Pay-Per-Click For Rookies

When talking to customers about the benefits of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, I’m always confronted with questions such as “Does PPC actually work?”, “I don’t think PPC is for my business”, “I’m not tech-savvy. Will I be able to manage a PPC campaign on my own?” … you get the idea. So I decided to start a series of blog posts on pay-per-click advertising. I’m going to start from the beginning:

What Is PPC?
According to Wikipedia, pay-per-click is “an Internet advertising model used on search engines, advertising networks, and content sites, such as blogs, in which advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked.”

Why PPC?
Pay-per-click advertising is just another tool that offers great exposure for all types of businesses, and it’s very easy to use. Because of its micro-targeting potential, pay-per-click also allows you to easily get in front of your target audience. And, since it’s a web-based tool, you won’t be wasting any physical resources such as paper and ink. True, it’s still advertising, but PPC is one of the most effective channels out there: you can easily track the results, quickly make any necessary adjustments to improve your conversion rate and apply data gathered (such as keywords that work for your business, user trends) to other advertising media. Plus, you will be saving money: PPC campaigns are usually inexpensive when compared to traditional advertising media.

What Provider Should I Choose?
There are many PPC tools out there and it’s virtually impossible to name them all. One of the best free tools available are Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search Marketing. Both are easy to use and take less than 20 minutes to setup.

What Should I Keep In Mind When Setting Up My First PPC Campaign?

1. Be specific: PPC only works if you micro-target your offer.
2. Develop an appropriate landing page: landing pages should be unique to each PPC ad. Using the home page will decrease your conversions.
3. Don’t try to get your ad on the top PPC position: top advertisers get too many random clicks. Strive to get your ad between positions 3 and 5 (it’s usually a good combo between your budget & quality traffic).
4. Test, test, test: test different ads to see what works for you. Simple A/B tests are easy to monitor and provide valuable information that will help you invest your advertising dollars wisely.
5. Monitor the results: if you don’t frequently check your campaign performance, you won’t know what works and what doesn’t. The Internet is far from static, and you need to continuously ensure your campaign is on track with your goals.

We will look into PPC advertising in more detail in the next couple weeks.