Pay per click is the quickest way to get visitors who are looking specifically for what you are selling. It is the best way to test your market.
The power of PPC lies in the fact that people who do searches for words and phrases related to what you sell are more likely to buy from you. They are what we call 'highly qualified' visitors. The ability to reach these people so directly and quickly is a revolution in Marketing and it's making many people very wealthy.
1. Bid on Large numbers of Keywords
The big, popular keywords that dominate your category are going to be the most expensive. You may well want to bid on these, but most businesses don't realise there are dozens, maybe hundreds or thousands of related keywords that you could be bidding on. Although they may not attract as many visitors, they will often be much, much cheaper because they are less competitive.
You can do your own research on keywords by looking for the words and phrases that your customers are going to use. You can also use Wordtracker to help your search
2. Avoid Bidding Wars for the Top Position
It's rarely worth battling it out for number one position (particularly if you use the keyword strategy above) On Google, any of the top three or four positions should bring you a steady stream of visitors. There's actually been research that shows in some categories, people who click on the number one ad are worse buyers than those who click on ads further down. So leave the bidding wars for people with cash to burn.
3. Start your Campaign on Google, then move on to Yahoo Search
If you are new to Pay per Click, your two main companies to advertise with are Google and Yahoo search. Google are not only the largest search engine, their system is also more efficient that Yahoo's, so I always advise that you start out on Google and once your campaign is profitable, move onto Yahoo.
4. Keep your Ads Simple
Writing your Pay per Click ads should not be complicated. The golden rule is - keep it simple. Step into the shoes of the person reading it and write a simple message that will convince them to click on your ad. Make sure your ad conveys one key benefit that your potential customer will experience by visiting your website.
Here are some quick tips:
5. Remember the Purpose of your Ad
This is an important one. The purpose of your Pay per Click ad is NOT to sell your product or service. The purpose of your ad is to get people to visit your site. There's a big difference. This is good news because it means that your ad does not have to convey everything about what you are offering. But it does have to be enticing enough to have people feel they are missing out if they don't go to your site.
6. The Magic of Google
The beauty of the Google system is that the amount you are willing to pay per click is not the only factor that determines how high up the page you appear. Google also takes into account other factors, the main one being the percentage of people who click on your ad (this is known as your 'Click through rate' or 'CTR.') This means that if you work at improving your click through rate, you can end up appearing in a higher position, even though you are paying less per click than the people below you! Very few advertisers are aware of this and even fewer do anything about it. Pay attention to your click through rate and constantly work on improving it. It can make a huge difference to the amount of visitors you get to your site and the amount you pay to get them there.
7. Once You've paid to get People to your Website - Turn them into Customers!
If you've been doing Pay per Click for a while, you may have had the experience of getting people to your site - and then nothing happens. Unfortunately, even the best designed websites can be very ineffective at converting visitors into customers. So it's not enough just to have your PPC working well, you really need to focus on what happens when people arrive at your site.
