The
Truth About Pay-Per-Click Marketing
The Truth About Pay-Per-Click Marketing
The key to an effective Pay-Per-Click program is driving the “right”
traffic to your website. Since you pay every time someone clicks
through to your site you want to attract only visitors who are interested
in your product or service.
The key to an effective Pay-Per-Click program is driving the "right"
traffic to your website. Since you pay every time someone clicks
through to your site you want to attract only visitors who are interested
in your product or service. And you want to be sure that, when they
arrive at your site, they can find what they’re looking for
quickly.
CHOOSE THE BEST SEARCH TERMS (KEYWORDS)
Broad keywords ("shoes") will generate many clicks with
little or no benefit. Use specific keywords and phrases that accurately
reflect your site. If you offer a product in a particular geographic
area include the location ("men's shoes Seattle"). And
consider the many possible variations ("Italian leather shoes,"
"men's leather shoes," etc).
For help refining your keywords, try Overture’s Term Suggestion
Tool [http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/adcenter/tools/index.jhtml].
WRITE ACCURATE AND RELEVANT AD COPY
The most effective ads communicate a clear message to a specific
target audience. Your ad should emphasize the unique benefits of
your product or service. Use simple, direct language: avoid gimmicks
and jargon.
It’s a good idea to include the search term in your title
and/or description. Users will be able to immediately see its relevance
to their search. Overture reports that listings which include the
search term in both the title and description have a higher click-through
rate (more than 50 percent higher on average).
In Google, ad titles are limited to 25 characters. The two description
lines and display URL are limited to 35 characters each-- so you
have to be concise.
CONTROL YOUR COST
Most PPC Search Engines let you set your own limits for the cost
of each click-thru, as well as a monthly maximum. Start with a small
list of targeted keywords and a few different ads. Then build on
those that work best. Of course you can’t control what your
competitors are willing to bid so choosing the right keywords for
your specific audience is essential.
Just because you can bid high enough for a top position doesn't
mean you should. A number 1 spot may be less cost-effective than
lower positions due to "compulsive clickers" who start
at the top of the links and click their way down.
Some PPC engines share the top 3 listings with their partners so
you’ll gain more exposure by bidding high enough for 3rd position
or better. But don’t get in a bidding war for your keywords.
If they’re too competitive, do some research and modify them
so you don’t pay more than necessary.
EXPERIMENT-- AND MONITOR YOUR RESULTS
Try different messages and keywords to see what works best. One
advantage of PPC programs is that they track the click through rate
for each ad so you can identify and remove ads that aren’t
working.
You can also use unique tracking URLs for each ad to identify how
many of your customers clicked through to your site from your ad.
Then you can calculate which ads and keywords converted the most
clicks to sales.
CONCLUSION
Pay-per-Click marketing is an effective method of driving traffic
to your site, but that’s really just the first step. Once
visitors arrive, you need persuasive copy, clear navigation and
good design to lead them to take the action you want.
About the Author Barry Harrison and
Jim Grady are the co-authors of REDiTIPS. REDiTIPS is a free monthly
newsletter that offers simple techniques to market your Web site
and grow your business. We provide practical, low-cost ideas to
help you promote your small business and reach new potential customers.
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