In my experiences the pay per click model of advertising is effective, but you would not think so from the small sample of peers and acquaintances I have educated about adWords and other pay per click mechanisms.

The typical first thing from their mouths is, “I hardly ever click on those, I never know what those ads are for.”

There are a few crucial items of information that I gather from those statements:

1)They DO click those ads periodically

2)It proves that ad copy can influence a potential customer’s decision to click on a particular ad.

3)The various search engines have to a better job of educating their users about the difference between search results and sponsored links.

I’ll tackle each of those concepts individually in the hopes of shaping what PPC Management is ideally accomplishing.  Every effort should have an impact on the overall quality of the industry you work within.  For example, zoning codes are written in an effort to better shape a city’s fabric and overall quality of life.  So for those in the PPC industry, it’s important to treat the components of our efforts in the same way; to make the end user’s experience better and increase the quality of the overall concept of sponsored links and shopping online.

Ad Campaign Exposure

The majority of online searches are made without a full understanding of exactly what the user is looking for.  I may know that I am looking for a television but I might not be settled upon what display technology I prefer or even what display technology there is.  However, I do know that I’d like to avoid taxes if possible and how much the shipping will cost me.  A television query online will display many sponsored links as well as search results ranging from reviews, news, and to stores.

A good SEO Management Campaign can get someone on the search results, but televisions are highly competitive industry and getting on the first page could take a year or more.  For some smaller  and independent companies getting on the first page could prove  difficult.  However, the advantage of PPC advertising is that you can manufacture a first page appearance instantaneously if desired.  Being there time and time again will eventually net some users.  It is the concept of merely having presence to create a brand.  Eventually your site may become synonymous with all queries about your service if they peripherally see your display URL off to the side or above.  Eventually users will subconsciously become comfortable with your brand name just like larger companies that have ads on race cars and around the baseball diamond.

So the most important thing to remember for PPC Management in this instance is to make ads consistent enough to start that branding and to target keywords that are absolutely positively relevant to the businesses they are advertising for.

Targeted Ad Copy

A  good ad can go a long way to convince a user to click over into your site especially if it uses the keywords in the ad copy that the search results typically will not display; ie “Free Shipping” “Tax in CA only”.  Each industry will have their unique trigger words that an ad has the benefit of displaying front and center.  Some businesses may rely on anonymity or discretion.  “Anonymous & Discreet. Call Now!” could stand out amongst search results and other ads that do not give them that assurance up front.  Again, for eCommerce sites it key triggers should focus on what makes your site stand out.  “Great Gag Gift Ideas” or “Custom Color Choices Available”  may convince a user to give your site a glance.

Often times this may be the user’s first venture into online shopping and they may be anxious to find those ‘great online savings’ they have heard so much about.  There is always room for your particular business emphasis to be broadcasted through the ad copy.  A good dialogue and understanding with your campaign managers can ensure that those aspects are marketed to the users typing in search queries.  That is where the power of the good ad can drive a potential customer to your site without them being fully aware of what they want.

The Overall User Experience

A click on an ad costs the advertiser money.  A great ad can drive people to the site but they have to find it worthwhile when they get there.  If they were looking for that one great deal with free shipping they should be presented with a page confirming that the product they were looking for is indeed for sale at a good price and that the shipping is free.   You do not necessarily need to display only that one product but they should not feel like they were tricked into clicking onto an ad.

The search engines have worked hard to try and create mechanisms which prevent advertiser abuses of this nature but from my anecdotal evidence the general public is very cautious or dismissive of PPC ads that populate their search results.  However, often times search results are met with out of date forum postings, reviews, etc.  This is a benefit of a well managed PPC campaign that is monitored and updated regularly.  Eventually, along with well targeted ads and exposure your display URL will become associated with up to date products, pricing, and information.  It is in this way that a sponsored PPC ad is more useful than a first page search query result; the result is current and relevant.

As the PPC industry settles in and develops more standards I believe that people will start recognizing sponsored ads as not only a great resource but perhaps more useful than browsing through several broad search results.  This is especially true, in my opinion, of locally targeted campaigns and searches if you can capture the spirit of the growing “buy local” trend which will be left to discuss in a later post.

Please visit SB Search Marketing for your PPC campaigns, SEO campaigns, and more.