Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Marketing
Pay-Per-Click search engine marketing, often called PPC, paid search, or cost-per-click, is one of the most cost-efficient internet marketing vehicles when backed by sound strategy and managed by an expert. With over 10 billion searches occuring on the major search engines every month, there is an opportunity for just about any business to use pay-per-click search engine marketing to drive direct sales or leads.
While Google in particular attempts to make the set up and management of a PPC campaign relatively simple, the most successful PPC campaigns are either run in-house by a dedicated expert or outsourced to a group that specializes in PPC setup and management. Consider the following elements that factor into the success of a PPC program:
Many campaigns stumble right from the start because some companies fail to address how a PPC strategy fits into their overall marketing efforts. This error comes in many forms - failure to identify desired results, failure to allocate appropriate budget, or just an overall failure to be patient with the program.
It happens all the time - a company sets up a campaign on their own, expects it to take off, and then they call us 3-4 weeks later asking if we can identify what's wrong. In many cases, the problem is as simple as a setting that was incorrectly chosen during the setup phase.
All of the major engines now allow for geographic targeting by city, state, and region, and some programs go as far as allowing geo-targeting down to a 5-10 mile radius.
- Keyword Research & Selection
One of the more critical components of any pay-per-click program is selecting keywords that combine relevancy with popularity. Often times, going too broad with keywords is the wrong choice, as is going too narrow.
- Ad Copy Writing & Testing
This is one of the more underappreciated aspects of any successful PPC program, yet its importance cannot be overstated. After all, if no one ever clicks on your ads, then you'll never know if PPC can in fact be an effective marketing vehicle for your company. For more information on why ad copywriting for PPC isn't simple, check out this blog post.
SImply put, these programs are not as simple as buying your way to a top 5 position. Each engine uses its own set of algorithms to determine which ads rise to the top. Often times, it's not even appropriate from a cost-efficiency standpoint to capture a #1 ranking on a given keyword.
So you've created a nice little PPC campaign. You're using a comprehensive set of keywords, the ad copy is driving site traffic, all should be good, right? Not if your landing page, or web page, isn't designed to convert the click/visitor into a deeper relationship with the advertiser. Landing pages are a critical piece of the puzzle.
- Tracking/Reporting Methods
Last, but certainly not least....if you're not tracking your pay-per-click program, why run it? PPC is the most trackable form of marketing in existence, and it's simple to set up some tracking and reporting mechanisms that allow the marketing team to report back to senior management on the exact ROI of the campaign.
How We Handle PPC Clients
Sweeney Marketing works with a variety of clients that execute PPC programs, ranging from smaller, niche businesses spending 2-3k per month to larger, national businesses spending 100k per month. While the needs of every company are a bit different, Sweeney Marketing typically presents PPC clients with the following options:
- Pay-Per-Click Program Setup Only (Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Ask)
- Pay-Per-Click Program Audit/Evaluation and Tune-Up
- Full Service Pay-Per-Click Program Setup, Ongoing Management and Reporting
Contact us to find out which option may be most appropriate for your business.
