Category Archives: PPC

SEO Vs. PPC: Which Brings The Best ROI?

AdWords, PPC, SEO, Small Business Marketing, ,

seo-vs-ppcPay Per Click advertising used to be the best possible way to encourage the search engine gods to work in your favor. PPC, as it is commonly called, is a method of purchasing spots within search results. They are listed as sponsored results, but are still relevant to the users initial search string.  For website owners looking to gain web presence, pay per click advertising is an easy way to generate traffic.

The Benefits of PPC

There are some significant reasons why anyone would use pay per click advertisements in order to gain website traffic. First of all, they immediately get your name out in front of a lot of people. On top of that, those people are the right people. PPC targets internet visitors who are searching for what your website is about. For website owners, it is a jump to the front of the line button that puts them in front of the consumers we are all competing for.

The Drawbacks of PPC

As good as PPC is, it has been limited by the behaviors of internet users. They know the result is sponsored and choose not to click it. According to web usage studies, the majority of users will not click on a search result if it has been sponsored.  It is also very expensive. Even though PPC is delivering its promise of getting your website to the front of the line, what value does that serve if no one visits it?

How SEO Differs

Search engine optimization (SEO), is the practice of using techniques to appear at the top of the list without buying the spot.  Called organic results, search engine results from websites that have been optimized read exactly like those that have not. Internet surfers, therefore, are just as willing to click on those as they would any other site.

Everyone Can’t Be In the Front

SEO can get you to the front of the line, but it can just as easily get someone else there too. Because of that, staying in front can be a competition that requires regular work. This is because the secrets of SEO are publically available. With a little time and motivation, anyone can be listed on top. Unlike PPC, which guarantees the spot, SEO spots must be maintained.

When to Choose Which

Because PPC will immediately put you in front, and maintain that spot for a certain amount of time, it is best suited for new websites. During that time, they can be exposed to users, even though they will most likely receive fewer clicks than the organic results.  SEO can be used for any website that is comfortable with taking the time to not only develop into the top spot, but also maintain it.

Ultimately, the choice you make will depend on your website or company’s marketing budget and time to enter the market. If you just created a new product and are launching the website in the middle of November you may not have enough time to use SEO effectively to reach the holiday online shopping crowd.

On the other hand, if you created a hot holiday item and it is the middle of March; go for SEO. It will take a little bit longer to reach your top spots, but the returns will be exponentially higher than PPC, with higher click-thru ratios to your site. In this scenario, it is also important to look at the budget and make sure it is feasible. Shop around for SEO companies and find the most competitive rate.

Our guest blogger, Ryan Duncan, has been practicing website design and search engine optimization for the past 7 years and founded Funnel Boost Media in 2011. FBM is focused on providing a unique online marketing experience to it’s clients that brings results and focuses on branding at the same time. Located in the San Antonio, Tx area, Funnel Boost Media provides internet marketing solutions to businesses all over the South Texas region.

6 Tricks To Create Killer PPC Ads That Convert

AdWords, PPC, SEO, Small Business Marketing, , ,

You might think that writing ad copy is simple compared to writing a blog post or a landing page for a website, but it’s not.

In fact, it can be much more complicated. When you write a blog post, there are no restrictions as to how lengthy it can be. You get to decide how much space you need to share your message across. When it comes to PPC ads, you’ll need to squeeze your message in a short and catchy ad and that can be quite a challenge.  For example, if you choose to advertise on Google, you ad copy needs to be comprised of:

• 25-character headline

• Two lines of 35-character description

• A URL that sends users to your landing page

That’s all you get! Sounds like a lot of pressure, doesn’t it?

But don’t panic. Even if there’s little space, there are ways you can make the most of the limited space. Read on for the top six tips and tricks to write killer PPC ad copy for your campaign…

1. Make Your Headline Count

Take as much time as you need to write an eye-catching headline for each ad. This is the first thing people see so make it count, otherwise your ads will just be ignored.
You have 25 characters you can take advantage of so use them wisely. Use strong keywords, numbers, percentages and power words that will grab users’ attention.

Be specific in your headline and make sure it reflects exactly what you’re promoting. This ensures users know exactly what they’re clicking on and what they will find once they land on your site.

2. Use Powerful and Relevant Keywords

PPC advertising is about bidding on keywords so make sure yours are as powerful and as specific as possible. Make them relevant to what people are searching for online when they’re looking for your services or products.

After all, when people type in a keyword or keyword phrase, that’s exactly what they want to see. In other words, being predictable can give you a better chance of earning some clicks.

In addition, use your keywords sensibly throughout the copy so it looks natural and not stuffed.

3. Always Include a Call to Action

When it comes to advertising, calls to action are vital as it tells people what they should do next to find what they’re looking for.

Effective calls to action include “sign up now”, “buy now”, “order today”, “save 80% on…”, “free download” or “get a free estimate today”.

Include a strong call to action that’s clear and specific so people know exactly what they should do next.

Exactly what kind of call to action you use will depend on what you want people to do once they’ve clicked your ad, so make sure it is aligned with the landing page you are sending them to.

4. Get Those “Power” Words in There

Most successful ads include power words in their headlines, but you can also add them elsewhere in the ad copy. For example, experiment with using words like buy, get, try, go, download in your body copy. Of course, you can use others as well but you’ll need to test them and see which ones work better for your audience.

5. Test Your Ad Campaigns For Success

Once you’ve created your ads, it’s critical to test them and see which ones perform best. Check the statistics and data and track your ads’ click-through rates to see which ones are the most effective.

There’s always room for improvement, so if an ad isn’t getting any clicks, replace it with a better one. And then keep testing and improving as it’s the only way you can ensure your ads are as effective as possible in terms of generating revenue for your business.

6. Create a Conversion-Oriented Landing Page

Don’t forget that you’re using your ads to direct potential customers to your site. The URL you include in your ad needs to redirect them to a specific landing page that’s relevant to the ad. You should never link your PPC ads to your homepage.

You landing page is an extension of your ad, so when users click on your ad it means you’ve captured their interest and your conversion-oriented landing page needs to close the deal and convert them into sales. Take the time to create a landing page that includes your offer, clear call-to-actions and no other distractions.

Following these six tips will help you make the most of the limited space you have when creating PPC ads.

This guest post was written by Alex Gavril, who is part of the 123-reg blog team. The company is the UK’s largest domain name registrar and also provides a range of other services, including PPC management.

An Insight into Facebook PPC Ads for Better Facebook Advertising Management

Facebook Marketing, PPC, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing, , , ,

Facebook arketingWritten by our guest blogger Sarmista Aun

Facebook PPC ads are a great tool for brand promotion but Facebook advertising management is not easy. You have to be a Facebook deciphering expert to effectively utilize PPC ads.

Social media is a great place for business promotion and there is no doubt that Facebook is the best platform of them all. In fact, it’s one of the three biggest PPC players in the world. It’s true that social media analytics tools don’t provide enough data but once you examine the paid Facebook ads, you can learn a lot of valuable things.

To understand the various aspects of Facebook PPC and its analysis, I am going to use SEMrush Facebook statistics and other resources.

Domains Vs. Apps Vs. Groups – Instead of consumer products and services, advertisers like to endorse groups and apps on the world’s biggest social media. Out of 100%, 58% of ads are about domains, 39% are about groups and 3% are about apps. That means 42% of total ads don’t even let you leave Facebook. The PPC publishers consider it as a semi closed platform and prefer to give ads that have the ability to keep users inside the social media site. In fact, though the group ads are only 39%, they receive 56% of total clicks. So, if you want to provide Facebook advertising management as a service, tell your clients that they must create a fan page before starting the ad campaign.

Countries – 50% of the total pay per click ads are given by ten countries. USA, UK and Germany are ranked at number 1, 2 and 3 which is quite predictable but the surprising thing is that Indonesia and Philippines also figure in top 10.

However, according to Alexa stats, India is the second country, not UK. Other ad data experts say that UK consumes 6.1% of the total ad market and the reason is the difference between financial conditions. India may have a population of one billion but UK has a far better economy and steady growth. Therefore, more and more marketers in UK are focusing on Facebook PPC ads.

Top advertisers by domains – Some of the top advertisement agencies are Adobe AdLens and Kenshoo. On the other hand, the biggest independent advertiser is Samsung as they maintain 5.8 percent of the top 20 expenditure for ads. It’s a sensible move considering their current battle with Apple. The last member of the top advertiser list is AirBnB.

Top Advertising Apps – Facebook users are primarily Gen-Y audience and they don’t want serious content. They are mainly gamers and gamblers. That is why, you will find that the top 20 advertisement apps are games and the only exception is the app. The most popular games belong to either poker or casino segment. If US government ever decides to legalize online gambling, the social media giant will make millions of dollars every day.

How some brands accommodate PPC – Let’s take a look at some of the major retail brands. Walmart is highly active on the world’s biggest social media network and they have given more or less 6500 ads in the last 3 months.

On the other hand, Amazon doesn’t spend a single penny for FB PPC. It seems that they don’t consider the gamers and gamblers as their potential customers. Besides, the brand is so popular all over the world that they don’t need to tell people what they sell.

EBay follows a completely different strategy. Their Facebook ad management team targets India, Thailand and Russia based customers and gives ad for consumers in those countries but they seldom spend anything to attract USA customers.

The aforementioned data proves one thing. Facebook may offer Pay per Click and Pay Per View ad options but it’s not a core ad service as AdWords. It’s not a sales tool. Marketers use it for branding and general recognition but not for increasing sales.

Trends – When the world’s leading social media site launched its share in the US stock exchange, the outcome was dissatisfactory. Some investors even thought that the social media giant cheated them as the stock price hit rock bottom soon after the launch. The bad effect of share prices also affected the number of ads and mainly USA based advertisers stayed away from the social media giant.

Facebook is here to stay no matter how their share performs in the stock exchange. The company is ruling the PPC market and when it comes to brand enhancement, they have no competition.

 

Author: Sarmista Aun is a pay per click campaign specialist. She provides expert guidance on social media advertising and each metric of a PPC campaign. She is a professional blogger and has written numerous articles on internet marketing, social media and web design.

What is Facebook Graph Search? What’s New for Marketers?

Facebook Marketing, PPC, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Facebook GraphThe Digital Age has brought about whole new ways of doing things that would’ve never been possible before the Internet. As with most technological advances, the advent of the World Wide Web and social media websites has had a profound impact on the way people do business. No longer are the old advertising methods of billboards and newspapers considered the best marketing a company can get, and even in areas such as social media marketing, there is still constant evolution. The latest progression in this arena is the new Graph Search on Facebook, and marketers who don’t know about it soon will.

What is Facebook Graph Search?

The Graph Search on Facebook is the newest way for people to find things that they’re interested in. Everyone has seen the normal “search” function at the top of each Facebook page, but the Graph goes far beyond this. The Graph Search allows people to find things by using their common language. If a person wants to find restaurants that their friends have visited, they could simply type in “Restaurants my friends have eaten at.” This new feature, of course, goes much further.

The connections that people can make through Graph Search are all encompassing. A search of “friends who work at my company and enjoy hiking,” for instance, would immediately search a person’s network and return exactly what the user is looking for. Anyone who has ever marketed on Facebook knows what type of potential this could have. Instead of hoping that a fan will share a business’s, band’s or anything other Facebook page or post with their friends, these entities can now easily be found by their fans’ connections without said fan having to do anything.

The Repercussions of Graph Search

There’s no doubt that the Graph Search will have an effect on the marketing world, but most fail to realize just how big of an effect. Advertising Age, for instance, released a review entitled “How Facebook’s Graph Search Will Dethrone Google Search.” Facebook obviously has the edge on the aforementioned search terms (ie. bands my friends like), but the fireworks really start when Facebook cannot make sense of a specific search term.

Whenever a person enters a search term that Graph Search cannot process, it automatically provides search results from Bing, one of Google’s fiercest competitors. Experts expect that advertising dollars will slowly start to leave Google and go to Facebook, and this is especially expected in lifestyle and local arenas since those are the things people will often be looking for when using the Graph (ie. local services, restaurants and things to do).

How does Graph Search stack up in Social Media Marketing?

Many marketers may find it hard to look past their current social media marketing techniques and move on to Facebook Graph. This is understandable, but the feeling will eventually subside when they begin to realize how Graph Search stacks up against other marketing methods. A promoted post, for instance, may be slightly targeted, but it’s still going to show to many people who just don’t care while the price remains the same.

Facebook pay per click (PPC) ads are another way of advertising that Graph Search has a distinct advantage over. PPC ads are great since Facebook will only charge a person when their ad actually gets clicked. Anyone who has used this method of advertising, however, knows that the company with the deepest pockets gets the best marketing. PPC ads end up going to the highest bidder. For companies who are focusing on popular keywords and are facing off against larger companies, the bids of these clickable ads can quickly push them out of the market. When it comes to a promoted post or PPC ad, Graph Search is cheaper (free) and more targeted.

Facebook has been on the forefront of advancements in the business world numerous times over the past few years. It seems as if with their new Graph Search, they will likely continue this tradition. Every business owner, micropreneur, entrepreneur and anyone else who has a need to market will definitely need to promote their venture in as many ways as possible. As the Graph Search grows in size and popularity, however, the use of pay per click ads will likely start to show diminishing returns so get on the graph while its climbing!

Peter Marino always stays on top of the latest trends in the digital marketing world and is available for social media marketing and management.

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