Whether consumers use a search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo, Bing) to browse the Internet, catch up with family and friends on social media (e.g., on Facebook), or connect with colleagues (e.g., on LinkedIn), “Ad” or “Sponsored” usually appear prominently next to the top search results or next to the social page content. Why? Because companies are using Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing. If you want to increase traffic to your website, don’t ignore this powerful search engine marketing (SEM) tool.
A Process of Launching PPC Marketing Campaign
After ensuring your site is ready to handle increased traffic—by optimizing it with responsive design (so it looks good on any device) and understanding how to increase your conversion rate (the percentage of visitors that become qualified leads)—you’re ready to embark on a PPC marketing campaign, a proven way to bring relevant traffic to your website.
Let’s see how the process works using Google as an example since its PPC system—AdWords—is the most popular. Briefly, PPC means you pay Google to place an ad for your service, say a family dental practice, within the search results. This means your ad will appear when someone types keywords related to your business, such as “painless dentistry” or “tooth whitening,” into the search box. Then, whenever someone clicks on your ad, you pay Google a preset amount.
Two Basic Steps You Need to Make
- Select your key search terms. The first step is to choose which keywords and key phrases are most relevant to your business—those that a person interested in using your service will enter into an online search box or that describe the services you wish to promote most.
- Set a daily advertising budget. This budget is used to place bids—the maximum amount you’re willing to pay per click—on your chosen keywords and key phrases. The most common terms get higher bids (cost more) because more businesses are competing for the same markets.
For example, if a user enters the term “painless dentistry,” Google draws from a pool of relevant ads and chooses and ranks the ones to display based on company bids and ad quality. When a user clicks on your ad (and thus visits your site), you pay Google the amount you previously bid. This is repeated for every click. Over time, Google’s analytic tools help you understand how effective your campaign is so you can continually improve it.
