You can tell yourself that money isn’t everything, but in business, profits matter. Most of you know that you must spend money to make money, but I’m pretty sure that none of you just want to throw dollars down a hole. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) can seem like a hole if you don’t understand how it works. However, when used properly, Google Ads play an important role in generating traffic and securing you some very good leads. All businesses should use a 3-strand integrated approach to web marketing which includes offline promotion, search engine optimization (SEO), and PPC. In this article, we are going to look specifically at PPC and how to collect leads using Google AdWords.
PPC 101 – Understanding Google AdWords
Simply put, AdWords are keywords. Your web designer should have defined a set of keywords for your business. All your SEO efforts go into getting your website to rank for these words organically. The problem is that SEO takes time. You have to write content, link it together, and wait for Google to crawl it.
Instead of waiting, ever so patiently, for Google to rank your site for certain key search terms, you can pay them to rank you #1 in the search results. The results are immediate, and if done properly, the leads you generate can be quite profitable.
Furthermore, Google Ads are a great way to increase your return on investment (ROI) because you only pay each time someone clicks on your ad, whereas you keep paying for SEO even if no one visits your website.
How to Collect Leads Using Google AdWords
It is extremely important that you know who your ideal customer is and what they need. Google charges you each time someone clicks on your ad. Therefore, if your ad is not targeted to the right audience, you could spend a lot of dollars on unqualified leads. Narrow your audience as tightly as possible. You can run several ads targeted to different niches. You are better off securing one very good lead over a hundred that don’t really need what you offer.
Don’t forget that Google is not the only search engine out there. Bing Ads can also be quite profitable. In fact, Bing has very good customer service for those wanting to manage their own search engine marketing. A customer representative will call you and help you write your first ad. They then call back in a few weeks to go over the results.
For the DIY web owners, this is great. Just be careful you don’t accidentally get stuck with a large bill. Paying upfront can prevent some nasty surprises at the end of the month.
Effect’s Google Ads Program
Many of you might not be aware that Effect’s AdWord’s Specialist is ranked in the top 6% of Google Ads specialists by Google itself. For those who want the best possible return on their investment, her expertise is worth every penny.
The best possible marketing strategy is one that combines a mix of SEO and PPC. In the short term, while your web presence grows, you can collect leads using Google Ads. At the same time, work on your long-term SEO strategy for a lower-cost, lasting way to rank high in the search engines.
