I also was curious when reading this about how relevant Microsoft ads are nowadays. I feel like everything these days is focused on Google or Google centered. When I use Safari on my iPhone, it takes me to Google search results. I don't think I have ever used Bing and I haven't used Yahoo in probably 10+ years. Is it beneficial for companies to still put effort into Microsoft? Or could this be a case by case thing depending on the size of the company. I feel like it wouldn't be very cost effective for a small business to put money into Microsoft ads since the majority of users use Google.

This practice was probably the hardest one for me to grasp. I am not sure how you can write an effective ad that fits within the ad restraints while still setting yourself apart from competitors and convincing the audience that you are the best option for their needs. Are there any tips or tricks that we can use to state these reasons but in a short and to the point way? I tend to be too wordy when it comes to these things.

Finding the actual keywords wasn't hard for me, but I think I may be overthinking it at times. How closely related should the keywords be in terms of sharing words? For example, I am selling healthy dog food and I choose the keywords: dog food, healthy dog food, and healthy food for dogs. Are those phrases too closely related to each other or would that be fine? I just was unsure if having them that close would narrow my audience too much.

So.the goal is to have other reliable and trustworthy sites basically endorse your brand by linking to your site in some way. Say I own a small business and am just starting to dive into marketing it (outside of Facebook, Twitter, etc). What is the best way to basically get other sources to vouch for your brand? I feel like this could be extremely hard for the little guys.