- Apr 22, 2009
- 24
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- First Name
- Indie Results
I totally understand Mod's if you take this down, this is not a promotional post at all, I am really trying to understand why dealers use a company like Reach Local.
Below will be a post I put up maybe a week ago, but I am really trying to understand my target market (dealers) I used to think for a long time it was just because they could co-op the costs and maybe that is true, I could really use some feedback...and if there is someone from Reach here that would be great too.
I don't really sell PPC I am more of an SEO company and overall usability although I do fancy myself pretty good at PPC. I see a lot of trends in PPC sales that are similar to SEO, (vendorwise) it just seems no matter how many testimonials I get, how many case studies I provide, SEO is a very difficult sell. I am ok with that, I am just trying to understand dealers thought processes a little more as well as stimulate some good conversation for the forum.
(this was sparked by one of my seo clients accounts)
Why ReachLocal and Co-op PPC Offer Big Promises—And Poor Results
No matter what we’ve been told or know firsthand, cheap prices and big promises always seem to pique our interest despite the notion “if it looks to good to be true, it probably is…” So when it comes to PPC marketing, the bottom line is that cheaper isn’t better.
Let’s take for example, ReachLocal. If you aren’t already familiar with them, ReachLocal offer advertisers packages that include paid search ads from Google and Yahoo; Internet Yellow Pages listings from SuperPages.com; paid inclusion from LookSmart; and geo-targeted banner ads on the Advertising.com network. The service includes campaign set-up and management, simplified online media buying, and campaign reporting.
In a nutshell, ReachLocal specializes in PPC campaigns for just about anybody and everybody. They offer killer salesmanship and big promises for cheap costs—but that’s not without a catch. ReachLocal (and co-op PPC companies like them) also offer a host of drawbacks attached to the terms of agreement. In this blog, we’re going to outline the main reasons why you shouldn’t opt with ReachLocal or co-op-based PPC companies for your PPC efforts.
Though ReachLocal and other co-op PPC companies may have cheaper prices, it’s because they manage a huge volume of clients; therefore getting discounts from Google, Yahoo and other search engines. The major drawback to the lowered cost is that you’re opting with a company that manages thousands of clients. No doubt, software, not humans, are managing your campaign.
A PPC campaign needs to be fluid, and you need to be able to monitor and adjust the campaign on a daily basis based on what keywords are getting you conversions/leads. The problem with ReachLocal and other co-op PPC companies is they “limit client control,” which in other words means—you have no control.
The cost for ReachLocal and many other co-op PPC companies may initially seem cheap, but it quickly adds up as fees compound. Over $1000 per month for a PPC campaign that doesn’t help your PPC efforts is a lot of money to be wasted.
To get a better idea, let’s take one of our clients who has been working with a co-op based PPC company. The current situation when you Google the client’s company name is their PPC results (which they’re paying over $1000 per month) turn up 3rd in the adwords list with the entirely wrong URL address for the displayed webpage.
Know too, you’ll be hard pressed to ever find ReachLocal or a co-op PPC company that bothers to use custom landing pages.
If you’re considering using a co-op-based PPC company like ReachLocal for your PPC campaign, know that the majority of these companies don’t offer tailored services. Instead you’ll likely be getting software-fed-and-amalgamated service with results that are borderline atrocious. For the most part—the only one benefiting form the service is the co-op.
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I also wanted to point out that a company like reach local doesn't even follow the most basic PPC 101 techniques like custom URL's, landing pages, custom ad's and so much more...yuck...
Below will be a post I put up maybe a week ago, but I am really trying to understand my target market (dealers) I used to think for a long time it was just because they could co-op the costs and maybe that is true, I could really use some feedback...and if there is someone from Reach here that would be great too.
I don't really sell PPC I am more of an SEO company and overall usability although I do fancy myself pretty good at PPC. I see a lot of trends in PPC sales that are similar to SEO, (vendorwise) it just seems no matter how many testimonials I get, how many case studies I provide, SEO is a very difficult sell. I am ok with that, I am just trying to understand dealers thought processes a little more as well as stimulate some good conversation for the forum.
(this was sparked by one of my seo clients accounts)
Why ReachLocal and Co-op PPC Offer Big Promises—And Poor Results
No matter what we’ve been told or know firsthand, cheap prices and big promises always seem to pique our interest despite the notion “if it looks to good to be true, it probably is…” So when it comes to PPC marketing, the bottom line is that cheaper isn’t better.
Let’s take for example, ReachLocal. If you aren’t already familiar with them, ReachLocal offer advertisers packages that include paid search ads from Google and Yahoo; Internet Yellow Pages listings from SuperPages.com; paid inclusion from LookSmart; and geo-targeted banner ads on the Advertising.com network. The service includes campaign set-up and management, simplified online media buying, and campaign reporting.
In a nutshell, ReachLocal specializes in PPC campaigns for just about anybody and everybody. They offer killer salesmanship and big promises for cheap costs—but that’s not without a catch. ReachLocal (and co-op PPC companies like them) also offer a host of drawbacks attached to the terms of agreement. In this blog, we’re going to outline the main reasons why you shouldn’t opt with ReachLocal or co-op-based PPC companies for your PPC efforts.
Though ReachLocal and other co-op PPC companies may have cheaper prices, it’s because they manage a huge volume of clients; therefore getting discounts from Google, Yahoo and other search engines. The major drawback to the lowered cost is that you’re opting with a company that manages thousands of clients. No doubt, software, not humans, are managing your campaign.
A PPC campaign needs to be fluid, and you need to be able to monitor and adjust the campaign on a daily basis based on what keywords are getting you conversions/leads. The problem with ReachLocal and other co-op PPC companies is they “limit client control,” which in other words means—you have no control.
The cost for ReachLocal and many other co-op PPC companies may initially seem cheap, but it quickly adds up as fees compound. Over $1000 per month for a PPC campaign that doesn’t help your PPC efforts is a lot of money to be wasted.
To get a better idea, let’s take one of our clients who has been working with a co-op based PPC company. The current situation when you Google the client’s company name is their PPC results (which they’re paying over $1000 per month) turn up 3rd in the adwords list with the entirely wrong URL address for the displayed webpage.
Know too, you’ll be hard pressed to ever find ReachLocal or a co-op PPC company that bothers to use custom landing pages.
If you’re considering using a co-op-based PPC company like ReachLocal for your PPC campaign, know that the majority of these companies don’t offer tailored services. Instead you’ll likely be getting software-fed-and-amalgamated service with results that are borderline atrocious. For the most part—the only one benefiting form the service is the co-op.
+++
I also wanted to point out that a company like reach local doesn't even follow the most basic PPC 101 techniques like custom URL's, landing pages, custom ad's and so much more...yuck...