A PPC (Pay-Per-Click) marketing campaign is one of the easiest things you can do to garner attention and bring in business. It is also among the simplest services that I, as your Nashville SEO Guy can render as a web-marketing expert. You need to know the negative side of PPC marketing, however, if I am going to feel good about moving forward with your wishes. There are ups and downs to any method of marketing; risk involved with all types of advertising. You need to know both sides, even though statistics suggest that well-directed PPC campaigns make a big difference.
Basic PPC
Web ads set into sidebars and along the tops of search engines are Pay-Per-Click ads. You see them in boxes, usually with graphics, color, and even flashing icons. The owner of that link wants you to simply click the box. When you do, expect to be transported to a website selling diet supplements, flower arrangements for special occasions, brand-name clothing, or limo service from the nearest airport. That’s the point of this sort of link: to sell a product.
How PPC Works
What will you pay for PPC marketing? Besides my rates for creating ads and finding places to post them, you will also pay a fee to the website host for every click on your site. The rate could be pennies per click or several dollars per ten clicks: whatever arrangement works between you and the person or company whose website you want to use. Popular choices are the major search engines plus alternatives: Google, or course, but also Bing, Ask.com, and many others.
Does PPC Cost a Lot of Money?
There is a risk with Pay-Per-Click marketing that hundreds of people will click and none will buy anything, or that orders will not amount to at least the same as you paid for the ad. You pay even if a click does not result in a sale. You pay even when one person sits in his office and clicks on your PPC link every ten minutes for eight hours to cost you money because he is competing in the same business locally.
I might have to bid on keyword ads at major search engines too and that could become expensive. PPC can be costly if there is no return after several months of waiting and trying other methods of advertising at the same time.
How Can a Company Reduce the Cost of PPC Marketing?
It is possible to reduce your fees in two ways. One is by setting a threshold for clicks. The web host automatically removes an ad after reaching 300 clicks (or your chosen limit) so you only pay what you can afford. I can also help you select websites precisely connected to your field. That way, instead of advertising vacuum sales on a site for hardwood flooring, that link winds up in the sidebar on a blog about carpet care where it belongs.
Ups and Downs
Either of these strategies can backfire. Consumers who were likely to find your site as a result of PPC ads might not see it if your limit is reached before they come home from work and start browsing. Customers could miss your ad where it is placed on a website with a low but particular readership.
As a method of advertising, this does increase public awareness, but only with other SEO strategies in place. I will monitor your rankings on Google to ensure the entire package of services is showing results. I will tweak content to improve response if that’s needed.
Work with the Nashville SEO Guy, and we can assess the options, comparing negatives against positives until we reach a solution that you can afford and feel is right. One caution, though: give PPC marketing time to take effect. Think months, not weeks: up to half a year. By this time, an ad campaign should have done the trick or you need to look once more at how to advertise your business.