Brian J. Farrell, Marketing Consultant
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Introduction to Pay Per Click Marketing

Pay Per Click marketing is a guaranteed way to instantly make your website visible online.

Pay Per Click (PPC) is a marketing term that describes a website's paid request for increased visibility from search engines. The website purchases visibility in the form of ads that are prominently displayed when searchers enter in keywords the advertiser has chosen. In return for this added exposure, search engines are paid a predetermined rate whenever a searcher clicks on the advertiser's ad. Also referred to as pay per click (PPC) advertising and cost per click (CPC), pay per click marketing is a tactic that many websites use to guarantee their visibility and increase their chances of attracting new customers online.

The power of a successful PPC campaign is in the choice of keywords you choose to bid on; the search engine you choose to run the ads on; the ad that is displayed; and the page that is seen by the searchers that clicks the ad (called the landing page). By carefully researching each phase, you can guarantee success in your PPC campaign. This tutorial details the main components you should consider to secure this success.

Step One: Keyword Selection

The start of every PPC campaign begins with the research and selection of the keywords to bid on. However trivial as this may seem, keyword selection will ultimately determine the cost, the location of your ads, and the realized ROI of your PPC campaign.

To identify the best keywords, you must first stop thinking like a product or service provider and instead start thinking like a consumer (searcher). In our opinion, keyword research is best done through services such as WordTracker or Keyword Discovery. These products have strong, trusted relationships with the search engines and analyze search engine data to offer suggestions on the best keywords given your particular business. In short, they hold a wealth of knowledge on how consumers think.

The only drawback of these services, however, is that your competitor may also be using them to select their keywords as well. Therefore, it takes a bit more on your part to use these products in identifying the best keywords for your company. Instead of choosing general phrases to bid on such as "car" or "recipes", start by searching for more specific phrases that better hone in on your website's purpose (like "buy car Kansas" or "free french recipes online"). By being specific in the keywords chosen, you increase the likelihood that the person who selects your ad will be ready to move on your product or service.

In summary, to identify the right keywords:

  • Register for an account with a keyword research service.
  • Start with a general term that is related to your products or business (e.g. "cars Kansas"). Do not include terms such as 'a', 'in', 'the', etc.
  • Dive into the term's related keywords (e.g. "buy cars Topeka Kansas").
  • List the phrases that apply to your particular product/service (we will use this list shortly).

Step Two: Choosing The Right Pay Per Click Program

With over 6 billion searches performed each month in the top engines, it only makes sense that you choose the engine that will send the most traffic to your website. Pay per click programs are offered through Google (who garners 63.98% of daily searches), MSN (7.98% daily), Yahoo (22.87% daily) and Ask (3.49% daily). Don't be fooled by these numbers though, if your website is about 'gardenias', and the bulk of the search engine's traffic searches for 'sports', you're still going to receive mediocre results.

Plan the PPC program you choose accordingly. Recently, Hitwise stated that "55% of women prefer MSN Search while a majority of men favor Google Search". In addition, these women were more prone to make a purchase after clicking. Google was the favorite search engine for products and services that catered to a younger crowd, and those related to news, media, education and entertainment (as opposed to product buyers); and Ask attracted a more youthful crowd. However, if your product is geared toward those between the ages of 18-34, then Yahoo may provide a better ROI for your PPC campaign; and if your product is for those over the age of 35, then AOL hosts the PPC program where you want to place your ads.

Choosing the right pay per click program comes out of understanding your target audience and aligning that understanding with the search engine that best attracts that audience.

Step Three: Getting Searchers to Notice Your Ad

Once a user has entered the keywords you are bidding on, the next step is to make sure your ad gets that searchers attention. The first rule of thumb is to always write the words you have bid on once in the ad's header and then again in the ad's copy. By repeating these words in the ad you are saying to the searcher, "Look over here, we're listening" AND "we have exactly what you're looking for." In addition, Google (among others) will bold both entries drawing them even more attention. Create as many ads as is required to cover all of your selected keywords and to get searchers to notice your ads.

Step Four: Sealing The Deal With Your Landing Page

Most advertisers that launch Pay Per Click campaigns send those who click on their ads directly to their website's home page, forcing the site visitor to find the relevant page that was mentioned in the ad. Landing page optimization is the process of creating a page that is made specifically for the ad copy, and then linking this page to the ad itself. For example, if your ad states "Buy Green Tennis Shoes", then the page that is arrived at upon clicking the ad is solely dedicated to selling the site visitor green tennis shoes. This "landing page" is welcomed by the site visitor who is more apt to receive what it is the page has to provide. Landing page optimization is a sure way to seal the deal with motivated searchers.

Step Five: Making Changes Through PPC Optimization

Very few pay per click advertisers get everything right on the first try. This is why it's necessary to optimize most PPC campaigns to see exactly what is converting for your ads and what content is working on your landing pages. Look first at which ads are attracting the most clicks from surfers, and then match those with the style of landing page that produces the most conversions, keeping in mind that click-throughs and conversions are not the same thing. Your purpose is to get site visitors that will help you reach your goal - whether that goal be to make a sale, collect information, or get a referral. Making changes discovered through studying and then optimizing your PPC campaign will always result in higher conversion rates.

Conclusion

Preparation, implementation, publication and optimization will ultimately determine the success of your pay per click marketing campaign.

  • Preparation : Choosing the best keywords for your products and/or service.
  • Implementation: Selecting the PPC program that will deliver the largest target audience.
  • Publication : Putting your best ads forward based on your research is key.
  • Optimization: Studying the results of ad click-throughs and conversions and make adjustments accordingly.

When used properly, pay per click marketing will guarantee your website instant visibility online while producing very favorable returns for you as a website owner.

Pay Per Click Resources

Suggested Keyword Research Websites

Competitive Intelligence Tools

Google Adwords Step by Step:

 

About the Author

Brian J. Farrell – Marketing Consultant, helps small business owners find new customers and make more sales in 30 days or less — guaranteed! Call or contact Brian today for a confidential analysis of your business marketing plan and he'll uncover assets you can capitalize on right now, without spending more money on advertising.

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Find new customers and make more sales in 30 days or less — guaranteed! Call or contact me today.