How to be successful with pay-per-click advertising
Follow these tips on using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to have a more successful PPC ad campaign.
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Choose keywords carefully
As you do with search engine optimization, learn which relevant keywords people are searching for. You want your ads to appear with some of those keywords, but you'll be paying per click when people click the link in your ad, so be selective in the keywords you choose. For example, if you're a web host and bid on the keyword "web hosting," you'll have a lot of competition for that keyword, you'll pay a lot per click, and people who click through to your site might not be looking for exactly what you offer anyway.
On the other hand, "linux web hosting" or "windows web hosting" are less competitive keywords and will bring a more targeted audience. Get even more specific, e.g., "ecommerce web host," and you'll have less competition and an audience that knows what they want.
If you target a niche, look for keywords relevant to that niche.
Write compelling PPC ads
PPC ads contain only a few words, up to about 90 characters. Clearly and concisely describe what you offer, and include at least one feature or benefit that would appeal to your target audience. Be sure not to mislead readers, or you'll be paying for clicks for people who use the Back button once they arrive at your site. Use relevant keywords in both the title and the text, and end with a call to action.
Prepare your website
Once you've paid to bring people to your website, you want them to want to stay. Make sure that your website is attractive in design, layout, and use of images. The content should be informative, well written, and well organized. Navigation needs to be clear as well.
Have the link in your PPC ad go directly to the page with the service or product advertised, not to the home page. For example, if the ad is for managed hosting services, link to your managed hosting page. If site visitors don't see what they're looking for right away, they might leave.
Include a call to action on the landing page, such as "Order now" or "Learn more."
Have a traffic analytics program set up so that you can study the traffic patterns of visitors who come to your site via PPC ads.
Start small and experiment
No matter how much research and preparation you do, the only way to know if a PPC campaign is successful is to run the campaign. But don't run an ad for your chosen keywords for weeks without checking how well those ads are doing. How is your click-through rate? If it's lower than expected, try different keywords or a different ad. How is your conversion rate? If it's low, look at how long people spend at your site before they leave, where they go, and what you can do to improve your landing pages. Also be sure that your ad conveys the same message that your landing pages do.
In the first few months in particular, you'll need to spend time monitoring your ad campaigns and experimenting to see what works the best for you.
See also
Web Hosting Wiki article text shared under a Creative Commons License.
