knowLedgeThink Pay-per-click is dead? Think again.

Article previously published in Greater Charlotte Biz magazine, Feb. 2012.

“It’s too expensive.”

“It doesn’t work.”

Most of us have heard from a friend, who heard from a friend, a horror story about pay-per-click advertising. “Sally sunk $30,000 into Google AdWords and it didn’t work.” I’m sure your friend was right. I’ve heard these stories too, and I can understand why some people think pay-per-click is dead.

Effective pay per click management (PPC) requires regular attention and, when managed poorly or forgotten, it is very costly. If you don’t have the time or expertise to manage it, don’t do it!

Or, educate yourself to learn more about your options and their pay-offs.

Budget Management

Setting a budget, instead of letting the software manage your budget, ensures that only a set amount of money is spent.

Relevancy is Rewarded

Ads closely aligned with page titles and content keywords are considered more relevant, which reduces the cost-per-click. Quality and relevance are rewarded in pay-per-click.

Long Tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are two- to five-word phrases that are less popular and less competitive than shorter, more commonly used phrases. Targeting long tail keywords is far more cost-effective and results in higher quality traffic because they target more informed searchers who are further along in the buying process.

Geographic Targeting

Geographic targeting (geo-targeting) is useful when a business is targeting a specific market for sales. This option prevents the ad from receiving unwanted click-throughs from searchers outside of the target market area.

Content Networks

Content networks allow ad placement on other websites based on keywords. This is useful if your target buyers are reading these other websites and you can create an offer compelling enough for them to engage the advertisement.

Are you using PPC for more than just display advertising? Or are you seeing a lot of value in PPC? We'd love to hear how you're using PPC in your marketing efforts. Leave a comment below.