6 September 2012

The Pros and Cons of Pay-Per-Click Marketing Campaigns

With Google increasing the complexity of its search algorithm at such a rapid rate, the ability and consistency of generating top rankings in the organic search results is becoming increasingly difficult. So what is a business to do in the face of such uncertain organic search results?

Patience and new content should be the main focus for organic results, but while you are building a strong organic base, pay-per-click (PPC) marketing can be a viable option to drive targeted search traffic to your website. In this article we’ll explore some of the pros and cons of running pay-per-click campaigns on Google AdWords and Microsoft Ad Center.

PROS

CONS
 

  • Achieve first page results instantly

 

  • Target search engine users by geographical areas such as city, town, county, distance radius

 

  • Control time of day ads run

 

  • Conversion tracking

 

  • Show different ads on search results, display networks and mobile devices

 

  • Control the keywords your ads display for

 

  • Over 60%* of commercial product or service keyword search clicks are through a PPC advertisements

 

  

  • Cost can add up quickly if you do not establish a set budget from the very beginning

 

  • Setting up advanced campaigns can be very difficult to new users

 

  • Time to monitor and adjust campaigns can be lengthy depending on the size and complexity of the campaign

While pay-per-click marketing is designed to drive traffic to your website, the keyword targeted nature of those advertisements usually means that the person clicking on that ad is interested or ready to make a purchase or schedule a service. This in turn, has a tendency to generate high-interest leads to your business whether it is a phone call or a website form submission.

The two leaders in pay-per-click marketing systems are Google AdWords and Microsoft Ad Center. At first, it is probably wise to invest in only one of the PPC giants to get a handle of how the system works and whether you are receiving enough of a return on your investment. If it is worthwhile for your business to run an effective pay-per-click campaign on both platforms; a 70/30 split in terms of budget, favoring of Google AdWords is suggested. Run conversion analysis after the first month to see if your budget split needs to be adjusted accordingly based on results.

In conclusion, the decision of pay-per-click marketing is not a simple yes or no option but in your marketing plan for 2013, running a trial campaign is the best way to gauge whether it will be effective for your business. A pay-per-click specialist can help you determine the best budget for your business based on the cost per click of keywords, competition levels and a variety of other factors.

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