Optimizing your pay per click (PPC) campaign can feel like a practice in sameness, which can lead to boredom which can then turn into laziness. This is one of the best marketing techniques for online markets with 80 percent of business owners choosing PPC over any other practice. You get fast results (if you’re effective) and the marketing can be tailored to niche industries. Hiring a PPC professional means they can analyze your goals and business, working with you to achieve results.
PPC and search engine optimization (SEO) has many things in common, such as the need for expert maintenance. You need to set deadlines and have the right planning in place, otherwise your PPC efforts will get lost in the shuffle. Start with deep keyword analysis, because it’s crucial to get the most searched for, meaningful and relevant words in your campaign.
Getting started
There are nearly endless keyword tools (both paid and unpaid) at your disposal. The paid tools will of course be more comprehensive and can help connect you to the most meaningful of words. Simultaneously, you should avoid generic keywords (do you really need to pay to know that “leash” is a good keyword for a dog supply company?) and aim for those long tail keywords. These require targeting and knowing your market.
An example of long tail keywords might be “HTC One smartphone” instead of just “smartphone” and while you might have some success with guessing, it’s not going to be as accurate as a keyword tool. The analysis will help you boost traffic and connect you with demographics that are actually searching for these products. While the numbers might look good at first blush, there’s no benefit to useless traffic that was “tricked” by PPC ads.
Banner up
One of the most important aspects of PPC marketing are those banner displays, and this is where you’ll either lose or gain traffic. They should of course be attractive, catch the eye but not be an assault on the senses or look too spammy. Choose a topic to focus on, and highlight genuine discounts. This is also an avenue for showcasing new products, and a prime point to sell it via descriptions, layout and imagery.
Keywords adjusted to banner advertising is a skill and art that only a PPC marketer can achieve best; otherwise it can look forced. There should be clear similarities between the PPC advertising and your main page (whether it’s a website, blog or other online presence). Content that’s too different looks strange and it might appear to shoppers that it’s spam and not a genuine site.
Making it count
PPC is a relatively safe approach financially, but it can still be a waste of time, effort and money if not used correctly. Research the best positioning for banners and remember that it’s quality, not quantity, even with PPC advertising. The ultimate goal is to build a following, not make one quick sale that doesn’t remain in conversion. PPC is one of many tools, but remember that even though it looks like a cake walk, it still requires finesse.
