The term PPC is short for Pay-Per-Click, and is now one of the most popular forms of internet advertising. Online ads appear in the form of text or images, and are displayed on blogs, search engines, and websites. Advertisers compete for and bid on keyword phrases. When their ads appear in search results and receive a click, the advertisers are charged for each click.
There are numerous PPC advertising networks, but the most prominent are Google AdWords, MSN adCenter, and Yahoo Search Marketing. Google delivers much more ad impressions, and therefore is the most widely used of any search engine. Advertisers typically pay more in CPC (Cost-Per-Click) in comparison to other search engines.
An advertisers Cost-Per-Click depends on the various keywords that are targeted. Higher traffic keywords typically result in a higher CPC, while keywords that generate less traffic usually have a lower CPC. This means the cost per key terms will vary from one advertiser to the next due to a myriad of determining factors search engines use to determine what the minimum CPC of an advertiser should be.
Search engines can factor the amount to charge on CPC by measuring how relevant an offer is to an advertisers targeted keyword. Google, for example, uses a Quality Score (QS) system that determines the relevancy of keywords to the ads being used on a landing page. If the Quality score is high, a keywords CPC will be lowered, and the ad position will be increased. Click-Through-Ration and the relevancy of landing pages are also factors which determine a favorable, or unfavorable quality score.
Most PPC ads are placed on the top right hand side of most Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). They are typically identified or labeled as Sponsored Links, Sponsored Results, Sponsored Sites, or some similar description. The remaining section of a Search Engine Result Page displays organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) listings.
PPC is presently one of the most popular methods of online advertising. One of the main reasons is that advertisers only pay for actual clicks where the visitor goes to a designated site. Another important reason is that PPC campaigns can end up being displayed quickly in search results"often in minutes to a few days. This trumps SEO where several months can past before the same keywords receive ranking in search results. When executed properly, PPC can yield amazing results for the bottom line of a business.
An effective PPC campaign can be set up fairly easy in Google, Yahoo, and MSN. However, setting up an effective campaign often proves difficult for most people because the variables involved. Choosing keywords is immensely important, and can prove to be quite costly if the wrong keywords are chosen. Success is a combination of how a campaign is created, effective landing page creation, continuous testing, and cost effective bid optimization.
Forward thinking organizations are taking full advantage of PPC advertising for branding and to maximize income. There are some who can manage their own PPC campaigns, but it is highly recommended even for them to use the expertise of search marketing professionals. PPC is continually growing, and with more businesses entering the market daily, the companies that employ high-level search marketing strategies will emerge the clear winners. - 16747
There are numerous PPC advertising networks, but the most prominent are Google AdWords, MSN adCenter, and Yahoo Search Marketing. Google delivers much more ad impressions, and therefore is the most widely used of any search engine. Advertisers typically pay more in CPC (Cost-Per-Click) in comparison to other search engines.
An advertisers Cost-Per-Click depends on the various keywords that are targeted. Higher traffic keywords typically result in a higher CPC, while keywords that generate less traffic usually have a lower CPC. This means the cost per key terms will vary from one advertiser to the next due to a myriad of determining factors search engines use to determine what the minimum CPC of an advertiser should be.
Search engines can factor the amount to charge on CPC by measuring how relevant an offer is to an advertisers targeted keyword. Google, for example, uses a Quality Score (QS) system that determines the relevancy of keywords to the ads being used on a landing page. If the Quality score is high, a keywords CPC will be lowered, and the ad position will be increased. Click-Through-Ration and the relevancy of landing pages are also factors which determine a favorable, or unfavorable quality score.
Most PPC ads are placed on the top right hand side of most Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). They are typically identified or labeled as Sponsored Links, Sponsored Results, Sponsored Sites, or some similar description. The remaining section of a Search Engine Result Page displays organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) listings.
PPC is presently one of the most popular methods of online advertising. One of the main reasons is that advertisers only pay for actual clicks where the visitor goes to a designated site. Another important reason is that PPC campaigns can end up being displayed quickly in search results"often in minutes to a few days. This trumps SEO where several months can past before the same keywords receive ranking in search results. When executed properly, PPC can yield amazing results for the bottom line of a business.
An effective PPC campaign can be set up fairly easy in Google, Yahoo, and MSN. However, setting up an effective campaign often proves difficult for most people because the variables involved. Choosing keywords is immensely important, and can prove to be quite costly if the wrong keywords are chosen. Success is a combination of how a campaign is created, effective landing page creation, continuous testing, and cost effective bid optimization.
Forward thinking organizations are taking full advantage of PPC advertising for branding and to maximize income. There are some who can manage their own PPC campaigns, but it is highly recommended even for them to use the expertise of search marketing professionals. PPC is continually growing, and with more businesses entering the market daily, the companies that employ high-level search marketing strategies will emerge the clear winners. - 16747
About the Author:
Alex Plana is Search Marketing expert with personal achievements in SEO, PPC, and Affiliate Marketing. In addition, he is a talented web designer and currently owns and operates Plan A SEM, an organization specializing in providing small to medium size businesses "large company" online services at an affordable rate. In addition, Alex offers Search Marketing news and tips on his popular Search Marketing Blog.
