Pay-per-click advertising is one of the most common forms of digital advertising these days. If you browse the internet at any level, chances are you have seen this kind of advertisement in action. Remember those links to websites at the top of Google searches? Those digital banners that are filling up the screen when visiting a website? These are only some of the faces of pay-per-click advertising.
The name comes from the fact that the advertised website pays the advertising service for every user that arrives through it. This is essentially a way to directly purchase online traffic rather than achieve it organically through SEO techniques. But this does not mean that pay-per-click is unethical! It is a very viable option for businesses looking to urgently grow their online presence and cannot afford to wait for SEO techniques to show their magic.
There are many platforms available out there that offer this mode of advertising. However, the fact is that pay-per-click can take many different shapes and requires significant monetary resources. This can make planning a successful pay-per-click campaign seem like a daunting and risky task.
But no need to fear!
With
a few details and precautions in mind, this seemingly scary task can become
much easier and doable. Read on to find out what you need to ensure to pull off
a successful pay-per-click campaign.
Know your ideal pay-per-click format
As mentioned before, pay-per-click occurs in more than one form. These include search engine advertising, banner display advertising, and social media advertising, to name a few. Having so many forms may seem to introduce the confusion of selection but actually gives the brand or business to choose the most suitable one according to their image. For example, a clothing company can use a banner display format for advertising its products and attracting customers. On the other hand, an online bookstore doesn't not require this and only needs to mention its variety of genres and provide the link to their website. This can easily be done with search engine advertising.
For a successful pay-per-click campaign, all its forms need to be researched to choose the best one. Choosing the wrong format can lead to the campaign not reaching its full potential.
Understand how the top pay-per-click services work
In case search engine marketing or display advertising is your choice, the two names you should get most familiar with are Google and Microsoft. Both own most of the internet search market and have advertising platforms under Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising names. Their system works in similar ways, so understanding it should not be a hassle. In both cases, what the website will pay depends on the maximum amount it can pay and the amount of traffic it manages to bring in. This way, websites are encouraged to make effective and attractive ads to sustain a budget-friendly pay-per-click fee.
Understanding the ins and outs of search engine advertising plans and policies can help plan a successful pay-per-click campaign on a budget. The competition to get featured on search results also motivates producing smart ads.
Harness the power of keywords
Keywords are the name of the game in search engine advertising. Search engines like Google and Bing cannot feature all website ads all the time. They show up only on search results that are relevant to their product or service. For a certain set of keywords, hundreds of competitor websites offer top dollar to get featured on their search results. Thus, search engines also take into account how a website has understood the relevance of keywords in a search and have integrated that into their advertisement and website content.
For a profitable pay-per-click campaign, keyword research is integral to ensure that your website pops up at the relevant times. Both Microsoft and Google offer keyword research tools that help in understanding the kind of searches they get. Understanding these keywords and sprinkling them across the website optimizes it for search engines and makes pay-per-click more effective.
Get the best for your budget
As
pay-per-click tends to be pricier than its other online advertising
counterparts, the budget is undoubtedly going to drive your pay-per-click
campaign. Keywords mentioned above are one of the main areas where the budget
is spent. More sought keywords are harder to get as the competition for them is
brutal. To make the most of your budget, it is important to see whether the
investment is actually converting to sales or not. A close eye needs to be kept
on keywords that are bringing traffic as they may not necessarily be the ones
you are currently investing in.
Pay-per-click advertising can provide your business a much-needed boost. With sound knowledge about keywords and how pay-per-click advertising platforms work, planning a successful campaign within your budget can finally seem possible. Just like how the above points are important to remember, it is also important to remember that patience is a secret ingredient as well in this recipe for online success.