Best Practices for Applying Search Theory

The basics of search are not difficult to understand; the principles have been the same ever since people started looking for information. By referring to the fundamentals of search throughout your marketing, you keep your efforts aligned with the searcher, which can bring long-term success to your company.

• PPC marketing was created and revolutionized in less than a decade. Because the industry is ever-changing, those who can continuously evolve their marketing can find great success.
• Search engines have transformed how people find their information. As more consumers use search engines as their starting point for finding information, more advertisers will find success with search marketing.
• The search process starts with a question. That question is translated into words by the searcher. Therefore, keywords are individual thought processes.
• Every time someone does an action, there is an expectation of results. Meeting these expectations with both ad copy and landing pages helps increase your PPC marketing returns.
• Advertising is not advertising when it is information. When your ads help a searcher find the answer to their question, your CTR and conversion rates often increase.
• On any search page there are three goals: the search engine’s goal, the searcher’s goal, and the advertiser’s goal. Align your goal with your potential customer— the searcher—and success usually follows.

In future chapters, we will examine keyword research, ad copy writing, and multiple ways to target consumers. At each step, we are trying to enhance these fundamentals. If you can help the searcher find what they are looking for, you will continue to gain new customers.