When it comes to ROI and overall ease, PPC marketing is the choice of many businesses, both offline and online. However, there are a few pitfalls that can make this type of marketing a headache. By following some basic rules, you’ll be able to ensure that your next online marketing campaign is a success, no matter what industry you’re in.

Getting Started with PPC

First, let’s discuss what pay-per-click marketing is and what you can expect. Unlike other forms of advertising, where you generally pay a set price to be viewed by a set amount of people, your ad will be visible throughout the duration of your campaign, until you reach the set amount of clicks you have agreed upon.

It is a good idea to start by setting a budget of what you plan to spend on your ppc campaign. Most services, such as AdWords allow you to set not only a total ad budget, but also what you would prefer to spend for each day. Your ad will then show until you hit that marker. Be forewarned, if you do not set a budget, you may end up spending a good deal more than you planned to with your campaign.

PPC marketing requires testing before you commit to spending a large budget. Ideally, you should have at least three versions of your ad for testing purposes. Set a small budget and run the ads for a few days. See which one performs the best and then use that for your campaign. You will need to monitor its effectiveness however, and you may need to change the ad in mid-campaign if it’s not performing well.

Secrets to Your Campaign Success

Having more than one ad is not the only secret to your success. You will also need to have at least one landing page set up that gives your visitors an instant look at what you have to offer. You may want to have two of these pages, and just like before, test them to see which one is the most effective.

By far, one of the best tools that you can use for testing purposes is Google’s analytics feature. This will integrate with your AdWords account and allow you to get precise testing data on not only the ad, but also the landing page. You may also want to consider using a service like CrazyEgg.com that offers mapping of your page to see where people are clicking.

What Should You Offer?

While you can promote nearly anything with a pay-per-click marketing campaign, most businesses find that it is ideal for either giving away small products, or promoting inexpensive products that have an upsell. You will need to factor this in when you are creating your campaign.

This will also have an effect on your budget, and the range of cost per acquisition that you are comfortable with. Although PPC is cheaper in the long run, and more effective, there are no guarantees. Approach pay-per-click marketing like you would any new marketing campaign. Be careful, test the waters and never get in over your head.