You’ve probably noticed the “Sponsored links” advertisements for Minneapolis St. Paul businesses on the right side of Google search results pages as you use Google. You may have seen small ads for local businesses on local Twin Cities blogs and other websites, too. Those ads are Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads. They appear when specific phrases are used in search engines or appear on those blogs and websites. They can be a very effective marketing tool for your Minnesota business, but only if used properly and effectively.
Pay-Per-Click, as the name implies, means that you pay for the advertising only when a potential customer clicks on the ad and visits your web site. Unlike newspaper, television, or radio ads, you don’t pay for the number of people who see your ad. You pay only when someone clicks on the ad and visits your Minneapolis St. Paul website. In most PPC venues, like Google, you decide how much you want to pay for each click by a visitor. Then, the ranking of your ad on the list in Google or how often your ad appears on the blogs and websites depends on whether the amount you’ve agreed to pay is lower or higher than other advertisers.
Like SEO, the strategy is based on specific phrases you have selected. When someone types in the phrases you choose, or the phrases appear prominently on a blog or website, your ad can show up. How often it shows up, again, depends on an auction-like competition with other advertisers. On blogs and websites, the ads that appear can change with every visitor to the site.
There are many routes to PPC marketing, but Google is a prime choice for most businesses, since it has the most users and serves more blogs and websites with this type of advertising. That’s why most businesses choose to direct their PPC ads through Google.
Mounting an effective PPC marketing campaign isn’t simple. These are tiny text ads, so they must be designed to be effective in very few words. Selection of the most effective keywords and key phrases to trigger the display of the ads is absolutely crucial. Choose the wrong phrases and you may reach people not in your target market and pay for click-throughs that can’t do you any good. Equally, deciding how much you want to bid for each click-through can be tough. If you bid too high, you’ll pay more than you should. Bid too low, though, and potential customers might never see your ad. Most Minneapolis St. Paul business owners don’t have the expertise or time to research these issues.
At AmalgaMedia, we’re experts at designing and implementing Twin Cities PPC campaigns. We carefully research keywords and search phrases to find those that will produce the highest click-through rates from a precisely targeted audience. We also research and test click-through pricing strategies to get the results you need at the lowest possible cost per click. We’ll design PPC ads that are ideally worded to produce click-throughs in the small space available. Then, we will monitor results for you and make any changes needed as the marketplace and competition changes. Pay-Per-Click advertising can be a very effective tool for driving customers to your Minneapolis St. Paul business web site, and may be an ideal addition to your Internet marketing strategy.
Contact AmalgaMedia soon to discuss how PPC advertising, custom-tailored for your business, can be a valuable element in your overall Internet marketing plan. We’ll show you how an integrated approach of effective web design, dynamic site content, Search Engine Optimization, and Pay-Per-Click advertising can work wonders for generating leads and sales for your Twin Cities business.