Of course you do. So how can you reach them? More than 70% of people use the Internet to search for local products and services. Hard to believe? It's true! That's why people must be able to find your business on the Internet.

Having a FREE business listing on WikiCharlotte is a good start. But, what if you want to stand out in a crowd. If so, an ad package on WikiCharlotte will get your business noticed when users browse through a category or search specific key-words. Your ad shows up not only when customers are searching for your goods or services, but even when they're not! Best of all, your exposure grows as WikiCharlotte grows.

About 50% of all online searches are for LOCAL businesses and services. Of those, 85% are searching for businesses within 5 miles.

WikiCharlotte works best because it's local. And local customers are ready to do business right now, right here in Charlotte! You must make sure the business they find is YOURS!

Just follow the information below about choosing an effective ad to give you the best visibility and target the most customers searching for your products and services.

Sometimes, don't you just get tired of looking for ways to keep your business in front of customers? Tired of looking for cost effective opportunities to promote your products and services. Well, the minute you give up—you can kiss that first dollar you earned good-bye. Because advertising is a HUGE part of keeping your business going. Studies show it takes 7 contacts before a customer buys from you. Whether it's word-of-mouth advertising that you earn from your great products and services or being found on the Internet, you gotta keep your name in front of folks. So when they are ready to buy—your business is the first one that comes to mind. Now, let's find out how to choose the best ad to keep your business doors open!

Location, Location, Location

Finding out how to choose the most effective ad gets a little hairy, so hang in there—it's all very important to read.

There are two main considerations when choosing ad placement on a website. These two items combined determine how visible and effective your ad will be.

1. Website Placement—which type of pages on the website should your ad appear. On WikiCharlotte the page types are:
   • Category Pages - navigation menu
   • Search Results Pages - search feature
   • Business Profile Pages
2. Page Placement—where on the web page your ad appears—top, bottom, or side.

Let's look closer at the two items. When choosing Website Placement, think of WikiCharlotte as a magazine rack. Think of the navigation Categories as different magazines. If your business is music, would your best chance of reaching customers be an ad in a fashion magazine? Probably not. Your ad would do best in a music magazine. But what if you want to reach customers in every magazine on the rack or your products are so specialized that only certain customers are looking for your business? Then your ad would do best on the Search Results Pages, since these pages are pulled from all of the magazines and are highly focused on business type.

Choosing "where on the page" is easy. There are TONS of studies by Google and other online ad sales companies that show the best advertising spots on a web page. The page placement guide below shows you the best Page Placement for ads on WikiCharlotte.

Now you have the key concepts. Start by choosing the BEST combination of Website and Page Placement for your business—then let your budget help guide you from there. We're here to help if you have questions.

Examples of How to Choose the Best Ad

Example 1: Let's assume your shop sells rare coins—a highly specialized business. The best Website Placement for your ad would be an area that is highly targeted to the special customers you are seeking. The best Page Placement for your ad would be at the top of the page—which studies show is where users look first. So, putting those two considerations together, the best—the most effective—placement, for your ad would be on the Search Results Pages for the key words "rare coins." We have narrowed down your ad placemen as followst:

1. Website Placement = Search Results Pages
2. Page Placement = top of the page (leader board banner ad).

Example 2: Now, let's assume your shop sells home improvement products, services, and tools. Your customers will likely find you by browsing by category or many different subcategories. Your best ad package would be:

1. Website Placement = Category Pages (includes all subcategory pages)
2. Page Placement = top of the page (leader board banner ad).

Your best ad package would be a Sponsorship Listing, where your leader board banner ad appears on all of the category and subcategory pages for your category—home improvement.

Example 3: Assume you have a product or service needed by many businesses and customers —such as banking. You want EVERYONE to know who you are. You need The Big Wiki package. Your ad appears on EVERY PAGE of WikiCharlotte—24/7/365.

What if you just want to keep your name in front of people? Then a rotating right-panel ad or rotating footer banner ad package works great!

What if you want to cook up a special ad package just for you? We can do that, too!

Page Placement Guide

Page placement examples are shown on the guide below, and rated 1-4 according to visibility, with 1 being the most prominent placement on WikiCharlotte (since The Big Wiki ad shows up on every page); 2-4 being the most prominent placement on any web page.

Click on the ad placement guide below to find out more about pricing and sizes. Then contact us and we can help you choose the best ad package for your business or answer questions.

Designing an Effective Ad

The best designed ads are professionally designed. That way you ensure your graphics and fonts are of high quality and show up well on the screen. You should also decide where your ad should link. Do you have a website? If so, link your ad to your website so people can learn more about your products and services. If you don't have a website, then link your ad to your WikiCharlotte business profile.

Don't have a graphic designer? No problem—our design team can design high-quality, professional ads, websites and email newsletters that get your business noticed!

About 50% of all online searches are for LOCAL businesses and services. Of those, 85% are searching for businesses within 5 miles.

Get customers at the instant they're ready to buy and be ready to increase your sales!