Everywhere I turn there is a buzz in the industry about pay-per-click fraud. I’ve posted on the subject and just took part in a SEMPO webinar dealing with the subject, so let’s talk about the benefits of using pay-per-click or ppc. There are many more than I’m listing here but this list should touch on the top level reasons to use pay-per-click and why it can be a very effective means of marketing or advertising.
- Small initial investment. The search engines dont charge a fee to place or run your ad. You only pay for the users that click thru on the ad.
- Realistic for all businesses, regardless of size. Pay-per-Click campaigns can create a level playing field for small businesses, particularly if your campaign research results in the right keywords. With the right campaign management, your ad placement might be right above or below a larger competitor or national chain. This effectively puts you in a good competitive position without having to substantially out bid the larger advertiser.
- Immediate results. The research, set up and implementation cycle of pay-per-click campaigns can take place in just a few days, as opposed to natural search engine rankings, which require weeks or months to gain desired rankings. Pay-per-click campaign results are immediate: the day your ad is placed the clicks to your website begin!
- Real-time tracking. Metrics such as: effectiveness of keywords and phrases, per ad traffic generated, per ad conversions, and many more measurements provide campaign managers with the data to alter campaigns almost in real-time. This allows you to respond very quickly to either good or bad performing ads. And unlike a printed piece or mailer, the lag time to judging ad effectiveness is hours not days. And modifying an ad can be accomplished in minutes.
- Targeted traffic. Print and traditional media generally reach a mass audience making it difficult to target your message. Pay-per-click campaigns utilizing geo-targeting, effective keyword research and demographic site selection allows you to target your viewing audience much more precisely. Thus, pre-qualifying your customers to a far greater degree before they ever land on your website.
- Branding. Top placement on Google, Yahoo or MSN has proven to be a very effective branding method.
With these benefits in mind it’s easy to just jump in and get started and the pay-per-click publishers have made it simple to get started but the learning curve involved is not free. Take the time to learn everything you can about tracking, keyword selection, targeting, fraud and become familiar with the tools that can help you with these tasks. Your other option is to hire a professional search marketing company like us. We’ve been involved with pay-per-click since the business model was invented and that experience serves our clients well.
