Pay-per-click advertising: an introduction
April 29th, 2010 by GaryTweet
Pay-per-click advertising is the fastest and easiest way to ensure you’re on Page 1 of the search results for all of your chosen keywords. All the major search engines have their own programmes for sponsored results, which they display in a column alongside the organic results when users search specific terms. The way it works is as follows: you, the advertiser, sponsor a list of keywords that are relevant to what you’re promoting. Then, when a user types one of your keywords into the search engine, your ad is displayed in the sponsored listings and you pay every time someone clicks your ad and visits your website.
Most pay-per-click (PPC) programmes work on the principle of allocating a daily budget for clicks and then specifying the maximum amount that each click should cost. You might want to allocate £20 per day, for example, and spend no more than £1 on each click: this will bring you at least 20 visitors a day.
Generally speaking, the more you’re willing to pay for each click, the better position your ad will enjoy. If the average cost per click for your chosen keyword is £1 but you’re only prepared to pay 50p, you may find your ad is appearing very low down the listings – maybe even on the second or third page. If you’re willing to pay £1.50, you may find you’re enjoying the top position.
It’s simple in theory but, of course, it’s unlikely you’re going to be the only one wanting to sponsor your particular list of keywords. Many of the most ‘obvious’ keywords for your industry are likely to be very competitive, so unless you have a super-sized internet marketing budget it’s likely you’re going to need to take quite a strategic approach in order to generate a return on your investment. The key to a successful PPC campaign is to choose targeted and well-priced keywords and then carefully analyse your conversions.
Tags: pay per click advertising, PPC, PPC campaign