Want prospects to click on your Denver small business ad? Of course you do. Well a recent report by Chitika shows that Bing users are much more likely to click on ads than Google search engine users. Bing users clicked on ads 1.67% of the time - Google users just 1.09% of the time. This percentage puts Bing users higher than both Yahoo and Google users - although lower than users of AOL and ASK.com search engines - who both have much higher click rates (2.48% and 2.92% respectively).
Why are Bing Users More Likely to Click?
Well, this is just one study - from one ad platform provider. It should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, reasons for the higher clicks could be due to Microsoft's intense focus on users who are looking to make purchases - a theory promoted by the article. It could also be that the Bing organic (free) search results aren't as relevant as Google search results. There is also a theory that the users of other search engines are less sophisticated than Google users and are more likely to click on ads.
How Does This Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?
As a Denver small business owner, it is good to be aware of where your marketing dollars are going and how much return you're getting on your ad spend. With Bing search ads getting ready to appear on the Yahoo search engine, it is particularly important to be aware of click trends like this. However, this click data must be put into context.
Assume for a moment that Bing ads are clicked more than Google ads - there are two reasons why this doesn't mean that you should invest your ad budget in Bing first - and Google second. First, Google dominates search. Even if proportionally Bing will bring you more visitors - even with the addition of Yahoo search, ads through Microsoft's adCenter platform will still only reach less than 30% of all searches. Second, clicks are great - you need clicks to have people visit your website so you can promote your products and services. But ultimately, it is all about converting those prospects into clients. You need to look at the ad spend as well as the revenue from each search platform.
My Advice to Denver Small Business Owners
Start with Google AdWords. Get your campaign running efficiently. Get a solid ROI. Then migrate your campaign over to Microsoft adCenter. By starting with Google, you'll learn a lot about your market and your prospects for success quickly. Once you have everything running efficiently, move on to adCenter platform.