Google's Scott Simpson Gives Web Advertising Advice to Chamber Members

Over fifty members of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce gathered Wednesday at the Ann Arbor Sheraton to learn the ins and outs of online advertising. Scott Simpson, Inside Sales Manager at Google, was the featured speaker at this month’s Lunch & Learn Event. Design Hub, a web design and development firm in Saline, sponsored the event.

Chris Kochmanski, Design Hub partner, made the introductions and set the tone for the afternoon. 

“We can help you create a website that is fabulous,” Kochmanski said. “But if no one finds it, what good is it for you and your business? That is what Scott is going to tell you about today.”

Scott Simpson was once a small business owner in southeastern Michigan. He admits that, back then, he wasn’t so sure about advertising through a computer.

“My mindset was off,” Simpson said. “I thought that I didn’t need to know about online advertising.”

He explained that now, more than ever, consumers are spending more time online than they are on television or radio, and that advertisers haven’t caught on completely to the trend.  The title of Simpson’s presentation was “Demystifying Online Advertising,”  

The keyword of the day was "relevance." More than anything, Simpson stressed the importance of giving the consumer exactly what they want when they click on an ad. When a potential customer clicks on an online advertisement, they should find a landing page that is simple and relevant to what the consumer wants.

“Everything needs to be relevant to the end user experience,” Simpson said.

When a consumer uses a search engine such as Google, the top three listings are paid for ads, followed by an organic list. 

“Ad position is determined by relevance and willingness to pay,” he said.

Google uses a formula which measures an ad’s quality score times its cost-per-click. 

“Basically it is an auction system to make it fair for everybody,’ Simpson said.

The discussion went on to cover ad campaigns, key words, and search engine optimization, followed by a question and answer period.

Nancy Byers, owner of Stone Arch Arts & Events, asked “With so much social networking and other things online, what is the one thing we should do?”

Simpson said first step is to make sure your website is optimized using search engine optimization.

The gathering lasted almost two hours. 

For more information on other upcoming Lunch & Learn Events, visit the Saline Area Chamber’s website at www.salinechamber.com, or call their office 734-429-4494. For more information on Google Adwords, visit www.adwords.google.com.