Good thing you don't have to be rich to make it work for
you. Pay-per-click search engines are one of the best ways
to get targeted traffic to your site - and for just a few
pennies, too. I'm usually pretty cheap when it comes to
paying for advertising... but this is one place where I'm
happy to make the investment.
PPC SEs such as GoTo.com < http://www.goto.com/ >, the
largest and best-known of them, allow you to 'bid' on
certain search terms. Listings for each search term
are displayed in order of highest bid first. You
literally 'pay' for your search rank!
Some advantages of PPC SEs include:
No fiddling with META tags, keyword density, and
all that other stuff that goes with search engine
optimization. If you've ever played with this stuff,
you'll know how frustrating it can be to get a good
listing - and then KEEP it! With PPC SEs, you simply
buy your way to a better position.
It's fast! Most PPC SEs will review your listings and
make them available within just a few days. Compare
this to the regular search engines, where it can take
MONTHS to get listed - if you get listed at all!
It's 'pay for performance'. You only pay the amount
you bid when someone clicks on your link. And because
your visitor comes to your site after finding it from
a relevant list of search results, he or she is a
targeted visitor - exactly what you want! Compare
this to regular search engines, which give you the
option to pay a fee for an 'express review'... a review
that most often doesn't guarantee a listing.
PPC SEs are a great way to get targeted traffic, quickly.
Here are a few pointers on how to work effectively with
them:
Don't obsess about being #1. If you can afford to be on
the first page, that's great... but remember that you
only pay for clicks - even if you're on page 10 and you
only get a few clicks each month.
Track everything. Different PPC SEs will give you
different 'quality' clicks. Use a commercial ad
tracking program so that you know exactly what works.
Choose multi-word search terms. For example, instead of
'jewelry', choose 'handcrafted jewelry'. Single word
search terms are hyper-competitive. Translation: they
cost too much.
Send visitors directly to a sales page. Instead of
listing your home page, where you may offer dozens of
choices, list a specific page on your site that is
designed to get the visitor to do one thing - whether
that's buy something, download a free trial, or
subscribe to your newsletter. You're paying for clicks,
after all, and you don't want to 'waste' them on a page
that doesn't convert visitors into customers.
Bid only on relevant search terms. This almost goes
without saying... you're paying for clicks, so make
sure you're paying for QUALITY clicks.
There are also loads of tools freely available online to
help you maximize the effectiveness of your PPC SE campaign.
One good place to start for more information is
http://www.payperclicksearchengines.com/.
Yes, PPC SEs cost money. But if you could consistently
make a profit on your investment, wouldn't you? Remember
that it's not how much it COSTS that matters... it's how
much PROFIT you earn in return. Happy bidding!
About the Author
Angela Wu is the editor of Online Business Basics, an
exclusive newsletter for eBusiness beginners. Find out how you too can
join the thousands quietly earning a living online:
http://www.onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html