PPC: Google vs. Yahoo

You may consider checking out "Digging for Gold".

I have been using ppc since it first hit the internet, and the various 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tier networks.

When Yahoo was Overture way back, I used to turn more success in certain markets. Now, I find that Google's network works better overall, and Yahoo's only works for certain industry's and niche's.

Try them both since you never know which will work best, and keep the winner.

I find the Google interface more intuitive, but I have since the first day.

Hi Noah,

Where do people come up with these ideas?

Google has an estimated reach of more than 80% of all Internet users and recent estimates have the Search Network returning 71% of all search traffic. Then there is the massive reach of their Content Network which no other company can compare. If Google is dead then the Internet is dead.

As far as newbies go, tapping into Googles traffic is a bit like drinking from a fire hose. You better be thirsty before you go there.

I personally believe that the AdWords user interface is the most intuitive and useful of all the major PPC companies. Google offers the most thorough training and the most useful tools, in my opinion, and they are all free.

Sure, there is a steep learning curve for PPC campaigns, regardless of which program you join. that's no reason to avoid it. If you can't be bothered to learn, hire a PPC manager.

Before you jump in to any PPC campaign you want to be darn sure that you've got a landing page that will convert reasonable well and that you can track right down to the keyword where your conversion traffic is coming from. Without the proper tracking you could be getting a ton of traffic but not know which sources are profitable and which are losing you money.

If you're asking for product recommendations for Google AdWords, the one that I'd highly recommend is Ryan Deiss's "Wholesale Traffic Secrets."

It's the only product I know that breaks Quality Score down to an exact science. The reason so many people have difficulty with AdWords nowadays is because they don't understand Quality Score.