A recent letter that crossed my desk suggested that online advertisers should forget Google. Consider search engine advertising for cheapskates, the ad proclaimed, suggesting that Google was overpriced. The advertisement made me stop and think, when advertising our bed and breakfast or small inn on the internet, are we getting the value we need?

So, do we sidestep Google, and move in a new direction towards budget advertisers? We can’t answer that question for you. What we can say is that, when considering what search providers to target, you need to carefully consider your goals, and who you’re trying to reach. Many budget search providers can’t be matched in value or performance, considering the target audience you’re trying to reach. Their flat rate plans can offer an excellent way of controlling costs, considering Google PPC type advertising can quickly run up large bills if you’re inexperienced.

So, when considering paid search advertising, know your audience and who your customer base is. Consider that Google accounts for roughly 60% of online searches worldwide, and Yahoo accounts for about 20%. If you want to try some budget search providers you can definitely gain some value for the amount you pay. But, if reaching the largest possible online audience is one of your goals, then Google and Yahoo cannot be ignored.

If your bed and breakfast targets customers in a particular geographic region, the large providers offer excellent ways to target the placement of your ads geographically, so you don’t have to worry about wasting money on ads displaying in regions where you never expect to gain customers.

To recap, the lesson to learn when considering online search providers is to know your target audience and select the provider that offers the best and most economical method of reaching that audience. If your goal is to reach the largest and most geographically diverse audience quickly, then Google is pretty hard to match.