Find buyers searching for what you sell with Adwords, Google says.

Yahoo Search Marketing asks, Instead of looking for customers, what if they found you?

In the past few years, businesses of all sizes have rushed to capitalize on the benefits of paid search. The advantages are well knownlow start-up costs, shorter lead times, opportunity for global reach or local targeting, and more accurate campaign tracking.

The potential benefits are clearly compelling, but whats less obvious is how to create consistently effective paid search campaigns. Smaller and medium-sized businesses have found that do-it-yourself paid search can be difficult and time-consuming. Larger businesses that outsource have learned to be wary of search-marketing scoundrels who are better at promoting their own business than promoting yours.

That said, theres a growing body of research and best practices for success in paid search marketing, and you shouldnt miss out because you dont have an extensive knowledge of the of the online channel. Many of todays most successful search marketing campaigns developed over months, not years. With that in mind heres a brief checklist to keep paid search advertising pointed in a profitable direction. Make sure its:

Action- oriented: Clearly, your primary goal is to have prospects click your ad for more information, so its OK to be direct. Dont make people think too much. Include a clear call to action like click here or learn more for better results.

- Attention-getting: Your online ad has only a split second to gain attention. Use attention-getting headlines and bold images to make your ad stand out. If you use Google Adwords, youll have the ability to test and improve your copy with as many as three versions of your ad.

- Brief. The most effective online ads contain a simple, easy to understand message. Keep your ads short and to the point. Use simple, high-impact words. The place to provide additional information is on your landing page or website, not a text or banner ad.

- Offer-oriented: To drive site traffic, specific offers work better than general invitations. Offering a discount, time-sensitive offer or something thats FREE are time-tested techniques. For example, free shipping or discounts for first-time customers can drive click-thrus.

- Customer-focused: In getting your message across, its easy to forget that customers are scanning your ad to learn how they can benefit, not to learn how great your company is. Clearly explain how your product or service solves problems, makes things easier or improves profits.

- Professional: If your ad includes graphics, use a professional designer to select appropriate colors and fonts to gain attention and ensure your ad is readable. Use only high-resolution, professional images in your online ad. Quality design suggests a quality company.

- Relevant: Do visitors arrive at your ad by typing in a search term? If so, try repeating the term in your ad. For example, if you want to attract visitors using the search phrase Aircraft Charters, make sure Aircraft Charters is prominently displayed in your ad youll get higher click-thrus.

- Going somewhere: The ad is only part of the equation that converts visitors to buyers. Make sure your ad clicks through to a page thats relevant to your offer. If your ad offers a 10 percent discount, make it clear how visitors can get the discount instead of making them figure out what to do next. Landing pages pick up where the ad leaves off, providing specific information and next steps. Targeted landing pages generally outperform home pages when it comes to converting visitors to subscribers or buyers.

- Tested. You may have heard the quip that All opinions are useless, including this one. The same might be said about search marketing advice. Dont take opinions and second-hand research to heart. Learn and use the analysis tools included in your paid search account. It may be that Google skews male or Yahoo is better for consumer marketing than B2B, but youll never know until you test. You may even check out MIVA.com, a smaller search player thats making a play for the #3 slot behind the big guys. Try out the conversion-tracking tools that are included in your account.

It may take a little homework on your part, but theres no substitute for knowing which search terms are effective, what visitors are searching for, and what each click and conversion costs. The information is worthwhile not only for search marketing, but the lessons learned can then be applied to other marketing channels and campaigns.

Charles Warnock is Marketing Director at PartsBase, the world's leading online aviation / aerospace marketplace. He writes often on interactive marketing, technology, finance and real estate. More articles can be found at http://marketing-interactive.blogspot.com/