I often get asked by new clients if they should spread their pay-per-click advertising dollars between Google, Yahoo and MSN or just stick with Google AdWords.

My standard response is “if you have the money and have optimized your Google AdWords accounts already than go for it – otherwise, stick to doing one (Google) really well.”

The latest stats from HitWise seem to confirm this advice:

Search engines continue to be the primary navigational tool of the Internet, and Google continues way ahead of the pack. Just fewer than 73% (72.74%) of all searches carried out online in the U.S. in April this year were via Google.

Google is overwhelmingly where the searchers are, so that’s where you should concentrate your budget.  Of course, that can mean more competition and maybe added expense.  But for a small and medium size business with a limited budget, you need to weigh the upside of exposure with the added cost (if any).