Think Outside of the Box, the Google Box!
It’s no secret in the Internet marketing world that Google is the search engine powerhouse. However, because of this, it means greater competition and higher Cost Per Clicks. Often times, affiliates overlook the fact that there are three major search engine players: Google, Yahoo and MSN. Although Google is the most popular and has more daily users,Yahoo and MSN are both incredibly powerful competitors.
During the month of April, Google accounted for 64.2% of the search engine market share, followed by Yahoo with 20.4%, and MSN with 8.2%. So if you think about it, that’s still 28.2% market share left to tap into. Yahoo and MSN are both search portals that have been popular for many years. The main difference between a search portal and a search engine is that Yahoo and MSN are very popular with email. In addition, Yahoo and MSN also offer popular Instant Messaging services as well as News, Personals, Horoscopes,etc. Google, however, is mainly a search engine, although they do offer Gmail, Instant Messaging and other similar services. If you are looking for less competition and the opportunity to expand to other search networks then Yahoo and MSN are definitely worth looking into.
Yahoo ranked #2 in Alexa rankings, right behind Google at #1. Like Google, Yahoo has been a search engine for a long time and they have established significant brand awareness and loyalty. One thing that you will notice about Yahoo, in comparison to Google, is the targeted audience. Yahoo is preferred by females, where Google is more popular with males. Pull up the homepages for both Yahoo and Google and see for yourself. On Google, you will simply find a search bar, while on Yahoo you will notice a lot more content, primarily targeted towards females. For example, on the Yahoo homepage you will notice things like horoscopes, shopping, etc. Knowing information like that can really help publishers better target their ads.
It is true that MSN is newer to the search engine game, however, they are improving by leaps and bounds. They have put in a lot of time and money into restructuring their platform. According to SeoBook.com, “MSN’s Adcenter is now considered the most advanced ad platform on the web”. In addition, MSN also spent over 100 million dollars trying to re-brand themselves as a Search Engine Journal. MSN has become known for their vast content network, which is just another promotional outlet that affiliates can use. They have also gone the extra mile when it comes to establishing themselves as a major search engine player.
So if you are thinking about using Google, Yahoo! and MSN, it’s important to note that campaigns can perform differently on each one. This is mainly attributed to the various algorithms and ranking factors that each of the search engines use. Many people have concluded that Google is an information engine, Yahoo a social engine, and MSN a product engine. Knowing this type of information can help affiliates better target their promotions. One of the main benefits of using these two search engines, in conjunction with Google, is less saturation. With less competition comes higher click through rates and lower Cost Per Clicks. Less competition, lower CPC’s and higher Click Thru Rates can greatly benefit the affiliates that are new to search. It allows them to learn the trick of the trade without burning a hole in their pocket and also allows for more coverage of the search engine market place. Whether you are just starting out in the world of affiliate marketing, or already well established in the industry, thinking outside the Google box can greatly increase your revenue.
References:
http://seoarticles.seoforgoogle.com/search-engine-breakdown.cfm
http://www.seobook.com/relevancy/
