Snap, Crackle, Click!

If only pay-per-click campaigns were as easy as a snap of the finger, then every web page could strike it rich at the first try. Unfortunately, pay-per-click (PPC) isn't that simple. While the actions required to participate in many search engine PPC programs don't take a genius to figure out the steps, the true marketer understands what it takes to achieve a response rate worth bragging about. Can the ordinary web page owner do it herself? Perhaps yes, if luck is on her side. But, do you really want to leave your campaign to luck?

Comprehensive PPC programs are offered by many big search engines. These programs include Google Adword and Yahoo Search Marketing Solution (previously called Overture). These programs take you through the stages of creating an ad, submitting it for approval, and activating on the search engine. Google Adword can approve your ad in a matter of minutes and run it on the search engine. Yahoo, however, must be reviewed by an actual person so it takes a little longer to gain approval. Once launched, your campaign must climb up in position before every searcher sees it. The quickest way to climb into a good position is to bear in mind some basic tips prior to launching your PPC campaign: - Who's your target? Pick keywords and phrases that mean something to your market. Many groups expect your product or service to be presented in a certain fashion. Examine your list of words and phrases that are commonly used by your customers to find out their likes and dislikes. This may clue you into how your customers will search for your product or service. - Pick keywords with strongest appeal and track them using a system like Yahoo Search Marketing Solution and Google Adword. Avoid jamming your PPC ad with every keyword under the sun. - Did you split- test your keywords? Granted, space inside a PPC ad is limited. So why not use your space wisely by continually testing which words and phrases actually get the best results? Perform research by testing out your keywords in the Search Engine of your choice and monitoring the results. - Performance and traffic are not the same. You can attract heavy traffic but still have poor performance. Motivate visitors to take action by clearly announcing the action you desire your visitors to perform. As your performance rises above your competitor's, this puts you at the head of the line to purchase better PPC ad positions, attracting even more visitors who are willing to take action. - Link your campaign to "landing pages". Direct clicks on certain keywords to a specific page on your website. Clicks on a certain keyword or phrase puts the visitor in a population that is seeking specific material. Studies indicate that a visitor's call to action is much higher upon landing on a page that is most relevant to the visitor. A great return on your investment (ROI) is the goal of a PPC campaign. When it comes to creating a great PPC campaign, learning to set up a PPC ad is only one part of the picture; the other part is incorporating strategic planning.

To discover simpler and more successful ways to carry out a winning PPC campaign, go to www.1dmom.com/archive.

Copyright 2005 Riki Trafford. All rights reserved.

Riki Trafford is the webmaster of Direct MO Marketing Inc which offers low cost keyword-targetted web traffic. Why not exchange links with 1dmom.com. We would love to list your site in our traffic directory. Just follow the instructions on this page: http://www.1dmom.com/links/