Each facet of Google.com is at all times two steps ahead of its competitors. They’ve established themselves as one of the most valuable worldwide data mines, they’re API technology is yet to be matched by any other competitor, they’re Maps data is so comprehensive that you can even view Area 51 from a bird’s eye view. With Google street view, the fact that you can virtually walk from one place to another online may indicate that augmented reality isn’t so far away after all. It’s ubiquitous and futuristic, and the choke-hold that this technology has over the rest of the market is strengthening. Google Chrome, despite using Apple’s Safari browser technology, has produced some admirable competition amongst the big wigs of browsers. What about Google Apps? This business model has diverted over 25 million businesses away from Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes.

Google Maps is arguably one of Google’s most prized possessions, and biggest seed for growth on the search engine’s path to into local search and mobile search domination. It was only a matter of time before Google started cashing in on one of their most significant works to date. Australia looks to be the guinea pig to test the fiscal outcomes of the new Maps venture. It’s all very exciting, but does this actually signify the end of the online paid directory for anything other than linkbait?

Hotfrog.com.au is Australia’s largest independent online directory, but even Hotfrog makes a vast majority of their revenue from Google AdSense and bases their location data on the Google Maps API. It really is a working example of how Google AdSense, in conjunction with Google Maps, has set up the search engine giant for greater influence. But will sites such as Hotfrog continue to make a profit off Google AdSense through their high amount of site traffic? Unlikely.

Unless Google gives an independent directory a “leg-up” in search, these independent businesses are going to suffer as a result of the trend shift towards Google Maps. Look at TrueLocal and the YellowPages, they’ve got nothing to worry about… But why? You would think that the Yellow Pages would be sweating buckets in the digital age with their phone books having more use now as drink coasters, arm rests and booster seats for short people rather than for locating local businesses. In my optinion, the Yellow Pages have covered their tails well here. They are well networked with Sensis, one of Google’s primary data sources for Australian business information.
TrueLocal on the other hand, despite being networked with Yahoo! Australia’s online search directory, are still closely networked with Google as it appears to favour the business directory as a “trusted source”. You would think that a business directory that is relatively new to the game would suffer, but luckily for them they’ve had the financial prowess of News Ltd. to back their venture.

With Google now planning to sell branded ad-space on Google Maps, the game just got interesting. Businesses, big and small, will now have the incentives to go to Google’s Local Business Directory directly. The implications for the smaller business directory websites here is that unless they can achieve Google’s trust, they will not have the backbone necessary to sell their service as a local business directory. After all, why would a business want to buy into a service that isn’t recognised by the biggest search engine in existence?
Welcome to Google’s inner-circle of local business directories. The game of local search is rapidly becoming the game of Google Maps.

I think that there needs to be a greater amount of awareness created as to the direct benefits of PPCs, because a lot of companies are totally oblivious when it comes to understanding the true benefits of running a PPC campaign. With this in mind (and if you happen to be in the learning stages of PPC), let me run you through some of the benefits:

1. PPC allows you to be cost-effective! With PPC advertising you can completely control how much you spend for a targeted lead – as the name suggests – you only pay for traffic that is acquired from your ads.
2. Be Targeted – Your advertisement is only displayed when a user types your keyword into a search engine. This means that the ad is already being shown to someone you know is interested in the same topic as your product or service, if not the exact product or service. Other advantages of the targeting capabilities? Well, you can make your target market as broad as you like or keep it specific, depending on your keyword targets, and you can also target users based on a geographical region – which is pretty cool – because if you’re selling NSW state of origin jerseys for example, you’re not going to want to target those traitors in Queensland!!The targeting DOES involve a lot of critical thinking though, because you want to be as far ahead of your competition as possible… But we can always help you with this… That’s what we do.
3. “Hi, I’m a paid ad: click on me” – PPC advertising inherently promotes your website/product/service across the World Wide Web in its entirety, which can be particularly beneficial for new businesses. You can target as many keywords as you desire and you can arrange for your ad to be shown as often as you like and still stay firmly within your budget. PPC is a direct medium of advertising that reconvenes the attention of hundreds of thousands of keyword relevant search engine users. With a targeted, extended reach of this calibre you effectively obtain a level of advertising some of your other competitors could only dream of.

The benefits really are unparalleled when it comes to the performance of digital advertising versus traditional print media and television. Though, it is understandable that more conventional companies may still be in the transitional stage in their switch into the online realm. If you’re one of these companies, and you want to take the reins of this amazing advertising medium, talk to us – and we can be your PPC brains.