PayPerClick Advertising campaigns that focus on specific, targeted objectives usually generate more success than an all-in-one, break-the-bank effort to draw general attention to your website.

Here are some necessary steps to take in developing and running a successful Pay Per Click campaign…

Do Your Keyword Research First

Just as with developing on page and off page SEO for your website, keywords serve as the “primary key” to your success with PPC. Broad-based keywords such as “clothing,” “health,” or “computers” will be used much more often in browser searches.

However, the bid rate for such terms will be very high, with the cost being driven up by intense competition.

Focus your research instead on more specific, niche-targeted keywords, that are lesser used (though no less popular), and better still, in two or three (or more) word combinations. These multiple keyword combinations will likely take less money to obtain the top bid for, and you are less likely to get into a bidding war with a competitor for those keywords.

Plus, such keywords will likely associate more closely with the more specific needs of your target market.

Write Your Content Carefully

Yes, without a doubt, content is king!

You must give search engine users a reason to click on your ad link. Therefore, the copy appearing alongside the link needs to be attention-getting and compelling. Because you are given only a couple of short lines of space, writing compelling copy is definitely not easy; yet it’s the first thing the search engine user will see from you.

Make certain that your copy adheres to the standards imposed by the individual search engine (Google, Yahoo or Bing will not even post your ad if you load it up with too many superlatives and exaggerations).

Instead, focus your copy on how the user can benefit from what you have to offer. Follow this same process with regard to a landing page/squeeze page to which your link refers the user to. Unless it focuses solely on your offer, do not use the home

page (or index page) of your website for this purpose; you don’t want visitors to become
distracted from your offer and leave.

And, of course, if what you have to offer is a white paper or other viral content, make certain the content fits with the keywords on which you base your pay per click campaign.

Establish Your Bid

Once these pieces of your PPC campaign puzzle are complete, you are then ready to place your bid with the search engine

(whether it’s Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, MSN, or a number of other PPC search engine) and then keep a close eye on what happens next.

Deciding which amount to bid is not easy, because there is no “right” amount to bid. The best circumstance would be to achieve the top bid by only one cent above the second-place bid. Some PPC experts will advise that you shoot for only a top-three ranking rather than number one. Being third on the list still places your ad “above the fold” of the search engine page.

If your click-through rate is sufficient, Google AdWords can bump up the placement of your ad, possibly to number one. And, those who outbid you may drop out, leaving you on top. Whatever you do, set a budget for your campaign (in terms of the amounts to bid, and total dollar amount to spend). And unless you see a logical reason to spend more, stick to that budget.

Monitor Your Ad’s Results

At least once every 2 to 3 weeks, check your PPC ads to see how they are doing. Most of the major PPC search engines now offer tracking tools to help you.

You need to… Ask yourself these questions:

♦ Where is my ad currently in the PPC placement order?
♦ Is it being placed where I expect it to be? If your ad ranks lower than you expected, it could be because another bidder outbid you, and you may need to consider increasing your bid. If it ranks higher than you expected, look at where your bid is compared to others; you may want to decrease your bid just enough so that you can still maintain your ranking.
♦ What is the click-through rate for the ad? An insufficient number of clicks could get your ad bumped by the search engines.

Track the conversions more than the clicks

Pay Per Click is not about the clicks… it’s about what the clicks generate.

Does the user who clicks on your ad accept your report or free ebook, in exchange for his/her email address? Does the user take advantage of your special offer and make a purchase?

You don’t necessarily have to recoup your PPC investment in terms of revenue, but you should get what you paid for to the best value possible. So, while you should check the click-through rate, you should pay particular attention to the conversion rate.

How many of those click-throughs actually accepted what you had to offer?

Maintain Your Focus

PayPerClick advertising will inevitably cost too much if you rely solely on it for your marketing efforts.

If you are just starting out, your budget certainly won’t be as high as the major corporations who engage in PPC daily, so avoid competing with the “big guns.” Instead, use pay per click for short- to medium-term, targeted campaigns that fulfill specific purposes for you, and you’ll find that the return on your investment will be significantly higher.

Hope you find these payperclick advertising tips helpful.