As you may well know, tier two search engines are those that are just slightly less popular than the big ones: Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

While many small business owners may concentrate their pay per click marketing efforts strictly with the largest companies, they may be missing out on some golden opportunities with the second tier search engines.

You may have reasoned that most of your target market is utilising Google as their preferred search engine while surfing the internet. After all, they have a huge following. So why bother starting a marketing campaign with a smaller one?

The answer is, largely, for the same reason.

Much of what you receive from the big guys is unqualified traffic. Although they get more than their share of searches, this is not necessarily better. Users who rely on the smaller search engines are often technologically savvy and will more specifically target their searches.

Second Tier Search Engines

First, let’s define a tier 2 search engine. Technically, it is one that gets less than ten percent of all traffic. Most internet marketers agree, however, that any engine other than the aforementioned big three qualifies as second tier.

Tips for Your Tier 2 Campaign

Start by testing your existing pay per click campaign keywords on the second tier. You’ve already done the research on the best keywords and ads, so there is no need developing a second set for your new campaign.

Be sure to track your results at least weekly. Because there is no guarantee of success with the second tier, pull your campaign if it is not showing reasonable results quickly.

One major difference between the big and the small companies is that the tier 2 Search Engines are more willing to work with you personally. Develop a relationship with your account rep and find out exactly what he or she can do to help you and your specific needs.

There is a lot more room for the small guy to be flexible regarding billing and even refunds. You’re also going to see less competition for keywords and this can make a big difference regarding your advertising budget and your click throughs.

Remember to maximise your web pages and their content in order to attract all Search Engines. This will also help you gain traffic from the second tier. Be sure the keywords you are getting the most value from are those featured most prominently in your content, and particularly in the first paragraph.

A tier 2 pay per click campaign can be a great way to continue your internet marketing efforts at a reasonable cost and reach new customers. Not everyone who surfs the internet is the same, and you may be missing out on some key, qualified traffic by ignoring the smaller search engine companies.