How to Run a Successful Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Campaign

A pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign on a search engine like Google can be one of the most targeted and cost-effective marketing campaigns you can run. With PPC, you only pay for the ads people click on. And, you can follow them once they reach your Web site and count how many performed a desired action (made a purchase, requested more information, downloaded a coupon). This is called a conversion, and conversion rates in a PPC campaign can be monitored and tweaked for maximum return.

A properly run PPC campaign will take some fine-tuning over time, but following a few guidelines in the initial set-up should make those adjustments minor and not very time-consuming.

When you set up your account, you will be asked to provide a list of keyword phrases that will trigger your ad to appear in search results. There are three types of keyword matches:

• The first is broad match, which usually costs the most per click and has the lowest conversion rate. If you have a plumbing service in Fort Wayne, you might think buying "Plumbing Fort Wayne" would make sense. With broad match, your ad could show up for any search with any of those words, like "plumbing job" or a "Gold in Fort Knox." Clicks from those searches would be like throwing your money away.
• The second type is called phrase match and is triggered by putting your keyword phrase in quote marks. Google will only display your ad if the search involves the words in the same order. So for the phrase "BBQ Austin" your ad may appear for that exact phrase, or a search for "best bbq in Austin" or "BBQ Ribs in Austin."
• The third is called an exact match and uses brackets. So the phrase [divorce lawyer in Miami] will only show an ad on searches using that exact wording.

You can limit your results by geographical area. If you're a local business, you might want to only display ads in a 50-mile radius from where you are located. Or if you have offices in three cities, have your ads appear in those three places. Some people use Google Maps when they do searches, and you can buy business listings to show up there as well.

The copy of your ad is important. Google rewards relevant ads with higher placement and lower cost per click. An ad with the headline "Handmade Jewelry" and the copy "Barbara's handmade jewelry specializing in turquoise bracelets" will prevent people who are looking to buy a handmade tiara from clicking on your link and costing you money. If your business uses a lot of phone traffic, put your phone number in the copy of your ad. You might get a conversion without paying for the click.

It is a good idea to run two or more versions of your ad and check the conversion rates of each. That way you can fine-tune your campaign for maximum ROI. You want to get your keywords and copy as targeted and specific as possible for the best results. That kind of control makes PPC campaigns a great option for any business.