Pay per click advertising, most often in the form of paid search results, is still an important part of building an online presence and increasing site traffic for many businesses. However, if you’re looking to be as cost-effective as possible in your Internet marketing strategies, there are a few things you should know about paid search. Here’s what your PPC management company ought to be telling you:
- PPC Campaigns Need to Be Specific and Targeted
Paid search is best when you’re looking for a very specific result within a limited amount of time. For example, if you’re launching a new site, having a sale or pushing a time-sensitive product, then PPC advertising might be the best move. If your goal is as general as “increasing traffic,” however, then you may find that PPC doesn’t get you the most bang for your buck. Keep in mind, too, that targeted PPC campaigns include building customized landing pages and content, not just paying for search results.
- PPC Campaigns Need to Be Continually Reviewed
The reason PPC isn’t always the best choice is that it only pays off when the right keywords are used; if you pay to have your link displayed on keywords ultimately irrelevant to the product or service you offer, you’ll see low conversion rates and won’t get maximum return on investment for those advertising dollars. This is actually one reason why it’s so important to hire a qualified PPC management company in the first place; a general Internet marketing consultant might give you vague ideas about “online presence,” but PPC analysts will actually look at the numbers and show you precisely where your advertising spend is paying off — and where it needs adjustment.
- PPC Campaigns Need to Be Supported by SEO
So if PPC isn’t the best method for driving generally higher site traffic, what is? The answer, you may have predicted, is search engine optimization. SEO has a very high return on investment when compared to basically all marketing strategies, and it’s a long-term strategy that pays off beyond the scope of a single campaign. But SEO and PPC can often work in tandem, with much of the same research improving both efforts. For that reason, it’s often to your advantage to choose an Internet marketing company that offers both PPC campaign management services and SEO.
What do you think is important when it comes to choosing and working with a PPC management company? Share your thoughts in the comments.