Search Network vs. Content Network

If you’re reading this article, it means you’ve realized there is a multitude of opportunities awaiting you by using financed promotion, “Pay per Click” (PPC). Nevertheless, you will rapidly realize that the possibilities are varied and rather complex. Today, Google offers two main courses of action: the first, advertising by search (using Google’s search engine), and the second, advertising in the content network. And there is always the option to apply both courses simultaneously.

What is search based advertising?

The popular method of advertising is based on search keywords. This means that the advertiser considers which words or expressions might be used by surfers in order to reach the product or service he provides. For instance, a bed and breakfast portal owner may comfortably assume that a person searching Google for a bed and breakfast place will use the words “Bed” and “Breakfast” in his search. Hence, it will be wise for the owner to advertise his post using these words. Obviously these will not be the only words under which the post will appear. Another advertisement for the same site may turn up when typing “luxury bed and breakfast” or even “Jerusalem pizza“. An online advertising campaign aspires to attract all possible potential clients and therefore contains up to hundreds of expressions, depending on the size of the site, variety of its products and of course- the budget.

PPC in the Content Network

Google has expanded site advertising possibilities via another route called ‘content network’. Advertising in the content network is also based on keywords and core expressions which bring forth traffic to the same site. However, here the advertisement will appear within sites the surfer has already visited, if Google identified them as relevant to the entered search word.

In fact, Google follows the surfer’s request and adjusts itself to the surfer’s needs by presenting further alternative search options. For example; a pregnant woman searching for a natural solution to toothache problems will probably reach a content site in the field of alternative medicine carrying relevant information to the matter. By following this woman’s fields of interest, Google knows that she has lately been “wandering” around sites which relate to pregnancy, birth and dentistry. Hence it will “understand” what she’s searching for and present her with advertisements which might attract her attention, such as “recommended dental clinics” and even “dental treatments during pregnancy”.

Advertising in the content network can lead to surprising results, such as Hebrew advertisements on an English oriented website. How does Google do it? Lately Google started planting “cookies” in the site to gather information about the surfer in order to build a specially customized client profile. This information assists Google in presenting the surfer with relevant advertisements to his field of interest, spoken languages and consumer habits. A similar phenomenon occurs, for instance when a user is logged in to Gmail.

Content Advertising – Also By Email

“The Big Brother” is watching your mailbox as well. This is done in order to offer you any assistance you may possibly need. In this manner, if you write to a friend that you’re preparing for an apartment move, Google will analyze the content of the mail and quickly present you with related advertisements: packing and moving companies, maritime cargo transportation (if the move is international) and so forth. When you choose to advertise your site in the content network, you are in fact authorizing Google to display your advertisement in the content sites chosen by the search engine as relevant according to the subjects at hand.

What is a Content Network?

The content network is comprised of thousands of websites which enable Google to display advertisements from other content-related sites within them. Google is in fact servicing as a bridge or mediator between the advertisers and the websites. The members of the content network belong to the “Google Adsense” program; in essence an account which Google manages for websites who consent to posting advertisements on their pages.

Advantages of the Content Network

1. Greater exposure to the advertising sites than that of the search network (the surfers spend 5% of their time in the result page while spending 95% of their time in the sites relevant to them!).

2. More focused exposure – appearance in the sites which already caught the surfer’s attention and that hold relevant content to the advertisement.

3. It is optional to enter advertisements as image, video or banner formats rather than text alone.

4. Ample control – you can choose the sites in which your advertisements will appear and subsequently choose where they will not (competitors).

5. The content network includes Gmail – Google email account service.

6. Low cost – generally speaking, a click in the content network costs less than a click in the search network.

So where should I advertise? In the Content or Search Network?

The answer is inconclusive. In matters of leisure, the content network is usually very efficient. For instance, an advertisement for a home treadmill in a site which deals with weight loss issues could yield many clicks. However, in “urgent” matters (like cockroach and rat fumigation) or in areas controlled by urges (like restaurants, hotels or flights) it’s well advised to focus on the search network. It is safe to assume that when a person is conducting a search and is determined to find a solution, s/he will enter the relevant advertisements which appear on the search network as well.

SEO Jerusalem is an Israeli SEO company based in Jerusalem. At SEO Jerusalem, we will conduct your advertising campaigns responsibly. Contact us and let us help you!

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