There is nothing new about advertising. It has likely been in place since the first entrepreneur decided to sell their product. And, while much has changed in the world of commerce, advertising seems to be here to stay. However, the methods have changed greatly with the widespread threads of the Web. And perhaps, one of the most significant changes, is the introduction of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.

PPC was initially introduced as a proof of concept by Jeffrey Brewer of GoTo.com in 1998; however, it was not until 2002 that the AdWords system was established. The potential of AdWords, as well as other similar programs was a turning point in how business on the Web is done.

With PPC, a company pays the advertising hosts whenever the advertisement is clicked by users. This price is based on one of two models-the Bid Based PPC and the Flat-Rate PPC.

  • Flat Rate PPC-When the advertiser and the publisher agree on a fixed rate to be paid per click. The flat rate is a great way to determine if PPC will work for you.
  • The Bid Rate-When the advertisers sign a contract that allows them to compete against other advertisers in a private auction set up by the advertising network. This model can be rather pricey as it can cost you $5 per click due to your chosen keywords.

So how can you use PPC to increase your business? Here are five reasons to consider.

  1. Increase awareness by using the long tail keywords associated with your website. Keep in mind phrases that represent your brand, industry, market, product or services.
  2. PPC will bring more business leads, providing you keep in mind the basic principles of SEO and keyword search.
  3. PPC campaigns can be set up and released quickly without needing to wait for search engines to crawl your site.
  4. Because you can quickly and easily check on your PPC campaign, you can make adjustments when needed as well as compare which words work best for your site and adjust accordingly.
  5. PPC allows you the benefits of experimentation. Is a specific long tail not working as you had anticipated? Want to try a different word order? PPC is a great way to advertise without being locked in to a specific ad. In fact, you can even cancel your campaign easily, and typically penalty-free.

Having a Successful PPC Campaign

Just because PPC has a format that allows easy changes and cancelation, doesn’t mean that you want to spend an excessive amount of time and money on a campaign that is not working. So, to help you make the most of your resources, here are 3 things you can do to help you have a successful PPC campaign.

  1. Long tail phrases and keywords – Just as these are a vital part of a website seeking to rank high in search engine results, the same goes for your PPC campaign. In fact, if you have the budget, you may want to bid on your business name—but more on that later. J
  2. Start Slow – There are several PPC platforms to choose from (Google AdWords, MSN AdCenter, Bing!, Chitka, etc.); Google AdWords, however, has a large percentage of the market, With that in mind, most experts recommend starting with one platform and adding in others, if desired, later on.
  3. Testing, 1-2-3 – Don’t just create an ad and go on. Be sure to monitor the ad for at least month, paying attention to what words, landing pages, etc. are working best. PPC does not work very well if left to run on autopilot. The search term that worked this month, may not work next month. You need to watch what happens and fine tune accordingly. Talk to Page Progressive if you would like more help with this (or any other) element of PPC advertising.