Pay Per Click (PPC) is an excellent way to get your website noticed by customer’s if your company is starting out. It potentially can drive a significant amount of traffic to your site. If you are embarking on your first PPC campaign, there are a few details with which you should be familiar. There are peaks and valleys associated with PPC, and knowing how to navigate them can make all the difference in the success or lack thereof in your PPC campaign. Here then are some tips to help you out with PPC if you are a beginner.
What is PPC?
Think of PPC like bidding on an item on eBay; you don’t pay unless you bid high enough to win. Essentially the same method is used with PPC. You are bidding on your ad to be seen on a search engine results page. The ads are usually at the top or bottom of the page, but depending on the search engine you chose, they may also appear on the side.
Facebook has a similar system with the difference being that your ad appears as a post. You are bidding against other advertisers who are vying for the same customers. Which means you don’t pay any more than you bid. The basic formula for PPC is: PPC= Advertising Cost ÷ Ads Clicked. The concept is uncomplicated and easy to understand.
Why Use PPC?
PPC is an excellent way to drive traffic to your site. It is cost effective and has a reasonable rate of return on investment. PPC also has fringe benefits such as building brand awareness through the ads being seen, even if they are not clicked. When used in conjunction with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it can yield dramatic results. It is also a way to bring in quick revenue; this is especially essential if your company is e-commerce based and dependent on visitors to your website.
PPC Allows You to Make Adjustments
When you place a PPC, you can track data such as click-through rates, cost per click, cost per conversion, quality scores, and total costs. Running two or more PPC ads on a site such as Google allows you to simultaneously see what language and keywords work and which ones don’t. Which will enable you to make adjustments in real-time and continuously improve your PPC ads until they bring the results your company desires.
Don’t Overbid
Think of your PPC ads as an organic entity that grows over time. In this way, the ads should grow with your company’s revenue stream. Don’t place bids so high that you quickly burn through your advertising budget or your company’s profits. If your company is already established and is flush with cash, then you can spend a little more, but you should still progress your bids slowly as you discover what works, there is no sense in throwing away your company’s revenue. Regardless if your company is large or small, before long, you will figure out what works in your PPC ads, and you will find what bid amount is optimal.
Use Relevant Keywords
If your company specializes in producing chocolate coated oranges, don’t include the keywords “chocolate” or “oranges,” you are competing with everyone who sells chocolate and oranges for PPC ads. Be sure to narrow your scope by being more specific in using phrases like “chocolate covered oranges.” Google is going from broad-based PPC keyword results where near matches will get a hit, to exact matches. If you are unsure of what keywords best fit your products, industry, or field, there are a number of tools available on the internet to help you to make that determination.
If you follow these tips, you should go from a PPC novice to seasoned veteran in short order veteran in short order. Is your PPC Marketing Strategy working for you? If not, MosierData can help. Contact us here or call 863-687-0000 to find out more.