Pay Per Click (PPC)
Overview
Pay Per Click (PPC) refers to the paid advertising efforts that companies adopt to attract traffic. Through PPC you pay the website hosting your ads for every click you get. Organizations using paid search ads have to pay the search engine a certain amount, usually a few dollars, each time a searcher clicks on one of their ads. While Google AdWords is far and away the most efficient PPC platform, depending on the nature of your business Yahoo and MSN can also be extremely useful.
Similarly to organic results, PPC results are based on keyword combinations relevant to the terms online users search for on the Web. Yet PPC ads are separated from organic results. On Google searches, for instance, they are located on the top right-hand side of the page. People usually click on PPC ads after reviewing their organic search results and not finding there the information they were looking for. That is why the keyword selection for PPC campaigns is especially important and should be unique in order to draw qualified traffic.
PPC can fit into your inbound marketing strategy in many ways. It is useful in the short run because it helps you quickly generate traffic. It is an effective tool in the long run because it provides rapid feedback that can help you choose more potent keywords in your SEO efforts. Thus, you are empowered to experiment with different keyword combinations and find the most profitable ones.
Step by Step
Keyword Research
Make a list of relevant keywords that you consider potentially searchable. Narrow your match types and filter out the negative terms. Try to focus on phrases that are frequently used yet targeted enough to your company. Analytics reports like Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool, KeywordDiscovery and WordTracker can help you conduct more sophisticated keyword research.
Make a list of relevant keywords that you consider potentially searchable. Narrow your match types and filter out the negative terms. Try to focus on phrases that are frequently used yet targeted enough to your company. Analytics reports like Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool, KeywordDiscovery and WordTracker can help you conduct more sophisticated keyword research.
Bidding
Google’s AdWords system allows so-called keyword bidding. You “bid” a certain price for certain search phrases and based on that price, your advertisement shows up in the paid search area on Google when users type in that search phrase. There is a complex interplay between bidding strategies and the possibility of your ad getting clicked.
Google’s AdWords system allows so-called keyword bidding. You “bid” a certain price for certain search phrases and based on that price, your advertisement shows up in the paid search area on Google when users type in that search phrase. There is a complex interplay between bidding strategies and the possibility of your ad getting clicked.
The main discussion involves the question whether bidding featured on top ad spots is a waste of money or a healthy investment. The argument is made that sometimes lowering your bid and receiving a lower spot can be as successful as paying more to get a top one. In this case, customers are actively looking for specific content and are willing to try out all returned search results.
Consider Competition
Your competitors constitute an important cost factor in your learning curve. Before investing in PPC you need to consider your rivals in terms of their brand name recognition and experience level with PPC campaigns.
Your competitors constitute an important cost factor in your learning curve. Before investing in PPC you need to consider your rivals in terms of their brand name recognition and experience level with PPC campaigns.
Landing Pages
The well qualified traffic you get from PPC can be converted into leads with the help of great landing pages. When readers click on your PPC ad and it redirects them to your company’s homepage, they might get confused in terms of what their next action should be. Make sure you redirect interested users to a separate landing page that requires a clearly illustrated form of action. The purpose of targeted landing pages is to capture visitors and convert them into sales leads.
The well qualified traffic you get from PPC can be converted into leads with the help of great landing pages. When readers click on your PPC ad and it redirects them to your company’s homepage, they might get confused in terms of what their next action should be. Make sure you redirect interested users to a separate landing page that requires a clearly illustrated form of action. The purpose of targeted landing pages is to capture visitors and convert them into sales leads.