What is Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising?

Pay per click is a form of paid for online advertising by Google. These adverts are found in the shaded area of a search engine page above the ‘organic’ or natural links (usually the first three links), and the remainder are placed in the area reserved for Sponsored Links in the right sidebar.

PPC, also known as Google Adwords, comprises a headline link (which is extremely important, as it contains keywords that are relevant to the search details), two lines for the description (carefully composed to contain highlighted relevant words plus being meaningful) followed by a URL which shows which website you are going to. The headline is the live link and should be directed to a highly relevant webpage for maximum effect.

Every time a visitor clicks on an Adwords ad, the company pays a fee ranging from 1p to £25. How much is paid depends on the value of the keywords in the headline. The more popular keywords command a higher price, and that depends on the subject and how many people are searching for that particular word.

But the more you pay doesn’t guarantee a higher position in the sidebar, this is dependent on the performance of the ad. So if you’re clever, you could have your ad with a lower paying keyword performing better above a more expensive advert. The more relevant your keyword is to the destination of the link, the better its chances in placement.

You don’t need to spend a fortune in PPC if you employ a wise Adwords adviser. As well as selecting inexpensive and highly performing keywords, you can juggle the price during a campaign, and set a ceiling per day so you don’t go over budget (once you’ve reached the maximum amount of clicks, your ad is automatically withdrawn). The more relevant you are in your adverts, particularly when directed to squeeze pages or highly suitable webpages, the more you’ll succeed in your conversions.

Top tips on PPC

• Take time to properly research your keywords
• Use wordtracker.com or digitalpoint.com or tools.seobook.com to find keywords
• Services: acknowledge the problem rather then offer the solution; products: be specific with particular items rather than the general shop
• Reverse thinking: don’t go for the most popular general keyword because it will be extremely expensive and you won’t position very high
• Look for highly relevant selected keywords for more poignant searches that get you further to the top of the page for less money
• It’s vital your ad is relevant to its destination, your headline keyword should totally match the webpage it is directed to
• If necessary, create specific webpages for each advert to maximise conversions