Pay Per Click Management
What is Pay Per Click management?
Pay Per Click (PPC) is a Search Engine Marketing technique. It is a way to advertise what one sells or offers on the Internet using search engines, websites and advertising networks. The main benefit is that advertisers only pay when a web user actually clicks on an advert to visit their website, therefore making this a highly cost effective way of marketing a website on the Internet.
PPC advertising involves keywords, or themes, that advertisers believe their target market or audience would enter into a search engine, such as Google, when they are searching for their particular product or service.
“Keywords” are simply words or phrases that directly relate to the subject being searched for, which can even include product model numbers. Initially the advertiser will need a list of keywords that they think their audience would search for and at this stage they would usually contract a Pay Per Click Manager (PPC Manager) to compile an optimum list for their product or service. Phil Yarrow Consulting offers a complete PPC Management service.
How does Pay Per Click actually work?
When someone searching for a particular product or service types a keyword query which matches the advertiser’s specified list of words or phrases, the advertiser’s advert will appear on the front page of the search results page. These adverts are called “sponsored links” or “sponsored ads” and appear next to or above the natural or organic results on the page. Remember, the advertiser only pays when the user actually clicks on the advert hence the phrase “pay per click”.
In addition to search engines, PPC adverts may also appear on what is called ‘Advertising Network’ websites, where the advertising, or content network, endeavours to provide adverts that are relevant to the content of the page that they appear on and no search operation is involved.
Some examples of Pay Per Click companies currently include: Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, Microsoft adCenter, Ask, LookSmart, Miva, Kanoodle, Yandex and Baidu. Google AdWords is the largest of these.
Why Choose Pay Per Click?
There are many benefits for companies using PPC to advertise their websites:
- A cost effective method for a highly flexible advertising solution;
- Flexibility – adverts can be switched on or off and even be set to appear on certain days or even times of day;
- Geographical targeting – campaigns can be targeting with specific locations in mind, ranging from town to entire countries;
- Instant results - PPC adverts will appear almost instantaneously;
- Specific page linking – potential clients can be sent directly to specific pages within a website which will increase the return of investment (ROI);
- Increased brand awareness;
- Multiple media types supported – PPC ads can include text, JPGs, animated GIFS, etc.
