By: Mandeep

There are two main forms of SEM that can be used, they are Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). People are often unsure as to which type of SEM to choose when promoting their business.

When you purchase visitors or “clicks” from a search engine, this is called “pay-per-click” (PPC) search engine advertising (or PPCSE). Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Advertising allows you to quickly get top search engine placement by “bidding” (paying) for keywords related to your product or service.

“Organic” or “Natural” search engine optimization (SEO) is accomplished by optimizing your web pages and by increasing your “link popularity” by acquiring or paying for links that point to your web site. This gives you high rankings at the Search Engines for your chosen search terms.

Pay-Per-Click Advantages:

• Fast to implement & in most cases the web site does not need to be changed at all.
• Highly targeted traffic on your search terms on the major search engines.
• You can often start seeing results within hours of activating a campaign.
• You only pay for users that click through your listing and arrive at your site.
• You can pick which keywords to bid on and no limit to the number of keywords.
• Complete control of budget - decide how much you want to bid for a keyword. You can rank highly for any keyword if your budget is large enough.
• The results can be tracked allowing continual improvements.
• Complete control of what text the listing shows - as long as it meets the engines copy and relevancy specifications.
• It is possible to target specific countries and regions.
• This is an immediate start and stoppage activity.
• Easy to implement and measure.

Disadvantages:

• PPC costs ongoing and increase over time - once you stop spending, your adverts stop showing.
• Quality score rules for landing pages are making it more difficult or expensive to gain a good position on PPC.
• Visitors may perceive less credibility than organic listings.
• Click fraud, while the PPC search engines constantly battle against this it does happen.
• An expertise is required to efficiently run a cost effective campaign.
• Only certain engines accept PPC advertising.

Search Engine Optimisation Advantages:

• Changes in search engine algorithms can wipe out good SEO position.
• SEO costs decrease over time.Visitors from search engine results do not cost you a penny.
• Usually users prefer to click on organic search results than “Sponsored Results”.
• Improvements to your website made from a search engine perspective usually result in a more user-friendly website.
• The rankings a web site achieves through SEO can continue for a long time after the work has been done.
• A well optimised website can appear across multiple search engines and search markets, at no extra cost.
• Over the long term SEO can be more cost effective than PPC.
• Visitors are more likely to trust a site they find in the rankings.

Disadvantages:

• Website need changes according to requirements.
• Will take time to see results. It can take months for your listings to move up the rankings.
• An ongoing process rather than ‘quick fix’.
• Search engines do not index forms or content inside forms.
• Limitation on number of keywords to optimise for.
• Can be difficult to implement for dynamic web sites.

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Microsoft’s latest deal proposal to Yahoo envisages the internet portal selling off its valuable properties in Asia and the purchase by Microsoft’s of Yahoo’s search business in the US, the Wall Street Journal reported late Monday. Microsoft also proposed buying a minority stake in the whittled down Yahoo that would remain after the sell-off.

Details of the proposal came a day after Microsoft announced that it was resuming its effort to team up with Yahoo, though it stressed that negotiations were not aimed at a transaction for the takeover of the web portal.

However, quoting people close to Yahoo, the report said that the Yahoo board was unlikely to favour the latest proposal.

Before details of the offer were publicized analysts said that the talks also offered both Yahoo and Microsoft the change to resurrect talks about a takeover without losing face.

‘A near-term deal could act as an intermediate step that would go a long way toward testing the waters,’ investment bank UBS wrote in a research report.

Microsoft has been pursuing Yahoo as a bulwark against the growing domination by Google of online advertising and software. It abruptly ended the previous negotiations at the start of the month, after Yahoo rejected its 47.5 billion dollar offer, valued at 33 dollars per share. Yahoo held out for a price of 37 dollars a share.

The failure of those talks prompted an attempt by corporate raider Carl Icahn to take control of Yahoo by ousting the board at the company’s annual general meeting on July 3.

‘It is quite obvious that Microsoft’s bid of 33 dollars per share is a superior alternative to Yahoo’s prospects on a standalone basis,’ wrote Icahn in a letter to Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock. ‘I believe that a combination between Microsoft and Yahoo is by far the most sensible path for both companies and more importantly would be a force strong enough to compete with Google on the internet.’

Icahn offered to back down from the proxy battle if Yahoo revived the takeover talks with Microsoft, but it was unclear whether the more limited negotiations would satisfy that demand.

In a statement late Sunday, Yahoo said its board is exploring several ‘value maximizing’ alternatives and ‘remain open to pursuing any transaction which is in the best interest of our stockholders.’

Source: monstersandcritics

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Yahoo and Microsoft have resumed talks in the wake of a shareholder rebellion launched by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, but this time the discussions are focusing on a deal short of outright acquisition.

Neither company would confirm the details Sunday, but there were reports that Microsoft was proposing an arrangement focused only on Yahoo’s search advertising business.

Microsoft announced the discussions in a brief statement around midday Sunday. Yahoo had no immediate comment, although its senior managers are to meet today.

Last week, Icahn launched an effort to oust Yahoo’s board and replace it with his own slate of directors who would favor a Microsoft takeover. Microsoft had earlier walked away from a $47.5 billion offer to buy Yahoo, after the Sunnyvale search firm’s chief executive, Jerry Yang, rejected the deal.

As recently as Friday, Microsoft executives were saying publicly that the company had “moved on” from the idea of buying Yahoo. But in its Sunday statement, Microsoft said it’s now contemplating a different kind of transaction.

“Microsoft is considering and has raised with Yahoo! an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo! but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo!” the statement said.

“Microsoft is not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo! at this time,” the statement continued, “but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative, depending on future developments or discussions that may take place with Yahoo! or discussions with shareholders of Yahoo! or Microsoft or with other third parties.”

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant had wanted to acquire Yahoo in order to compete more directly with Google. Yahoo is currently ranked second in the lucrative Internet search advertising business, behind Google, with Microsoft a distant third.

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Source: mercurynews.com

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