+ RSSThe Most Common PPC Advertising Mistakes
Pay per click allows you to target specific markets by their interests or where they live, making it a great advertising option. Results can be measured with statistics and spending controlled to suit. It's very much viable for small business owners who might be considering things like television, news print and radio.
Like anything else, PPC has disadvantages and shouldn't be entered into without doing your homework. Hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of advertising could be wasted if you attempt a campaign that isn't planned and doesn't have a strategy. There is a lot of information offering guidance when deciding your PPC strategy, so it's a good idea to learn more about it.
Starting up is easy enough, anyone can get involved without having to sit down with a manual for a few days. There are a few basic tips, though, for anyone thinking about experimenting with pay per click it's a good idea to examine them close. The majority of mistakes are really easy to fix so that PPC campaigns can get back on track fast. This is a small list of the most common mistakes people make, and how to fix them.
1. Using your home page as a landing page. It doesn't matter what search engine you're using as a base for your campaign. You get to decide where customers are directed when they click on an ad. It seems logical to direct customers to the home page - after all, it's your webpage's front door. However, this is a bad idea in the long run.
That's because people who click on your ad are looking for something very specific. Their keyword search brought them to your ad. Instead of bringing them to the home page of your site, create a landing page. That allows you to present customers with just what they're looking for. Focus each landing page tightly on the keywords you're using in your ad, and don't include other links or distractions.
2. Improper customization of landing pages. Ideally, your PPC campaign should work by presenting a potential customer with an ad closely targeted to their keyword. The landing page they arrive at should be closely geared towards that keyword, to present no confusion as to what the page is about. Your customer should never have trouble finding what he or she is looking for! Put each product or service on its own landing page, to avoid confusion.
3. Using generic copy for your ads. Statements that work in other media formats probably won't transfer to PPC. Catch phrases like "quality service" just aren't part of the vocabulary when people are using search engines. Use a main keyword in a headline that creates interest, then tell them the benefits. Line three is perfect for special features or a discount offer. Take a look at what other advertisers are doing online.
4. Low bid placement. All search engines use their own methods for determining where to put your ad. Yahoo and Google use a combination of the relevancy of your ad, and your bid price. One big mistake that many people make is not tightly targeting keywords enough to get top placement. As much as eighty-five percent of all PPC clicks happen on ads in one of the top three positions. If you can't focus your ads tightly enough to get that top spot, you're missing out on a lot of traffic.
