use PPC. I’m saying that you should use it carefully because it can be like holding an unhappy cat – if you’re not careful, the cat will get away from you and you might get scratched in the process!

When using Pay Per Click, one thing you need to pay close attention to is keyword targeting. In PPC, the more competition there is for a keyword, the higher the price will be for that word or phrase.

This means that a marketer on a budget will need to watch pricing closely, or see his ads become ineffective because he can’t afford to pay for the exposure needed with that keyword.

Keywords can also be a problem for marketers who aren’t sure which keywords to use, so they go at it in a hit or miss sort of way and end up with keywords that are costing money, but not hitting the right targets.

If the advertising program isn’t watched carefully, spending can easily get out of control, with little or no return on investment. Companies that offer PPC, which is pretty much self-service by nature, don’t have extensive customer service departments to help the marketer figure out what to do, which keywords to use, or how much to spend.

While tools might be offered to help, the responsibility for developing and maintaining your keyword advertising plan is on you, and only you.  The truth is that while PPC can be wonderful, it needs to be monitored carefully for spending and keyword progress – you can’t just set it and forget it.

To help keep your PPC costs low, make sure that people who click on your ads are taken directly to your landing page, not the home page of your website. People want to go straight to the information that has to do with the ad they clicked on. They don’t want to have to search your website for it!

In this same vein, make sure that your landing page is built for conversion. Once someone makes it there, and you’ve shelled out some money for the ad that brought them there, make sure that the landing page compels them to opt-in, sign up, ask for more information, or buy!

Another way to keep PPC costs down is to focus on long-tail keywords rather than one or two word keywords. The reason you want to do this is that the long-tail keywords have a much more pinpointed focus and you greatly reduce the risk of having people who aren’t really interested specifically in what you’re offering click on your ads.

Enjoy,