When it comes to pay per click advertising with Google, there are two available options. The search network, and the content network. They both work well, but they work in different ways, and for different reasons.
The search network works by displaying your ads alongside search engine results. This works, because people are exposed to your ads at the same time that they’re searching for your products or services.
The content network on the other hand, displays your ads on websites which have content that’s related to your products or services, and the wording of your advertisements. There are no searches involved, which means that there is a marked difference in the intent of a search network user, (who’s actively searching), and the content network user, who’s not necessarily looking for your products right now.
But that doesn’t mean that content users aren’t interested in your products either.
Becoming Relevant
While the content user isn’t actively searching for your product, they are busy looking for (or at) information that’s relevant to it. And that’s where displaying your ad at the same time can become not only important, but effective as well.
If you’re selling beauty products, and your adverts display alongside articles on a site which deals with those type of products, you might not be catching the user at the exact time that they’re looking to buy beauty products.
But, since they’re on the site, and reading about things which deal with the type of products you sell, you’re still getting to them while they’re in the kind of mind-set which is receptive to the offer you’re making.
They’re choosing to read about beauty products or issues. And at the same time, they’re being exposed to your offer at the same time that they’re thinking about those type of products. If you’re managing your content network campaign right, your ad should be appearing next to the kind of article that makes them think about you.
Why Use The Content Network?
According to a white paper recently released by Google, their content network reaches some 80% of internet users around the world, and delivers more than 6,000,000,000 advertisements every day.
Half the advertisers on the content network have a cost per action that is equal to, or better than, their cost per action for the search network, and the content network has the additional advantage of creating greater brand awareness, by exposing users to the advertisers targeted message.
Using The Content Network
In conclusion, here’s a few tips for using the content network effectively:
* Separate your content and search network campaigns.
* Use the placement performance report to eliminate sites without positive results.
* Exclude categories and sites that don’t work for you.
* Use negative keywords to control your ad displays.