The good news? Search Engine marketing comes in two forms: Organic (blog post coming soon) and Pay-Per-Click Ads (PPC). A PPC campaign is one that generates website traffic through purchasing specific search terms. These terms are listed prominently so your ad will be seen by lots of potential customers.
Today, the biggest player is Google AdWords, however Bing/Yahoo! also has PPC capability. Facebook and now, Twitter, are also jumping into the paid-search field.
Establish Goals
Before you begin, define your goals. Are you looking for more traffic? More newsletter sign-ups? More purchases? Establish your goals to give your campaign clarity of purpose. Tip: Communicate your goals to everyone involved in your campaign to ensure success.
Research
The first step in any PPC campaign is research. Digging deep into your website's analytics is one way to learn how people are finding your website. You may sell "diamond studded flea collars," but your customers are searching for "best flea collar," finding your website and buying. Tip: Focus on search terms your customers are using rather than terms you like to use.
The page a user ends up on once they've clicked your ad is called a "landing page." Landing pages are crucial to the success of a PPC campaign. If a user clicks an ad for "best flea collar" and ends up on a page asking them to sign up for a newsletter, they will probably jump ship and look for a different, relevant website. Decide where you want the traffic to go. Tip: Each landing page should have a compelling call-to-action for your audience.
Ad Creation
Time to get creative and write the ad copy! Each ad venue will have differing requirements as to title and description parameters. It is best to do a bit of research before beginning this step. Go ahead and search for the words on your list to get a good idea of what your audience is already seeing. Tip: Be sure to have someone proofread your work before you go live!
Tweak
As your campaign evolves, it's important to tweak as you go. You may have keywords that are underperforming or terms that performing well but not converting leads. Tip: Be willing to tweak your campaign but also be willing to gather enough data to make informed decisions.
Call Out for Help
This kind of Search Engine Marketing is very hands-on and time consuming. With the ever-changing nature of Search Engines, an industry expert can be your best chance at a successful campaign. DMI Studios has in-house Search Engine Marketing experts that create, optimize and report on campaigns for our clients.
Call for a free consultation. You can toss your idea's past us and we can help you customize a campaign that will fit your goals. Don't want to do the heavy lifting? We'll execute your campaign and hit your goals for you.
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This post is the part of a series of Internet 101 information topics. As always, when class is dismissed, you're welcome to contact us if you have any questions or would like any additional information. If you don't feel at the head of your class, don't worry, we took notes.
