Get Everybody Clicking in 10 Easy Steps: The PPC Campaign Checklist

Whether you are just beginning a campaign or managing an ongoing one, a few easy steps will make the venture more profitable.

1. Get the right tools

It's not enough to merely know that one ad works and another doesn't. You need to know how and why. That's where campaign management tools like Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter come in. Using intuition instead of these tools to manage a campaign is like using a divining rod instead of a consultation with a geologist to drill a well.

2. Choose the keywords

Keywords are what drive the campaign. In a sense they are the most basic component. Since we're all consumers, we have a pretty good intuition about where to start in developing keywords. Where intuition ends we can rely on search query reports.
3. Include the negative keywords

When you pay by the click, negative keywords are every bit as essential as keywords. Why direct someone to your site if there is absolutely no chance of a purchase? Obvious examples of negative keywords include the word "free" when you're not promoting a free item. Other examples can be found by the same means as keywords: search query reports.

4. Be the consumer

Try a different vantage point. Take time to put yourself in the position of a consumer. Go to the various search engines and type in a variety of keywords. When you see ads that appear higher than yours, don't stop at merely noticing that yours wasn't number one. Click on that link and read the ad. What does it have that yours doesn't?

5. Keep ads fresh

Unless you inhabit a universe where you possess a monopoly on a product or service, you can't afford to let your advertising go stale. Always examine what you've produced that works and what is lacking. Take that knowledge and write new ads. Remember that in this ultra fast-paced internet world we inhabit, new is good. Save the reverence for the old for high school reunions and visits to grandmas house.

6. Don't limit yourself to the big three

Google, Yahoo, and MSN are the biggest search engines and they can channel the most traffic. But they aren't the only game in town. Expand your campaign to second tier engines like AOL, Shopzilla, and Pricegrabber. This could increase your traffic, and the cost could be lower than the big three.

7. Keep a running tally of the money

Are you expending your entire budget every day? Are your bids too high? You might want to sacrifice search position for lower cost per click.

8. Pick your playing field

If running ads over the entire content network is costing too much and gaining too little, consider more targeted placement. What you lose in exposure might be offset by what you don't have to spend.

9. Stay lean

Overlap and repetition might be just fine in some endeavors, but not when you're paying for clicks. Often campaigns that overlap don't have the tight theme and pinpoint targeting that brings the best quality traffic to your site.

10. Be trendy

Check out what the competition is doing. Better yet, try to figure out what everyone will be doing tomorrow. If your crystal ball is broken, check out Google Trends.

Folusho Orokunle owns and operates the leading Internet Marketing Reviews site. Check out his recent posts on Website Backup and Article Marketing Automation