Different Search Engines Need Different Approaches

For a while now I’ve been talking about the dangers of assuming that one search marketing approach will work across a number of platforms, with mixed results. Unfortunately, some people just don’t want to believe that the approach required to make a success of a PPC campaign on Google is that much different to the approach required to do well on Yahoo, Bing, etc. Some people unfortunately will not be swayed from the notion that search is search and what’s good for the good is good for the gander.

If you’re in this camp then allow me to have one last crack at persuading you otherwise with one good reason why you need to think of each as a new campaign and tailor your approach to match… Demographics.

The splits in terms of search engine use in the UK are pretty well known. Google have around 85 – 90% of the market, Yahoo come in around 5% and Bing fluctuate erratically below that. However, the mistake comes in believing that the pie is split along the same lines in terms of demographics. It isn’t.

A couple of examples of what I’m talking about…

Youth – For some reason, the average age of yahoo’s users has historically tended to be a bit younger than Gopogle’s. So if, for example, you sell products and have a certain selection that you think is going to appeal to younger consumers then it might be an idea to push those products more enthusiastically on Yahoo. By the same token, you may find that the results you get from saga holidays isn’t quite as good.

Experience – Many Internet Explorer users have Bing as their default search engine to begin with. Whereas experienced internet users will more often than not change the default settings to Yahoo, or (more likely) to Google the less experienced won’t. Ergo the users of Bing may contain be the less experienced users – perhaps not the venue for your ‘integrated IT business solution.’

Related posts:

1. Yahoo Search Advertising enhancements: Does anybody care?
2. Page Segmentation Part 3: The potential Advantages for Search Engines
3. Yahoo Sponsored Search introduces Geo-Specific Ad targeting
4. Should pay per click Landing Pages be optimised for Search Engines?
5. Google and Microsoft at loggerheads over search returns
6. Facebook Tops Key Word Search Terms for 2011