Google
versus Yahoo
Google AdWords and Yahoo Search
Marketing cover about 70% of the
available PPC ad space, when you
consider that they syndicate
their results to several other
search providers, like AOL for
example. Generally speaking,
both the Google and Yahoo PPC
programs have similar objectives
and display their search results
in almost an identical manner.
Until the beginning of 2007, the
way the two systems were managed
and the way they functioned
internally was quite different.
However, Yahoo made a
significant overhaul to their
Yahoo Search Marketing platform
and it now appears very similar
to Google, at least on the
surface.
It is easiest to explain the
differences between the two
systems by pointing out how
Yahoo tried, and in many cases
falls short of what Google has
already perfected. I’m sure that
Yahoo will ultimately work out
the kinks and improve the
functionality, but from where I
sit, the new system is a bit of
a disappointment.
Generally speaking, Yahoo’s
migration to the new platform
still has issues which even
Yahoo themselves do not
completely understand or know
how to fix. This is especially
true if you are migrating from
the old 2-level platform to the
new 3-level platform.
Both Google AdWords and Yahoo
Search Marketing use a quality
score which is based on several
factors that they will not
completely divulge. This quality
score is so significant that it
will place an ad from one
advertiser above another
advertiser who is spending twice
the click charge amount! Trying
to figure out how the quality
score actually works is
like trying to hit a moving
target
when it comes to creating and
managing campaigns. However, simply
understanding and implementing
basic SEO techniques can make a
noticeable difference in
determining your keyword quality
score and how much you pay per
click.
It is important to understand a
growing trend in the PPC
industry that lies at the heart
of the major differences between
Google and Yahoo PPC programs.
This is an effort on the part of
the search providers to force
increased competition for
keywords, which ultimately
creates higher cost-per-click
(CPC) charges and higher profits
for the search providers. Yahoo
calls it their “match driver”.
They do this by grouping several
keywords or iterations of a
keyword, and forcing advertisers
to compete. Generally speaking,
Google gives you more options
and provides better tools for
managing keywords. This means a
savvy campaign manager can be
rewarded with a lower CPC by
understanding and implementing
the right tactics in Google.
If you have ever developed a
really good campaign in Google
AdWords and tried to replicate
it in Yahoo Search Marketing,
you will know what I’m talking
about. You will get an
unbelievable number of
“Declined” keywords with the
error “Duplication of results”
as the reason. This is because
Yahoo has taken all those unique
keywords you worked so hard to
find and make work in Google
AdWords, and lumped them
together, forcing you and all
the other advertisers to compete
for the same “keyword”!
The inverse is also true if you
try to replicate a Yahoo Search
Marketing campaign in Google
AdWords. If you have not
invested the time and effort to
expand your Yahoo keyword list
when you move it to Google, you
will have missed out on a
significant opportunity to save
money on click charges.
These are just a few examples of
why it is important to
understand the differences
between these two PPC search
providers. There are many more
that if you don’t already know,
are costing you money, perhaps
enough to warrant changing your
campaign manager!
Here is one more interesting
observation. Generally speaking,
Google is used by males and
business people, whereas Yahoo
attracts more consumer and
female users. Depending on your
product or service, this could
be an important factor.
