Overture 101
By David Fishman
There are multiple ways to increase revenue
on a site with traffic. It is of course even easier to
imagine and implement programs on web sites that are branded
and used by millions of consumers on a daily basis without a
“direct” invitation by the company. How do companies that
are promoting smaller less well known products, and by the
same token how do smaller advertisers who are not huge brand
names increase revenue when a consumer must receive a direct
invitation to even find their product. One way is through a
search-based product incorporated into an already designed
direct marketing program.
https://www.lynxtrack.com/signup.php
Google,
Yahoo, MSN search, Find-What, and especially Overture have
paved the way and as discussed in past weeks Confidential
made CPC (cost per click) one of the most well regarded
revenue models in the advertising industry. It is not a
tough model to understand or design projections to know how
risky the “bet” is when using this model to drive sales or
sign ups. However, it is often difficult to understand all
the tools available to smaller advertisers, publishers, or
networks who often do have time to learn new tools they
have not picked up along the way. In this brief article we
will explore the ins and out of Overture, one of the leaders
in helping sites gain more revenue per user through a CPC
model. Owned by Yahoo, Overture advertisers can reach over
80% of Internet users.
If you take
a closer look and pop the hood, you’ll find a whole suite of
useful tools for Marketers being provided by Overture.
1) Precision Match: This is where Overture
began, back when it was known as GoTo.com. Precision Match
is the original “bid for keyword” search engine, and it’s
still a core utility for Overture users. You select your
keywords/phrases and the amount you want to pay per click
and you are only charged that amount when someone clicks
through to your website.
Overture has relationships with Yahoo, MSN,
Altavista, Infospace and others. By bidding into the top
three positions, you’ll also enjoy exposure on those top
search engines as well under what’s called “Sponsored
Listings.” For more, see…http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/index.jhtml
2) Content Match: Unlike “Precision Match,”
where your listings appear on search results pages, “Content
Match” displays your listings alongside articles, product
reviews, etc. Currently these listings appear on many of
Yahoo’s content areas (including Entertainment, Finance &
Shopping), MSN content areas (including Money & Tech &
Gadgets), and other online destinations.
Your listing will only appear on Content
Pages that are relevant to your service or product.
You can set your bids for Content Match
separately from those on Precision Match, giving you the
opportunity to track results to see which type is converting
best for you.
3) Local Match: If you want to target
customers in a certain geographic area then you’ll want to
take a look at “Local Match.” This would be perfect for Mom
and Pop operators or those who sell products and services to
a local crowd only. There is no monthly minimum, with the
minimum bid of only 10 cents per click. This service can be
used by those who don’t have a website, as Overture sets up
a landing page for users of this service. Called a “Locator
Page,” it displays a map, store hours and a link to your
site (if you have one). Local Match listings appear on
CitySearch, AltaVista, Yahoo, AllTheWeb and more.
4) Marketing Console: Helps you to measure
all of your online marketing campaigns so you know where
you’re getting the best return for your money. Track your
Pay Per Click Bids, email ads, banner ads, affiliate program
and more. This site will also tell you how well your website
is converting leads to actual sales.
5) Site Match: This is a component of Yahoo’s
Search Content Acquisition Program. By submitting to “Site
Match,” you’ll ensure your pages are reviewed and included
in Yahoo, AltaVista, AllTheWeb, and others. Your site will
not be shown under “sponsored listings,” but appear in the
main body of the search results pages. You must pay an
annual fee for inclusion.
6) Conversion Counter: Free tool that tracks
the number of conversions that are generated from your
keywords listings at Overture.
To use “Conversion Counter,” you’ll need to
sign up for it in Overture’s Control Panel, then copy some
HTML code onto one page of your site (generally the sales
confirmation page).
7) Merchant Solutions: Since Yahoo owns
Overture, you’ll also find a variety of tools for small
business owners, such as:
A) Shopping Carts
B) Web Hosting and Email Accounts
C) Domain Name Registrations
As you can see, Overture has come a long way
from just offering a “one size fits all” Pay Per Click
Solution. By utilizing their variety of tools, you’ll
increase your website exposure and spend your marketing
dollars more wisely.
An easy way to take advantage of the Overture
opportunity as a smaller advertiser or publisher is to spawn
results from overture off of already present marketing
programs. Email’s, pops, banners and every single site has
an opportunity to engage the consumer through Overture
search results. As a broker, advertiser, or publisher there
are always points within the media campaign where “you”
control the media experience of the user. These are points
where the inclusion of a search result paid on CPC can
occur. Certainly Overture is only one of the many choices to
work with. Thus spend some time with the Overture tools as
almost all the other search programs were in some form
designed from this model. Review the competition and see who
fits best with your present programs. This will ultimately
result in an increase in value per click and per user that
will be felt almost immediately by your entire organization.
David Fishman
dfishman@ileadmedia.com
