Boost traffic on your website: Paid Search

What is paid search?

Paid search is a form of marketing where organizations pay search engines to display their website on their search engine results page. (SERPS) This works from a pay-per-click model where the organization is charged only when a customer clicks on your ad. Paid search helps drive more relevant traffic to your website by showing your ad to customers searching for relevant information.

Should your business use paid search?

There are both advantages and disadvantages to paid search and it is up to the organization to determine whether using paid search is right for them. For businesses looking for exposure paid search can boost brand awareness by up to 80%. Here is what businesses should consider when looking into paid search:

Pros

Paid search is very effective in terms of targeting the right consumer. This tool is effective by targeting keywords that prospective customers would use to search your business. According to Valve+Meter "65 percent of all clicks made by users who intend to make a purchase go to paid ads."

Paid search also provides immediate results because of the placement on the SERP. This drives more traffic to your site and gives the business a significant return on investment. (ROI) Conversions can be easily tracked through paid search which can help determine the effectiveness of the ad.

Cons

The investment needed to use paid search is significant, companies with little capital may want to turn to improve their organic or local search before looking into paid search.

Another downside to paid search is the lack of visual content, many consumers rely on visual media to determine whether to buy or not. Without and visual media on your ad, consumers may be less inclined to check out your website.

What platform should I use to advertise paid searches?

Undoubtedly Google has the majority of the search market, currently making up 92% of the world's searches. But should your business only use Google? The short answer is no, it is important for every business to consider every way to spread more brand awareness. Instead, businesses can advertise on both platforms to gain more conversions. But there are benefits to both engines to consider:

Pros of Google Ads

Besides the 93% market share, there are other advantages to Google Adwords. Google allows for more effective content targeting than Bing. With such a large and diverse market, Google Adwords has more consumers to target with a wider range of interests. Although Bing has many benefits, Google outmatches their competitor with more consumers and therefore more conversions.

Pros of Bing Ads

Bing's ads reach 63 million subscribers that aren't reached by Google Adwords. Meaning, avoiding using Bing as a marketing tool is a missed opportunity for more conversions. Bing's audience is also older and about half of the Network has a household income of $75,000 or more which is useful when considering the target market. While Bing does lack in users, it makes up for in performance. One marketing agency found Bing only spent 20%-35% compared to Adwords and received the same amount of conversions.

WWU MBA Program

Western Washington University's College of Business and Economics MBA is the next big step in preparing students to be adaptive leaders in a business environment. Every CBE student highly considers the MBA program to accelerate their career and get a comprehensive foundation in the business world. The program directed by the talented Dr. Mark Staton is responsible for helping students launch their professional careers.

"Master's in Business Administration?graduates who enter our?program immediately after completing their?undergraduate studies earn 10% to 60% more than those who enter?the job market with only?a bachelor's degree in Business?Administration."

How can Western increase student participation in the MBA program?

Retargeting: Retargeting students who originally showed interest in the College of business and economics (CBE) who still haven't chosen a major yet would be a way to bring awareness to people considering the program. Another important way is retargeting students currently enrolled in the college but has not yet signed up for the MBA program. Making sure students within the CBE are aware of the MBA program is the most important, because these students are the most likely to join the program. Lastly Western could retarget students still choosing colleges, and retarget content to show the benefits of the MBA program here at Western Washington University.

Demographics: To increase the number of students in the MBA program, the CBE should advertise the location as an advantage. Marketing the program in local searches throughout Washington and even into Canada is very important. Western has a beautiful campus, thus enticing students through the location and setting is an important factor when looking at programs. Using these ads when quarters rollover is a perfect time to entice students to join the program when they may just be planning on a bachelor's degree.

Keywords: Using keywords for SEO that effectively describe the program is important to students looking for Business MBA programs. Since Western's MBA program is AACSB accredited this can be used to attract even more students looking for top Business programs.

There are many reasons why Paid search is so advantageous to a business, but understanding what type of marketing works best for you will lead you to lots of success down the road. Joining Western's MBA program is a great opportunity to gain leadership experience and set you up for your next job. Anyone in the CBE program is welcome to join and I would highly recommend the opportunity.