Sales Column

 

Buying Eyeballs

When it comes to your next pay-per-click advertising campaign, make sure you buy the right eyeballs.

 

By Paul Severts

 

PPC marketing boils down to buying eyeballs. The goal is to buy the right eyeballs by bidding on the right keywords and having the right ads in the right location. But of course, PPC is much more than grabbing attention. Getting people to click on your ads and visit your Web site is only half of the battle. The other half is finding qualified visitors that are interested enough in your product or service so that once you've paid to have them visit your Web site, they aren't doing a new search on Google 10 seconds later.

 

Why Pay-Per-Click Advertising?

There are four main reasons why PPC is a very attractive advertising model.

1. Low cost of entry. Setting up a Google account, for example, is a measly $5. Try getting a TV commercial, billboard or radio spot for $5.

2. Targeted visitors. You only pay for visitors that come to your site. With most advertising models, you pay for your ad to show up regardless of whether the audience sees it or not – let alone visits your Web site.

3. Lots of metrics. With PPC, you know exactly what you are spending your money on, which keywords are driving traffic, and which keywords are most effective in getting visitors to take your desired action.

4. Control. With the flip of a switch you can turn ads on and off and create test after test for your Web site visitors.

 

What to Look for in a PPC Company

1. Google Adwords Qualfied Advertiser. Google has an extensive PPC exam that individuals and companies can take. If the company you're considering doesn't have the "Adwords Qualified" certification, you may want to think twice about using their services.

2. Tools. Any company building a PPC account should be familiar with keyword selection tools, competition of your target keywords, estimated cost-per-click (CPC) for specific ad positions and more.

3. Buzz words. Make sure they specifically address cost-per-click (CPC), average positions, click-through-rate (CTR), budget, negative keywords, the Google content network, landing pages, A/B testing, multivariate testing and conversion tracking.

4. Results. Look for a company that can drive more than just traffic. It's easy to get PPC visitors to your Web site – give me an unlimited budget and five keywords and I can prove that.

 

Paul Severts is marketing director for Sebo Marketing, an Internet marketing firm founded in 2005. He may be contacted at paul.severts@sebomarketing.com or visit www.sebomarketing.com for more information.

 

Launch - Spring 2009

 

 

For the full "digital magazine" version of Spring 2009, visit: www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/growutah/launch_2009spring/