PPC, or pay-per-click ads, have the potential to reach an astounding audience on the internet. Used correctly, PPC can drive loads of targeted buying traffic to your website. PPC also doesn’t have to be expensive. Let’s go over three pointers for getting the most PPC power out of your money.
Point 1: Use Long-Tail Keywords
Long-Tail Keywords are generally meant as keywords using four or more words. Short keywords, such as “buy Viagra”, are over-bid, and will cost you several dollars per click. Using keyword tools, you may find that there are several related long-tail keywords that get decent volumes of search traffic. Perhaps “buy Viagra online pharmacy” or “buy some Viagra online now”, for instance. These long-tail keywords will cost you far less, and while they receive fewer searches, you will ultimately receive many more clicks at a lower price.
Point 2: Monitor Campaigns Closely and Use Split-Testing
Many campaigns that do not profit could be tweaked a bit to become profitable. In many cases, certain keywords are underperforming, but you don’t know it until you really delve in. Split test your campaigns, and make sure to weed out keywords that receive large numbers of impressions but a small number of clicks. These are throwing off your CTR, or Click Through Rate, which causes your ads to place lower and cost more.
Also, by split-testing, be sure to weed out keywords that receive lots of clicks but few conversions. If the conversions don’t cover the cost of the clicks, then that keyword is unprofitable. Axe it!
Point 3: PPC Shines for List Building
The one area where PPC really shines is in building lists. Acquire (or create) a product such as a 10-page report or a 5-part email series that you can offer in exchange for an opt-in. Create a page with the opt-in form, and set up an auto responder to send your opt-ins the promised product. Then create a PPC campaign, be as wild with the keywords as you want, and set a limit on how much you are willing to spend before pausing the campaign.
Driving large amounts of traffic onto the page short-term will allow you to quickly build a strong list for promotion of related products. Your list will be your best friend, so build wisely! If you create a product, allow users the option of opting in on the download page. A list of people who have already purchased something is worth ten times as much as a much larger list of people who may or may not ever buy anything. Think of your larger list as silver, and your buyer’s list as gold.
Using these pointers, you now have a competitive edge over your competition.
