| Paid Search-Quick Lesson |
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Sometimes you get what you pay for — but not always. So, if you’re interested in promoting your web site, you should educate yourself in the practice of paid searches — a process also know as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. PPC is an online advertising program that enables organizations to bid on specific keywords or phrases. Users who search for the keyword see the ads that are associated with the keyword. If the user clicks on the ad, the merchant is charged a nominal fee for the referral. For many organizations, PPC can be the most powerful, effective way to generate traffic to their web site. PPC is helping many site owners increase their online presence in a relatively short time. To make it work, however, it’s important that you familiarize yourself with the process and tailor it to your needs. What is PPC? As the name “pay-per-click” implies, each time a search engine user clicks on one of your company’s ads, you pay a predetermined fee. The fee varies from a few pennies to a few dollars. In most cases, the fee is determined when you register with one of the many PPC networks — including Yahoo! Overture and Google — and bid on each desired keyword. Since other businesses may be bidding on the same keywords, it’s important to keep your bids up-to-date. Your bids determine how high your listing appears on a search results page, so you have to maintain your bids to keep your listing high. You are charged the per-click fee only when someone clicks your ad and visits your site. One of the first and most important steps in initiating the PPC process is creating a set of ads, which usually include body text and a link to your company’s site. Some PPC networks offer ad generation services or you can create your own ads or use the services of an interactive agency, like nxtConcepts. However, the effort and expense of creating a well-designed and appealing ad is wasted if the ad isn't associated with keywords used by your target customers. For instance, if you sell golf clubs, you might include keywords such as “club,” “golf,” and “driver” in the ad copy. Think carefully about how your target market typically searches for the products and/or services you offer. And make sure that the keywords you select are not so far off-topic that you attract people unlikely to make a purchase. Obviously, you want to convert as many ad viewers into buyers as possible. PPC is quickly proving that it can provide cost-effective, targeted web site traffic. nxtConcepts.com You may link to any story you would like. All other rights reserved, contact us for reprints/story use at 888-215-0820. Need help implementing a new sales or marketing program? We've got two suggestions:
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