Pay Per Click (PPC) is different than Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as with SEO the search engines utilize algorithms that determine relevance of websites to the searches entered by users. When paying for SEO you can’t pay to appear higher, but you pay for work to be done that will raise your websites relevance so the search engines will rank you higher. With PPC you can set your own criteria for when you want your ads to show (schedule, keywords, bids, etc.) and you can raise your bids to directly improve you ads position.

The major Pay Per Click (PPC) services are Google Adwords and Microsoft AdCenter, with Adwords being the most common service for our clients.

We offer conversion and call tracking for all of our PPC services, as well as weekly reports that detail all of the activity from your advertising.

This depends on several factors. For some PPC advertisers the number one spot can yield fantastic results, but for others it can lead to a great deal of waste. This is why we thoroughly analyze all data from each account we manage to determine which position works the best for each client. For some clients it can even be the third or fourth position.

A keyword is either a word or phrase that describes your product or service, that you choose to help determine when and where your ads are eligible to appear. When someone searches on a search engine, your ad can be eligible to show based upon the similarity of your keyword to their search term. There are a variety of types of keywords that can be used to target search terms such as broad match, broad match modified, phrase match, exact match, and negative match. Our analysts have the knowledge and experience to determine what keywords and types are right for you.

Selecting what keywords you are going to use in your PPC program is of the utmost importance. There are several tools that can be used in this process such as the Google Adwords Keyword Planner, competitor analysis, and website analytics software.

Ad groups are groupings of keywords that are closely related so that ads can be written to be highly relevant to the keywords contained in the ad group, and to ensure high relevance of the landing page for each ad.

The determination of when ad will show up is a fairly complicated process. The factors involved range from the quality score of each keyword, the relevance of your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages to the search terms, and the specific bid for each keyword.

Quality Score is the basis for determining the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing page. This score is calculated every time your ad enters the auction to appear on the search results page. There are several factors that are taken into account when calculating Quality Score including past click through rate, account history, keyword and ad relevancy, and the quality of the landing page. Optimizing your PPC program and landing pages for relevancy will boost your Quality Scores and help your ad to appear in higher position at lower costs than your competitors.

Click Through Rate (CTR) is calculated by dividing how many clicks a keyword, ad, ad group, or campaign has generated by how many impressions it has generated. Click Through Rate is a very important factor in any PPC program as it has a direct impact on the quality scores throughout the program.

Impressions are counted each time your ad is shown on a search results page or the content network.

A Landing Page is a specific webpage created to be the destination from an ad that is typically tailored to be highly relevant to the ads/keywords that led a user to the page. These pages are typically utilized to increase conversions generated from a PPC program.

Properly designed Landing Pages can have a profound impact on ROI for businesses. A Landing Page picks up where the ads left off and guide visitors to a desired action whether that is making a purchase, filling out a form, or making a phone call. While Landing Pages can be very helpful, some PPC programs experience success without them. Our PPC Account Managers can assist you in determining if you need one.

The Google Display Network (formerly referred to as the Content Network) consists of thousands of websites where your ads can show to potential customers. Placement on the Google Display Network can be targeted using many different methods. You can target by relevance of the website to your keywords, by category or topic of the website, or you can choose to target specific websites for your ads.

Remarketing is a marketing method that allows you to target people who have previously visited your website. These ads can show to these customers when they are visiting other websites in the display network. Remarketing allows you to reach potential customers who have visited your website but not yet converted.

A Shopping Campaign (formerly called a Product Listing Ad) is a specific type of campaign that allows you to show products sold online, products sold in local stores, or both. These types of campaigns can generate great ROI within PPC programs. Shopping Campaigns are ideal for businesses with a large number of products that want to ensure that each product is showing for relevant searches.