Like other search engines, Yahoo! offers the opportunity to conduct pay per click campaigns. With a pay per click (PPC) campaign, advertisers pay to get ads for their products and services listed at the top of the search results.

The “Sponsored Results” in both the shaded rectangle and in the right hand column are the search results based on YSM advertising campaigns. The placement of these ads is based on the bid amount the advertisers have placed on the keywords used, and advertisers are charged only when someone clicks on their advertisement.

If you have a product or service that you want to promote using Yahoo! Search Marketing, you’ll need to set up an account and develop your ad.  Here’s how you do it:

1. Direct your web browser to http://www.searchmarketing.yahoo.com and click on “Get Started Now.” You will be given two options on the next page: Fast Track Service and Self Serve. Select the Self Serve option to set up your YSM account and click the red button at the bottom of the Self Serve info column.


2. Set up your YSM Account. This is a multi-screen step. You will need to input your country, which will also serve as the country that your advertisement will target. If you are planning to target other countries too, you should look at Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom first as most searchers from those countries speak English and have the income necessary to make online purchases.

3. Select Relevant Keywords. With YSM, you will be able to assign your keywords into one or more categories. You will be able to get suggested Keywords for your advertisement title and description using the keyword selector tool (but be careful, some of the suggestions that you are given may not help you to get paying customers – they are suggestions only) or enter the keywords that you have already chosen to use.



You will want to be sure that you look for relevant, targeted keywords that will bring you customers, but not to find only keywords with a great deal of competition.  In addition, you’ll want to be sure that the keywords you select are relevant to your product and will bring you targeted customers. In some cases, this means that keywords and key phrases that you use in your campaign will include the words “buy,” “order” and “purchase.”

4. Create an ad using your keywords. With Yahoo! Search Marketing, you can create a single title and description for all of your keywords, or you can create a separate title and description for each of your keywords.



You will have a reminder of your category and keyword, a character counter for the title, the description and the URL of your site, and will be able to view your ad as search users would. And, you can make as many changes as you need to in order to make sure that your ad is strong.

5. Once you’ve written your ad, set your bid amounts. Your bid is the maximum amount that you are willing to pay each time that someone clicks on your ad. You’ll be able to see the amounts that those whose ads place in the Top 5 have bid. You’ll be able to use those amounts to determine what your bid should be.

Yes, you want to place as high as possible in the listings BUT – and this is really important – you do not want to bid more than you can afford. Remember, you will be charged each time a potential customer clicks on your ad whether or not they buy something while they’re at your site.

The YSM site provides you with a number of calculations on this page to help ensure that your campaign does not go over your budget. You will be able, based on your estimated daily and monthly budget amount to see an estimated monthly search volume – how many people YSM expects will search for your keywords) – as well as an estimate of the number of visitors you will get from your ad.



6. Now that your keywords are determined, your ad is written, and you have set your budget for your YSM Account, you will need to enter your contact and billing information.  Once YSM knows who you are, where to find you and how you’ll be paying for your campaign, congratulations! Your YSM Account is set up and your ad campaign can begin.

As this campaign continues and you begin others, keep the following in mind:
Bid on keywords that will attract buyers to your site, but don’t focus your energy on competing with others who have a much bigger budget than you do;
Always be mindful of your budget;
Watch and evaluate the performance of your campaign and make changes as they are necessary.

We hope that this guide to opening a Yahoo! Search Marketing Account and launching your first campaign has been informative and helpful. Congratulations for taking the first step and beginning a marketing campaign; here’s to your success!