New customizable "dashboard" provide an integrated snapshot of your Search123 account.
On April 15th , Search123 launched a new keyword and
listing management interface designed to enable advertisers to
more effectively control the performance of their Search123
keyword campaigns.
We designed the user interface with the following
objectives in mind: (1) to create a simple, efficient system
to manage a large number of listing-keyword combinations; (2)
to preserve keyword-CPC records as key historical data points
to assist in managing ongoing campaigns within our network;
(3) to enable visibility of key performance metrics, by
keyword or listing; and, (4) to allow for the customization of
account management and reporting features to meet the unique
needs of individual clients.
In addition to enhanced speed and stability, the new
user interface includes the following significant
enhancements:
Customizable "dashboard"
enables advertisers to
view and manage their entire campaign, from either the
keyword view or the listing view, from a single page.
Keyword grouping allows
advertisers to assign keywords to customizable "folders"
(for example, by listing, product type, CPC, spend, click
volume).
Sub-phrase matching allows
advertisers to opt into placement on queries in which their
keyword or keyword phrase does not directly match the query
but appears as a sub-phrase of the query (for example,
"California insurance" as a sub-set of "California insurance
agencies". (This is described in more detail below
in our "Feature Focus" section.)
CPC required for position
allows advertisers to easily view and select
the CPC for the top 1-5 positions in the Search123 network.
Unique "keyword records"
allows advertisers to create a separate record
for each combination of keyword and CPC, allowing greater
analysis and planning in managing keyword campaigns.
Sub-accounts allow Search
Engine Marketing firms, agencies and larger advertisers to
create sub-accounts associated with a single, master
account.
Integrated tracking through
a new user-input field allows advertisers to assign tracking
at the keyword level.
CTR Strength allows
advertisers to see the CTR of their listing relative to
other listings associated with the same keyword, enabling
greater listing optimization and control.
We designed the
system based on our 4-years of experience in serving the needs
of our advertisers and agency clients and believe that our
system is simple, intuitive and feature-rich. We look forward
to receiving feedback from our clients so that we can continue
to improve the functionality of our system.
If you would like a walk-through of the new user
interface, please contact our Account Services team by email
at clientservices@search123.com or
by calling us toll free (US only) at 877-777-3272.
" I just wanted to congratulate you on the
new user application. I work with 8-9 search engines
every day and with your new improvements your
competitors have a lot to learn. For me as an advertiser
it's such a relief to work with a good application, it
saves me lots of time every day!... your new application
is simply a dream come true for a semiprofessional
search engine advertiser like myself." Magnus Wester,
Search123 Advertiser
Each month, this section will focus on one Search123
feature in detail. This month, our focus is on
Sub-Phrase Matching , a form of broad
matching that allows you to use our technology to capture
additional valuable clicks.
Search123 now offers sub-phrase matching, allowing
advertisers to benefit from valuable multi-word, type-in
search traffic. Sub-phrase matching, which is a form of
broad matching, is an optional feature that is enabled by
keyword on our new user interface. If you have enabled the
functionality, your listing will be displayed for queries that
contain the enabled keyword. For example, if you bid on “DVDs
online,†and sub-phrase matching is enabled, your listing will
appear on the longer query, "where can I buy DVDs online?"
Why is this valuable?There are 2 major
reasons that this opt-in tool is valuable for search engine
marketers: extending the reach of your listings; and,
mapping your listings more effectively to the user's
intention, often at the end of their buying cycle.
Extend the Reach of your Listings .
Search is user input-driven; that's what makes it
such a valuable direct marketing platform. It is nearly
impossible to bid on and manage every permutation of a query
that relates to your offering. With sub-phrase matching, you
pick the keywords that are most relevant to your offering and
the system displays your listing for queries that include your
keyword. By doing so, your listings are exposed to every
valuable query that is relevant to your product or service,
significantly increasing your exposure to consumers that are
actively searching for your product or service.
Map your Listing to the User's Intention
. It is widely understood in search engine
marketing that more complex, multi-word queries are often more
valuable than one or two-word queries as complex queries are
most common at the end of a consumer's buying cycle. The
general understanding is that a consumer in the initial stages
in the buying cycle is researching the product or service, but
is often not ready to buy. Such a user will use general terms
such as "digital camera," or "computer monitor," or
"mortgage." As the user becomes more educated on the product
or service, and more prepared to make a final buying decision,
the query takes on more complexity and specificity, often
signaling the consumer's intention to make a buying decision.
In sales vernacular, the use of more specific keywords such as
"Canon 5 mega-pixel digital camera," or "inch flat panel
computer monitor" or "low interest ARM mortgage" are "buying
signals." Getting your relevant listing in front of the
consumer that is telegraphing his or her intention to make a
final buying decision is exactly what the technology behind
sub-phrase matching allows.
Sub-phrase matching is a powerful tool, integrated into
Search123's new advertiser user interface, which allows you to
expand the reach of your keyword-driven campaign by exposing
your listing in each instance that your keyword appears in a
search query. It also allows you to target valuable searchers
that are in the later stage of the buying cycle. Our
advertisers have reported significant increases in both the
volume of clicks and the number of leads generated by using
sub-phrase matching.
If you
would like further information about this new feature, or a
walk-through of how to use sub-phrase matching, please contact
our Account Services team by email at clientservices@search123.comor
by calling us toll free (US only) at 877-777-3272.
This section is dedicated to providing you with valuable information on how to maximize the performance of your Search123 campaign. In this issue, we are highlighting the Top-10 Best Practices as compiled by our own Account Services team. We hope that you find their "pointers" useful.
1.
Make sure that your listing is always in the top-3 for your best keywords . The top-3 listings in our network get the most number of impressions and clicks. With our new user interface, you are able to see the bid required for the top-5 positions in our network. Use this to your advantage.
2.
Your title and description needs to accurately reflect your offer and must be directly relevant to the keyword that you are bidding on. In a competitive environment in which you are paying only for clicks, titles and descriptions are a critical part of the process that qualifies a user.
3.
Use the "CTR Strength" data to determine the performance of your listing-keyword combinations and make editorial changes to improve your CTR performance.
4.
Deep link users to the actual product page , not your homepage. If you have a listing and keyword combination that captures qualified users, take them directly to the product page. Don't abandon them on your site, hoping that they find the product on their own.
5.
Track the performance of your keywords so that you can modify your listing and bid combinations for maximum ROI. Our new user interface allows you to add tracking at the keyword level.
6.
Our new interface features that ability to create categories of keywords . Use this functionality to streamline your management of groups of words, whether you are categorizing, for example, specific product lines, your best performing keywords, your worst performing keywords, your most active keywords
7.
If you are managing multiple accounts, our new interface allows you to establish and manage sub accounts . This is particularly useful for agencies or search engine marketing firms.
8.
Use our Demand Pay feature . It allows you to automatically fund your account with a credit card to ensure that your listings do not go offline.
9.
Use our new sub-phrase matching feature to include your listings on valuable multi-word queries. As it is impossible to bid on (and manage) every permutation of your best performing keywords, this powerful tool allows your listing to appear each time your keyword appears as a part of a longer query.
10.
Actively manage your account . Our new interface is designed to allow users to actively manage every aspect of their account. If you would like a walk-through of the enhanced technology that we have built, please contact us.
If you would like to access one of our Account Managers- whether you would like a walk-through of our new interface, have specific questions about your account, or would like us to manage you account on your behalf- please contact our Account Services team by email at clientservices@search123.com or by calling us toll free (US only) at 877-777-3272. We look forward to providing you with our account management and optimization services at no additional cost.
If you would like to benefit from this new Search123 feature, please follow these simple steps to enable sub-phrase matching by keyword:
1.
Log into your Search123 account;
2.
Go to the Keyword View screen;
3.
Locate the keyword that you would like match by sub-phrase;
4.
Click "edit" next to the keyword;
5.
Within the Edit Wizard, change the match type from "exact" to "sub-phrase";
6.
Exit Edit Wizard.
If you would like to enable this feature for all keywords in your account using our bulk-loading system, please contact Account Services.
Search123
is pleased to introduce PowerInclude, the new managed paid
inclusion program designed to guarantee placement on major
search engines with a single buy.
PowerInclude features:
Guaranteed inclusion in Inktomi, MSN, Yahoo!,
AltaVista, FAST, LookSmart and other leading search engines;
Optional inclusion in the Internet's major shopping
comparison engines;
Pay
only for clicks on a fixed CPC (cost-per-click) basis;
Proprietary website mapping, content extraction,
keyword generation and XML feed creation technology;
Automated website refresh technology to ensure that
dynamic content- including new products and pricing- is
continuously updated;
Continuous feed optimization;
Detailed click reports with integrated ROI tracking;
Free
account management.
Sites that
qualify for this program will have a significant number of
unique product offerings and a website structure that allows
our technology to map and index the content. Email us at power@search123.comor
ask your Account Manager about whether your site qualifies for
PowerInclude.
PowerInclude allows you to reach users on the major search engines with a single buy.
Traffic
Partner
Program - We launched this program in October
2000 and created an integrated network of high quality
web properties across most consumer verticals. We built
this program on our ability to meet the implementation
needs of our publisher partners, our continuous efforts
to optimize their revenue opportunities, and our
commitment to making prompt, fair monthly payments.
The Traffic Partner
Program is designed for high quality portals,
content-rich sites, internet service providers,
search engines, toolbars and owners of targeted
domains that desire to create a compelling,
incremental, long-term revenue opportunity while
also providing their visitors with valuable search
functionality. Implementation kits range from HTML
Simpli branded or non-branded search boxes, search
directory pages and pop-up consoles, contextually
targeted text ads, highly optimized XML feeds, or
fully-customized search solutions.
Participation in this program is exclusive
to web properties that meet our overall website
quality and content standards, have a domestic
user base with appropriate consumer demographics,
and can meet our ongoing traffic quality
standards.
Click here for more information. If
you are interested in participating in this valuable
program, please contact our Business Development team by
email at busdev@search123.com
or by calling us toll free (US only) at 877-777-3272.
Advertiser Referral Program - We recently launched this program with Commission Junction (http://www.cj.com/), the leading affiliate marketing platform, also a ValueClick company. Our objective with this affiliate marketing program is to pay qualified publishers a bounty of $25 for referring advertisers to participate in our paid search service. Publishers may choose from a variety of banner and text creative that can be easily integrated into their websites. Users that click on the creative and create Search123 accounts using our simple self-service interface are tracked through CJ's third-party system and publishers are credited with the sale and paid directly by CJ.
If you are
interested in participating in this program, you may do
so by going directly to CJ ( http://www.cj.com/). If
you have any questions about the program, or require
assistance in signing up as a publisher, please contact
Patrick Quigley, a member of our Advertiser Services
team, at pquigley@search123.comor
by calling us toll free (US only) at 877-777-3272.
ValueClick, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCLK),
founded in 1998, is the single-source provider of media,
technology and related services that enable advertisers and
agencies to reach consumers in all major online marketing
channels and publishers to effectively monetize their
visitors. ValueClick offers its services through three
business units, ValueClick Media, Mediaplex and Commission
Junction.
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LINK
The Traffic Partner
Program is designed for high quality portals,
content-rich sites, internet service providers,
search engines, toolbars and owners of targeted
domains that desire to create a compelling,
incremental, long-term revenue opportunity while
also providing their visitors with valuable search
functionality. Implementation kits range from HTML
Simpli branded or non-branded search boxes, search
directory pages and pop-up consoles, contextually
targeted text ads, highly optimized XML feeds, or
fully-customized search solutions. 
Advertiser Referral Program - We recently launched this program with Commission Junction (
