PPC - Pay Per Click Management

As more small business owners take their companies online, they understandably face a number of obstacles. Aside from the obvious tasks of setting up social media listings and creating an official website, there are also the challenges inherent in starting up a pay per click campaign. While PPC companies are more than happy to handle a company’s cost per click advertisements, some enterprising SMB owners prefer to take their paid marketing projects into their own hands. The following are just a few helpful PPC tips for those companies new to the industry:

Select your Keywords with a Narrow Scope

Small business owners should always take a more specified approach to their initial keyword selection. Although many major PPC campaigns focus on keyword terms that are at most two words long, your average SMB owner will want to decide on long tail keywords. In addition to being lighter on one’s marketing budget, long tail keywords tend to offer a better conversion rate for advertisers. While I could go on for further about proper keyword selection, I addressed the finer points in a previous post on PPC.org and I recommend that everyone read that. One should always thoroughly weigh the strengths and weaknesses of their chosen keywords before committing to a PPC campaign.

Stay Aware of Trending News Stories and Upcoming Holidays

In the world of PPC advertising, one should always be aware of the influence of current events on both keyword bidding and campaign performance. It goes without saying that trying to secure phrases such as “online shopping” during Christmas can be incredibly expensive, while terms such as “home gardening supplies” will also be quite popular during the spring. Although purchasing a popular term can yield immense benefits for any advertising effort, sometimes the investment needed to gain these keywords can be too great. Always consider when your PPC campaign goes live prior to settling on your final keywords.

Shop Around when Choosing your Ad Network

This is an important step in pay per click marketing that many novice advertisers tend to overlook. Despite the fact that Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter are the dominating networks for PPC companies, there are actually far more choices for paid link hosting that marketing firms often ignore. Once you’ve decided how you intend to run your campaign, take the time to examine all your ad network options. From Facebook Ads to AdWords for Video, the clever SMB owner can use existing media assets to extend the impact of their PPC much farther than if he or she simply picked a popular ad network.

When in Doubt, Play It Safe

It’s easy to get carried away when running a successful PPC campaign. While heavy traffic and decent conversion rates are always welcome, a company needs to know the limits of its success. Some popular PPC tips mirror the same advice one gives to people playing the stock market: know when to show restraint and when to quit. Staying aware of the causes behind remarkable PPC performance is a great way of avoiding overextending your campaign’s reach. If you find that current events are causing your campaign to be extraordinarily effective, be aware of when it’s influence may stop.

Turn to Experts When Help is Needed

When all else fails, the small business owner should always seek out professional PPC agencies for help. When starting any new business effort, it’s important to understand where one’s expertise ends. Should a paid link project not go as planned, there are plenty of companies ready to take on the responsibility of handling your campaign.