out of date, you definitely need to get a new one. A website is the first thing a potential client sees, and gives him/her their first impression of your business. If the their first impression is negative, then you’ve lost a potential client before they’ve even walked through your door. Your image is everything, and nothing presents your company image on the internet better than a great looking, professional website. We do not actually create websites, but can put you in touch with top companies that do, or even co-ordinate the whole process for you.

Display adverting is a banner ad, video ad, or interactive ad, which appears on a relevant website. These ads are ideal for branding. We can build display ads and choose relevant sites on which to feature these ads. Display ads should always be used in conjunction with PPC ads, as the two complement each other.

Display Advertising raises awareness, and educates the public about your business, whilst PPC then captures the interest sparked by this new knowledge. Numerous studies have demonstrated that PPC and Display Advertising work as a team. One study by comScore showed that the two combined created an 83% lift in conversions (ie. new business), as opposed to a 26% lift from search alone, and an 11% lift from display alone.

]]> http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/display-advertising/feed/ 0 http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/paid-search-marketing/ http://drivenclicks.com/2009/09/paid-search-marketing/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:35:11 +0000 Chloe Shlosberg http:/?p=1 PPC

Pay for Visibility on the Search Engines

PPC stands for Pay Per Clicks, but is also referred to as Search Engine Marketing, otherwise known as SEM or Sponsored Listings. With this highly effective marketing model, you pay to visibility on the search engines. Costs are incurred only once a user clicks on your ad. This means that you invest only in definite leads, not hit-or-miss ads. Search marketing is highly cost-effective and transparent. Whats more is that PPC is a fraction of the cost of direct mail, email, display advertising and the yellow pages and MUCH more effective.

This is because users are actively seeking what you have to offer. The user has already expressed a desire for what you have to offer, and once the user conducts the search, you appear as the answer to that user’s query. If the user likes your ad, he/she will click on the ad and enter your website. It’s important to have the right ad, to get that initial click. We write the ad for you and have a lot of experience in what does and doesn’t work. the next hurdle is the website. It is imperative that you impress the user through your website, otherwise he/she will not pick up the phone and book and appointment. your website is your online image, and it’s important that you present the right one. See websites.

Our goal is to get the highest quantity of targeted relevant clicks at the lowest costs. With years of experience working with major brands, we have proven techniques that make your ads stand out from the herd, get you qualified clicks, that keep your costs at a minimum. The beauty of PPC is that you can target by region, postcode, or any area that you draw on a map. Ads can also be set to run at particular times and days and you can even choose to advertise on particular websites.

A Picture of one of our ads for the Beverly Hills Prosthodontist: Secure Smiles

NOTE this screen shot was taken from London and since the geographic radius is set to L.A. I have used the Google Preview tool

As you can see, our ad (unlike the others) is expandable, so the user can actually see the address and phone number on the page

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