Interland Launches First National Paid Search Placement Program

Interland Launches First National Paid Search Placement Program Across Multiple Search Sites, Including Google, Overture, MSN and AOL

Guaranteed to drive sales leads to small business websites, Interland EzClicks(TM) helps busy businesses easily tap into the 84 percent of Americans now using search engines

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 4, 2004– Interland, Inc. (NASDAQ: INLD – News), a leading provider of online services and Web hosting for small and medium-sized businesses, announced today the immediate availability of EzClicks(TM), a suite of paid search advertising packages for small businesses. EzClicks search advertising packages give subscribers guaranteed traffic freeing them from the daunting task of managing pay-per-click advertising campaigns across multiple search sites.
ADVERTISEMENT

Interland’s newest lead-generating offering reduces the time-consuming tasks small businesses face when looking to execute paid search advertising campaigns. Interland’s search professionals manage all the details associated with multiple paid search engine efforts through one program that includes placements on more than 30 sites such as Google, Overture, MSN and AOL. Interland oversees the details, making sure keyword purchases are completed on time; writing text ads; placing bids; and monitoring and optimizing campaigns to keep pace with marketplace changes, all backed by a traffic guarantee. In addition, EzClicks users receive monthly reports documenting keywords used and traffic secured.

“Driving leads is the life blood of any small business operating today, and that principle is critical for those looking for real online success,” said Joel Kocher, CEO and chairman of Interland. “In the last few years there has been a dramatic shift in how consumers look for information about products and services. With home PC adoption now north of 80 percent and broadband connectivity in 23.1 million North American homes today, clearly the battle for local customers is playing out over the Internet. As this happens, the role of a small business website is rapidly changing from one of an online presence to a viable generator of leads and sales.

“Our research shows that serious small businesses are successfully using their websites to drive as much as 20 percent of their sales leads,” continued Kocher. “That’s why Interland continues to move its business beyond just hosting. We are the one stop solution for online success.”

Small businesses serious about using the Internet know that just having a website does not translate to increased sales. Rather, profiting from being online means using the Web in a way that drives prospective buyers to your site. With EzClicks, Interland is the first to offer small business owners a cost-effective program that delivers leads and maximizes marketing investments across multiple search engines.

Using all the major search engines when undertaking a search engine marketing campaign will help maximize the impact, according to Kim T. Gordon, president of National Marketing Federation Inc. “Paid search is the one tactic that’s sure to reach prospects that are actively looking for what you sell,” says Gordon. “However, most small-business owners just don’t have the time or marketing expertise necessary to negotiate with dozens of search providers, plus write effective ads and listings, and this has limited their ability to draw qualified customers and build sales. Now Interland has removed that limitation from the online marketing success equation.”

Earlier this year a nationwide survey of small businesses with websites revealed a clear preference for online marketing tools over traditional marketing methods. Interland asked small business owners to select three marketing tools critical in driving business for their companies. Topping the list were websites (69 percent), followed by search engine keywords (36 percent) and then community relations (35 percent). PR/Media placements ranked fourth (27 percent). Email marketing (24 percent) just beat out direct mail (22 percent), and the Yellow Pages – a long-time small business marketing tool – was seen as “critical in driving business” by only 12 percent of the respondents. At the bottom of the list were newspaper advertising (5 percent), outdoor advertising (4 percent) and print coupons (2 percent).

Gordon says the efficiency, effectiveness and – with the launch of services such as EzClicks – the ease of using online marketing tools will continue to spur more small businesses to reduce their reliance on traditional off-line search tools, such as the yellow pages.

“Many more small-business owners took a serious interest in using search engines earlier this year when the major search engines focused on refining the technology behind local searches,” says Gordon. “When experts like the Kelsey Group start reporting that 30 percent of the approximately 1.6 billon online searches conducted weekly have a geographic or local dimension, savvy small business owner’s take notice. Now, profiting from a paid search campaign by purchasing keywords like ‘residential plumbing + Atlanta’ seems less of a pipe dream and more of a real possibility.”

High-end purse manufacturer Pursesnickety is excited about the potential EzClicks holds for its website, www.pursesnickety.com, in terms of both ease-of-use and business value. “We’re very aware of the benefits of search engine marketing but, having tried to do it on our own, we were very discouraged,” said Deborah Nail, founder and de-facto marketing executive for the small accessory manufacturing company which employs eight full-time people.

“Running our business, designing new lines of purses, filling orders and building our distribution channel are more than eight full-time jobs right now,” says Nail. “We spent an entire Saturday trying to learn how to use keywords on one search site, and in the end we gave up. Interland’s EzClicks packages are perfect for us, and I am sure EzClicks will become a powerful way for us to drive leads and sales to our website.”

Interland’s EzClicks are sold in packages that guarantee different levels of qualified traffic (or website visitors) over the course of 12 month. For just $40 a month, Interland delivers 240 visitors a year to a website, giving a small business an attractive way to try pay-per-click advertising without the hassle associated with learning how to use multiple paid search programs. At a fraction of the cost of yellow page advertising, mid-level packages such as EzClicks 600 are suited to aiding businesses looking to quickly and cost effectively increase website traffic and online sales volume. Power-users can subscribe to an offering such as EzClicks 6000, perfect for high-volume, low-margin businesses that need to rapidly develop a consistent online revenue stream.

As a true partner for small and medium-sized businesses, Interland offers tools and services designed to help small businesses find, convert and communicate with customers – delivering on the promise of the Internet as the new marketing channel. More information about Interland’s new EzClicks paid search advertising programs can be found at: www.interland.com/ppc/.

About Interland

Interland, Inc. (Nasdaq: INLD – News) is a leading Web hosting and online services company dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses achieve success by providing the knowledge, services and tools to build, manage and promote businesses online. Interland offers a wide selection of online services, including standardized Web hosting, eCommerce, application hosting, and website development, marketing and optimization tools. For more information about Interland, please visit www.interland.com, email moreinfo@interland.com or call 1-800-336-9883.

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4732979

——————————————————————————–
Contact:
Interland, Inc., Atlanta
Media Contact
Mike Neumeier, 404-260-2649
mneumeier@interland.com

——————————————————————————–
Source: Interland, Inc.

Leave a Reply