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Yes, money can make SEO strategies irrelevant. With a Google
Adwords account a website owner can pay Google to get him
to the top of Google's rankings. Yahoo has a similar program
called "Sponsored Search."
Here's how these programs work: After opening an account,
you tell the search engine to put you to the top of their
rankings for certain keywords and/or key phrases. Keywords
and key phrases are the things people type into the search
box at places like Google and Yahoo.
For instance, let's say you have a website all about spatulas.
You pay Google, whenever someone searches for "spatulas,"
to put a link to your website at the top of the search results.
Then, every time someone clicks on the search engine's link
to your website, you pay the search engine a certain amount
of money.
Depending on the content of your website, you might pay 10¢
per click, or you might pay $1.25 per click--it varies because
some keywords and phrases are more popular than others, which
means there's more competition to get to the top of Google's
rankings.
 For
example, it's more expensive to be at the top of Google's
rankings for the key phrase "acne medicine" than
it is for the keyword "spatula." Many more people
care about their complexion than care about flipping their
pancakes with style, and so LOTS of websites are trying to
sell acne medicine. All that competition drives up the price
Google can charge its Adwords customers to put them at the
top of their search rankings.
Back to our spatula website example...
In one day 300 people search for "spatula" on
Google, and every time they do, your website comes up at the
top of Google's rankings.
Of all the people searching for "spatula" on Google
that day, 250 of them click on Google's link to your website.
Google charges you 10¢ for every one of those clicks,
or $25. for the day.
Let's say, however, that your website is about a cream that
prevents acne, and you set your Google Adwords account so
that you'll be at the top of their rankings when someone searches
for "acne medicine." Since this is a more competitive
market segment than spatulas, now you'll be paying $1. per
click.
In one day 3000 people search for "acne medicine"
on Google, and, every time, your website comes up at the top
of Google's rankings. Of all the people searching for "acne
medicine" on Google that day, 2500 of them click on Google's
link to your website. Google therefore collects $2500. from
you that day. Wow--that's expensive!
Dont' worry, though--you can set spending limits so that
Google will stop listing your site in its paid rankings area
when it's been clicked a certain number of times. If you set
your daily spending limit to $10, once $10 worth of clicks
has occurred, Google will take the link to your website off
its search result pages.
Interested in paying to get your site to the top of Google's
rankings? Visit Google
Adwords.
Interested in paying to get your site to the top of Yahoo's
ranking? Visit Yahoo
Sponsored Search.
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