You Are Advertising In Search Engines Aren't You?

 Pay-Per-Click Advertising
You are advertising in search engines aren't you?
by April Ward

We all know that search engines are a key component to generating traffic to your web site, but have you heard about pay-per-click advertising? Pay-per-click advertising is one of the most effective and affordable means of advertising your business online. It is easy to create your own online ad campaigns and you are in charge of everything…from the keywords to the amount that you want to spend each day.

Here’s how to get started.

Step 1:
Choose a pay-per-click service.

The first thing you need to do is decide where you would like to advertise. There are several search engines and web sites that provide pay-per-click advertising services. Google, Yahoo and Overture are three of the top web sites to choose from.

My favorite service for pay-per-click advertising is Google. Google allows you to target a geographic location like Kansas City, whereas Yahoo only provides nationwide and worldwide advertising capabilities. In addition, Google displays paid search results in several other web sites including AOL, Ask Jeeves and Hotbot to name a few. So, by signing up with Google, your ads can be seen in other search engines twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Google's network also reaches more than 80% of all Internet users, so by using Google, you have a good chance of reaching your target audience.

Step 2:
Create your own pay-per-click account.

Go to the Google web site and sign up for a pay-per-click account. Google only charges $5.00 to register for an account, so the start-up fees are very reasonable.

Step 3:
Create an ad campaign for your business.

Google provides easy step-by-step web screens to help you create a customized ad campaign for your business. Here you will decide which geographic location(s) you would like to advertise in, what keywords you want to use and how much you are willing to pay when someone clicks on your ad.

The best way to learn this process is to simply try it. You won't break it, so take as long as you like and create an ad campaign that’s perfect for you. Once you have created and saved your campaign, it only takes a few minutes (if not seconds) for your new ad to be displayed in Google. You will be able to see the ad campaigns you created right away! How cool is that!

Step 4:
Measuring the success of your ads.

After a few weeks, go back to your Google account and see how your ads are performing. Did some keywords work better than others? Did you bid high enough to get the positioning you wanted? Do you need to change the copy in your ad? Did you get any new leads?

If your results were poor, try new keywords and copy. Keep testing your ad campaigns until you create one that gets the results you need. If you’re ad performed great, save that ad and try creating another winner ad campaign. The more campaigns your have to draw upon, the better.

And there you have it!

Now you have a great new marketing tool to help enhance your companies marketing mix.

In addition, you created an ad campaign without any specialized training or pricey consultation. You are now in control of your marketing message, spending and results.

Remember that the best thing about pay-per-click advertising is the price! You only pay when someone clicks on your ad! The other great thing about Google pay-per-click advertising is the geographic locator. You can choose to advertise in just Kansas City or nationwide. You control where your ad is seen, for how much and for how long.

So, if you are looking for a way to kick-start your marketing program, try pay-per-click advertising. You’ll be glad you did.

About the Author

April Ward is a web desginer and graphic designer specializing in Internet marketing. Her skills and expertise have been a key component to her customers success online and offline.

 April Ward - aprilward.net

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