Pay per click (PPC) is an Internet advertising model used by search engines and websites where advertisers pay only when a consumer clicks through on their ad to visit their website. Typically a PPC ad is based on keywords designed specifically to reach a designated target market.
Done right, PPC marketing provides an instant source of targeted traffic and can boost sales in a cost-effective way, helping you to improve your Internet return on investment (ROI).
Why Pay Per Click Marketing?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is great for free traffic, but sometimes it can take time to rank well for the keywords that are most relevant to your business. Even if you are ranked well for your keywords, your PPC ads can reinforce your branding and drive even more traffic to your site.
A well devised PPC marketing campaign will enable you to target potential customers who are looking specifically for your service – and can pay for itself many times over.
Best Practice PPC Ad Techniques
There are several ways to maximize your PPC marketing efforts, including the right keyword selection, organising the campaign in to ad groups, landing page preparations and the all important ad copy. Here are ten best practice ad copy techniques sure to boost your PPC campaign.
- Use power words such as “exposed,” “secret,” “guaranteed,” “shocking,” or “incredible” in your ads to capture the attention of the viewer.
- For ongoing improvement to your copy, test two ads simultaneously in order to evaluate and improve on each ad’s effectiveness.
- Focus on the benefits of the product rather than the features.
- Use a strong call to action like “act now” or “contact us for a free report.”
- Use the keyword in the ad’s headline.
- Capitalise The First Letter of Each Word.
- Include a question in the ad.
- Use abbreviations (and keep a thesaurus handy) in order to make the most of the limited characters.
- Consider using time sensitive offers to convey urgency in your call to action.
- Try to stand out from your competition by offering something they cannot or by using a more exciting approach to attract click-throughs.
Remember that the goal is to get a viewer to click on your ad, not to sell the product with the ad. Let your landing page sell the product once they click on your website link.
Most importantly, keep a careful eye on your PPC marketing campaign and regularly look at the reports to evaluate how your ads are performing. Track the conversion rate and cost per conversion of each advertisement to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
