Pay Per Click Advertising: Getting Started

It seems today that many internet marketers are trying to earn their fortunes through numerous affiliate programs that offer generous revenue shares. With the growing popularity of these programs there are also growing numbers of new "prospectors" looking to find their niche.

These new internet marketers often look to pay per click (PPC) search engine advertising for their main source of traffic while more experienced marketers have their own websites that bring in organic (free) traffic. PPC advertising is what you see off to the side of the Google and Yahoo! search results under the sponsored ads section. Those ads are displayed only when a web user requests a search for certain keywords. There are a few concepts that one must grasp in order to run a successful PPC advertising campaign.

Being in the number one spot is not all it is cracked up to be! It has been said by experts all over the web that the number one spot receives the most clicks, but it also has a lower conversion rate than the lower spots. It is best to try to go for a spot that is significantly cheaper than number one but only a few spots lower. Overture lets its advertisers see what other members’ maximum bids are for different keywords. One advertiser may be willing to pay $1.00 for the number one spot. The highest maximum bid for the number two spot may be .35 cents. In order to get the number two spot, you would only have to bid higher than .35 cents. This is significantly cheaper than the dollar it would take in order to gain the top spot.

Another thing to consider with PPC search marketing is how to attract the buyer. An advertiser can raise his return of investment by simply stating the price in the ad to ward off any freebee hunters. Visitors who are looking for a free product will not click your ad if they know that what you are offering costs money.

Last but not least, be sure to set a budget. Do not let your campaigns max out your credit cards. It can happen and you won't know until it is too late. An unattended ad campaign can quickly go through hundreds of dollars if left unattended and without budget restrictions. Remember to start small, gradually increasing your budget until you know what you’re doing.

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