Are you asking/thinking/sweating over these questions…
- Why is my competition in the top search results for my name/brand/etc??!?
- What can we do to get some traffic NOW, before we wait for the organic process to “kick in”?
- I’m a start up budget for a small business. What kind of extra cost should I expect?
Here is what our in house PPC expert had to say about PPC Advertising…
The most common mistake I see when it comes to marketing a website is the set-it-and-forget-it mindset. This usually happens when you’re happy with your site design. Let’s say you have a beautiful site created, it’s something that is truly reflective of your business and really speaks to the product/service you have to offer. You’re proud of your website and feel like you finally have your online presence not only accounted for, but as a dominant force in your market.
So you’re all set right? I wish that were the case.
Now you have an even harder job, getting people to see your site. Cue pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
PPC is not only effective, it also allows you control over how people find you and what you’re willing to pay for that business. I know that PPC can seem intimidating and overly complicated, and in many ways it is. But that’s why you hire a professional. It is our job as an online marketing specialist to help you understand your business AND the audience that would be best suited for it in regards to paid search.
How It Works:
At this point you may be thinking that this all sounds simple but you still don’t understand how it works. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Businesses who utilize PPC are consistent in their presence online. When someone does a search on Google for anything regarding your product or service, it is our job to make sure that your ad comes up. But our job does not stop there. We are responsible for writing strong and compelling ad text which encourages the searcher to want to click on the ad and visit your website. We think if these ads like the magazines on display in the grocery store line. The headlines need to draw the reader’s eye, creating interest and intrigue. Finally, we focus on placement. Your ads will be displayed at either the top or along the right side of the search results page, depending on your bidding practices and budget.
Due to its instant gratification in terms of immediate exposure for your site, PPC is a popular option for driving traffic to your website, especially for newly launched or redesigned sites that are looking to create exposure and get fresh eyes on your products/services.
Is that why competitors are showing up when I do a search for my brand?
Most likely, yes, what you are seeing are paid placement ads. And let’s be honest, even if your competitors weren’t there, someone would be. That’s Google’s job. To pull the most relevant site for a given search term. While it is possible to see search terms that don’t pull any paid results, it is very uncommon.
You see, in the United States it is legal to bid on a keyword term that includes someone else’s brand name, so long as the ad text itself does not contain a trademarked term. So, if one of your competitors wants to bid on your brand name, they can absolutely do so, with the exception of misleading searchers by making themselves appear as though they are a representative of your brand.
Google AdWords has copious information on this topic, which you can find here:
Google’s Trademark Advertising Policies
So what’s next?
If you think you’re interested in pursuing PPC for your business, there is some information you should consider gathering prior to starting. This includes things like access to analytics, an idea of what your conversions goals should be, a target audience you’re looking to pursue and what kind of budget you have available.
Once you have these things, you’re ready to have an exciting conversation about the future of your online marketing.
Alright, what is this going to cost me?
The fact is that every website is different and therefore the costs associated with advertising a website varies from one to another. You can however expect certain fees up front. Typically, you will pay $500 up front for account research and setup. This fee includes everything from keyword research, competitor analysis and ad creation. Additional fees for account management will come into play, however these are based off of your website itself and your total monthly budget.
