How much does PPC advertising cost?

Many business owners don’t realize how broad of a spectrum the answer to that question can span. Whether it’s Google AdWords or Facebook’s advertising program, clicks can cost as little as $0.30. But before you get too excited, it’s important to understand that the low end of the spectrum is only for keywords with virtually no competition. As soon as you start looking at keywords in industries where there are at least a few businesses operating, the price quickly rises. We’ve personally managed campaigns for clients where the cost of a single click was over $25.

Since even double digit click costs don’t guarantee a purchase, it’s easy to see why successful PPC advertising requires the right strategy. Without a solid strategy, it doesn’t take long to spend a significant amount of money and not bring in any new leads or customers. Although that may sound intimidating, it shouldn’t prevent you from utilizing PPC. When handled correctly, this form of advertising can be very powerful. So if you’re thinking about PPC, here are five tactics you’ll definitely want to utilize:

Set a Budget

Because Google has enough traffic to serve lots of ads, they can generally max out even large daily budgets. So while you want to be smart about the daily budget you set, avoid going so low that you aren’t able to bring in the amount of traffic needed for any meaningful results.

Get Organized

Although it takes a little extra time upfront to properly organize your campaigns, this effort will pay off in the long run. When a specific effort is performing especially well, you’ll be able to instantly ramp up. The same goes for ramping down if a certain campaign isn’t working. Being as organized as possible will also provide you with the most accurate data about your pay per click ROI.

Monitor, Monitor, Monitor

One of the easiest ways for a business to tank their ROI is to not consistently monitor their ad campaigns. Just because something is currently working doesn’t mean it will stay that way indefinitely. Since PPC does involve competing against other businesses, it’s vital to stay on top of the entire competitive landscape. The same is true for ensuring that your own efforts are actually generating leads or sales and not just clicks.

Utilize Negative Keywords

This is arguably the best way to reduce wasted clicks. By understanding how the addition of a negative word can completely change the intent of a search, it’s possible to ensure that you’re not paying to reach the wrong audience (for example, the addition of “cheap” to a search when your business specifically services a higher-end demographic).

Ongoing Testing

One of the great things about PPC is you can collect lots of data about exactly what works. But in order to do that, businesses have to prioritize testing on an ongoing basis. This type of iterative process is the best way to optimize campaigns.

While those tips can help a lot, PPC still has a steep learning curve. Whether you need help getting started, optimizing or would prefer to have your campaigns professionally managed, Web Strategy Plus is here to help!

Do you need a PPC advertising campaign that will drive more leads to your business? Web Strategy Plus offers a free quote or consultation to help you identify the areas of your marketing plan that need improvement. Learn More