This is not really about branding Google, the brand, but about what I see as the next generation of effective pay per click marketing.

One of the advantages today of pay per click (PPC) marketing over search engine optimization (SEO) is that you could get your website up on the first page for your desired keywords the next day (or even the same day). No fancy tricks or funny algorithms or linking strategies..you just bid high on the keywords and boom...you are up. It is one of the best and most cost effective ways of getting in front of your prospective buyers immediately.

But with less than 5% of businesses using pay per click marketing as more and more companies come on board it is going to have an enormous impact on your ability to get a good position even in PPC marketing - plus, the competition for your prospects eyeballs is going to increase.


Let's face it, today it is relatively easy to get on the first page of search results for your primary keywords. Do a search yourself to try to find companies like your own and you "might" see the right side of the page fill up...maybe not. So there is still room on the first page.

Let's assume you can still get on there....what is truly scary is that while you are now up in front of your audience...you are now head to head vs your competition for their attention

This is where many companies come face to face with their lack of differentiation or more meaningful connection with their target audience. So you finally get on the battlefield, head-to-head with your competitors and you need to deliver a message vs theirs that compels the searcher to click on your ad - but you find yourself saying the same thing that everyone else is saying.

Ugh!

You've got a 25 character headline and two 35 character lines of text to tell your story and it is the same as everyone else.

The fact is that branding starts here - it starts with your first exposure to your searching prospect. The ability to deliver a message at this point that clearly and truly distinguishes you from your competitors and connects more powerfully with your target can have a profound impact on not only the physical number of leads you generate but the quality of those leads.

Imagine being able to ONLY attract those prospects that you could best serve and that were the best fit for your business. Would that make a difference to your conversion rate?

Now...what if your website followed up and delivered on that same message and promise....man that would really rock.

The fact is that your branding is becoming increasingly important and it starts at your first exposure online. Your ability to connect with your prospects more powerfully even from the first search result can have a profound impact on your business.

And as more and more competitors come into the space and that first page, you are going to need to get stronger and stronger in your focus and your message to compel them, your best prospects, to click on your ad.

Part 2 will look at the impact of the increasing number of players in the PPC space and why branding can get you to the first page when there are now multiple pages of competitors.