What exactly is PPC?
PPC is an acronym for
Pay Per Click advertising. This is a service provided by search engines like Google that allows advertisers to place ads in search engine results based upon the search terms typed in by the user.
How does PPC work?
To display your advertising message, you will need to pay the PPC cost in the form of a bid. The higher your bid, the higher up your ad will be placed. To get the maximum return on investment from
PPC, you will need to invest in PPC cost. Every dollar you spend will get you a higher, most visible spot. The higher you are, the more chances for your ad to be clicked on, therefore increasing potential profits.
What benefits can I get from PPC?
Investing a little in PPC cost can do big wonders for your business. PPC is especially useful for newer Web sites and those which currently have not been indexed or ranked by major search engines. If you invest in PPC cost, you can expect to reap the following benefits:
- Budgeting freedom. Ironic as it sounds, with a
PPC campaign, it is possible to set daily budgets. You can start with a low PPC cost bid then slowly work your way up as your site traffic increases and begins to create revenue.
- Marketing flexibility. A PPC marketing campaign is relatively easy to measure. Based on the results you get, you can tweak, change, and enhance your campaign accordingly. If your keywords are not doing well or if you would like to try another target audience, it is easy to change your advertising campaign without incurring additional PPC cost.
- Targeted advertising. The PPC cost you allot will allow you to better control which users you would like to draw into your site through keywords. This is very important in order to ensure that your marketing campaign is reaching the right audience for best results.
- PPC cost is only paid for targeted success. With PPC campaigns, you only need to pay for those who are genuinely interested in your product and services. You do not have to worry about low-quality or fraudulent click throughs. Every click on your PPC ad will be a click from a potential customer.
- The opportunity for testing. The PPC cost you pay for also enables an additional opportunity for testing. The speed and the amount of traffic that your site gets can be a good way to test whether a product or service has solid demand. This is important information that you can get without any added cost. Remember that PPC is measurable so it is easy to see whether your PPC cost is actually generating positive effects on your sales.
- Significant results in a short period of time. If a PPC campaign is managed correctly, results can be expected in a short period of time. This can be as short as a matter of minutes!
- Brand awareness. One of the hidden benefits of PPC cost investment is increasing brand awareness. Even if online users do not click on your ad, they will most likely notice it and remember your company in the resulting pages.
What is SEO, and how is it related to PPC?
SEO stands for
search engine optimization. Ideally, SEO and PPC advertising should both be used together for highly effective Internet marketing. SEO enables Web site and business owners to have their sites appear in the natural search engine listings. Investing in PPC cost will get your site listed in the sponsored results which appear at the side, above or below the search engine results.
SEO, on the other hand, will allow your site to be shown in the actual (organic / natural) search results.
What are the best PPC services today?
Today, Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search Marketing are two of the best PPC services. Google Adwords are responsible for paid searches in Google, AOL and other sponsored listings from a network of affiliated sites. Search Marketing is responsible for Yahoo!. In terms of minimum bid amounts, Google's minimum bid is at $0.01, while that of Yahoo! is set at $0.10.
What services can I expect from the PPC cost quoted to me?
The PPC cost quoted to you will typically cover the following services:
- Researching, developing, and finalizing the best and most cost-efficient target keywords
- Determining the optimal geography with regards to the target audience
- Coming up with the entire Internet advertising project
- Optimizing the campaign such that the highest Click Through Rate is achieved
- Management of the
Internet marketing campaign on a daily, weekly or monthly basis
- Determining the most effective daily marketing budget and the best Cost Per Click
- A monthly report that shows the PPC campaign results from the previous month
Some PPC companies provide value-added services, but the core PPC campaign usually includes everything mentioned above.
How much does PPC cost?
There is no single figure for PPC cost. As was mentioned before, with a PPC campaign, you can practically choose how much you want to spend. This applies when you conduct a PPC campaign on your own. However, if your time is important, you may want to ask for an actual PPC service provider to help you with your needs.
PPC companies usually have several types of fees. Most of them require an initial set-up fee, then a monthly fee plus the PPC cost of your ad campaign (for the click throughs). You can spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. This depends largely on how rigorous your PPC campaign is and what your advertising goals are.
How much PPC cost should you spend?
Traditional advertising is expensive. Compared to this, PPC is moderate in price. However, paying less in PPC cost will generate poor results. If you scrimp on it, chances are you will hardly see significant click throughs. This does not mean that investing thousands of dollars on PPC cost can assure you of excellent results. What should be determined then is the optimal budget that will generate the best return on investment.
A solid budget for PPC cost can be difficult to determine. It may take a great deal of testing, which can also be time consuming. PPC service providers usually provide these services, saving you time and money.
Do I need an Internet Marketing firm to help me with my PPC campaign?
If you have all the time in the world, learning pay per click can be fun and rewarding to your business. However, if the technology is overwhelming, if you are busy, or if you have tried PPC without seeing good results, you may want to hire a PPC Internet Marketing firm.
PPC Internet marketing firms have the expertise, the experience, and the PPC knowledge to provide you services which can actually get your business good results. This way, you save time and increase profitability. If done well, the PPC cost you pay will become insignificant compared to your return of investment.
How can you build a PPC campaign with the maximum ROI?
The success of PPC campaigns usually depends on several factors. First, choosing the right key phrases has a lot to do with it. Second, you have to target the right regions and target the right audience with the most interest in what you offer. Also, it will help if you have compelling ad copy which is convincing enough to encourage potential customers to click.
If you make sure that all of these factors are well taken care of, you can be assured that the PPC cost you invest will have good results. Remember, though, that there is no one size fits all, simple approach to PPC campaigns. Finding a custom solution is key.
Keystroke Marketing is a full-service PPC and SEO marketing firm also specializing in Web design and Internet marketing. For a quote on your PPC campaign, please fill out our
free quote form or call Keystroke Marketing at: 1-888-449-3239.
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