5 Alternatives to Google AdWords

Google AdWords is a great way to drive targeted traffic, but it’s getting more expensive every day. What are the alternatives?

1. Local Online Newspapers

After 30 seconds, I discovered these examples: Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Vancouver Sun, Chicago Sun Times, etc.

Sure, it’s not the sexy new-age media that’s all the rage right now, but it still works (and makes some people a lot of money). Make sure your banner ad appears in the real estate section, is vibrant and eye catching. Consider including a flash animation of your Google Maps-based MLS search.

2. Facebook

Facebook is still relatively new to the online advertising world, but with the right approach, can be very effective. Here’s an article that shows our experience with Facebook advertising. To avoid a major drop-off in click-throughs, make sure you advertisements are fresh and new. Re-tune the text every week, or two.

3. Other Search Engines

Here’s a list of the web’s search engine market share: Bing.com,  Yahoo.com, Ask.com, etc.

So, “why should anyone use a search engine with such little market share?” The answer is: because other people don’t. Every day, billions of searches are performed. Search engines with 1% market share are still worth more than $1 billion, and are sometimes far more competitively priced than Google.

4. AdBrite

Check out their website. They have tens of thousands of partner sites with relevant content ready for you to take advantage of. They are generally much cheaper than Google AdWords, but be CAREFUL. They are cheaper because the click-throughs are generally of lower quality than those you’ll get from Google.

To improve click-through quality, be sure to target your ads correctly. If your ads are too general, you will drive poorly targeted traffic to your website, defeating the purpose.

5. Clicksor

Similar to AdBrite and AdSense, Clicksor displays your ads on relevant sites in their vast advertising network. The ads are contextual, meaning that you can target your ads to be displayed in articles that are relevant to your website.

There are lots of alternatives to Google Adwords out there. Despite the fact that most require a little tweaking to get them working for you, these alternatives offer a great way to target advertising in ways that many of your competitors aren’t even aware of.