PPC (Pay per Click) Marketing
You may know about the need for search engine optimization (SEO), the process of getting your website appear higher in a search engine’s rankings for certain keywords. This is an “unpaid” search — you don’t pay anything to the search engine to appear higher in the list. But remember that there are marketing strategies for paid searches as well. And the most powerful of these strategies, popularized by Google, is the pay-per-click (PPC) advertising model.
The primary element of PPC is a four-line text ad. You bid for placement of the ad on the side of search results pages, and if the searcher clicks on the ad, you pay a small fee to the search engine. You can set limits on what you are willing to spend each day, so there is no worry of breaking the bank.
PPC: Immediate, Targeted, Effective
PPC is a great tool for getting immediate, targeted results. Setting up a campaign is very quick, often we can have your campaign running within 48 hours. While you do have to do your keyword research before starting a PPC campaign, it will also help you hone that list of keywords more precisely as the campaign runs – this is why it’s important to monitor your campaign daily at first and then weekly – for as long as the campaign runs. There is no “set it and forget it” with PPC – it requires constant monitoring so that you are not wasting your budget bidding on unnecessary keywords that don’t convert.
We recommend running your paid ads for a minimum of three months. That gives us just enough time to get the campaign running at optimal performance, to test a few variations, and to generate that list of keywords that we can use for SEO purposes as well. Once your campaign has been in place for three months or more, we will have a good idea of ROI and the value it presents to your business.
Targeted Demographics Using PPC
Because PPC ads only appear with associated keywords, you are assured of a visitor who is explicitly searching for the product or service you’ve associated with the ad. As you can imagine this is extremely valuable, as you are likely to have a higher conversion rate. Additionally, users who click on paid ads tend to be further down the sales funnel, and are more likely to buy than those who click on “organic” search results.
PPC is Economical
Since you will only pay for PPC when a visitor clicks, you have much more control over the cost of the campaign. The action of clicking lets you know that your visitor is interested in what you have to offer. Your daily budget limit ensures that you will not over-spend.
DIY or Hire a Professional?
PPC is not rocket science, and can be run quite easily by the somewhat tech-savvy individual. However, a certified professional will have ways of reducing your budget and optimizing your campaign to stretch it as far as your budget will allow. Often those who choose the DIY route end up wasting a large portion of their budget due to inexperience and lack of in-depth knowledge.
Be aware that some search engines specifically target business owners who are new to the paid advertising world. Many will give away coupons for as high as $100, with the stipulation that the campaign is maintained by the business owner him/herself on a new account. This strategy is effective in getting new people to sign up for their services, but many business owners find themselves disappointed with the success of the campaign. WSI’s trained professionals can help you optimize your campgaign to ensure the highest ROI and best possible conversion rates.
WSI can help you navigate your PPC campaign, including optimizing your ad copy, setting a budget, determining which mix of platforms to advertise on, initiating keyword research, and determining a schedule.
Contact WSI today for more information about our PPC services.
