Smart Cellular

One of the most valuable tools available to advertisers who wish to grab their share of the dollars Web traffic is willing to spend is just a few clicks away. It’s Pay Per Click advertising.

It’s no surprise that Pay Per Click advertising networks have been a popular way to convert traffic into dollars for several years. The reasons are as follows:

• It’s low risk: getting started isn’t terribly expensive, and you can spend as much or as little as you like each month
• It targets specific visitors: your PPC ads will only appear when visitors search on a phrase you have identified as being significant to your business. For example, if you sell mobile devices and someone searches for “iPhone accessories,” your ad will appear. If they search for “Sarah Barracuda,” it won’t. People who are already looking for your product will be the only ones to see your ad
• You can track results: You’ll know which of your PPC ads are performing for you, and which can safely be put out to pasture. Typically, this information is available in one master location

Popular, well-known PPC advertiser networks include Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing’s Sponsored Search and Microsoft Ad Center. You compose the content of your ads, then your network of choice will serve the ads based around either text or images such as banner ads. Your ads will appear on related search results and Web pages.

PPC advertising profits depend upon traffic levels and, most importantly, the click-through rate and cost per click . The CTR depends on the design of the Web site. Ads placed above the fold or blended with content, for instance, tend to get higher CTRs. The CPC, on the other hand, depends on the niche of the Web site. Mortgages, financial products and college education are examples of profitable niches , while tech-related topics tend to receive a smaller CPC . How much you invest in your PPC is up to you. You can typically set a monthly budget based upon as series of different keywords, and a maximum price per keyword. However you do it, allocate funds wisely to make your advertising campaign last.

Let’s take a look at the big three PPC networks individually.

Google AdWords is by far the most popular. It matches ads to host site content by crawling all bits of information. The results are expertly matched to what visitors may want. To apply for Google AdWords, you must first choose either the “Starter” or “Standard” edition. The former is for advertising a single product or service with simple options, while the latter allows for advanced keyword bidding, multiple different ad campaigns and sales conversion tracking. See Google’s AdWords site for a handy side-by-side comparison.

Yahoo Search Marketing’s Sponsored Search is another way to successfully increase your Web site’s revenue stream through relevant ad placement based upon user search. If you’re selling personal solar chargers and have the right keywords in place, a user who uses Yahoo search might come across your ad whether they’re searching for “iPod accessories,” “green appliances” or the like. Yahoo enables you to target customers by geographic location and choose the right keywords for your product or service. Simply tell them how much you want to spend, create your ads, then submit them. Your campaign, no matter how large or small, will be underway!

Microsoft Ad Center is another very popular option. With a low signup cost of only $5, it’s easy to get your first campaign off to a roaring start. Target the customers you want, write your ads, enter your keywords, set your budget and you’re ready. As usual, you are only charged when someone clicks on your ad, which will appear on Live search results and MSN-related pages. For full-scale customization of your Microsoft PPC experience, you can select up to 100 keywords that your customers are likely to use. Microsoft also offers great step-by-step assistance for those who are new to the PPC game, and this assistance can be accessed either online or via the telephone.

Advertisers, these are just a few of the PPC campaign options available for you to draw a stream of income from Web traffic. Your promotional skill is valuable to the life of your business; why not tap into what search engine PPC advertising can offer? Once you’ve mastered PPC advertising, why not even delve into becoming an affiliate marketer, displaying relevant ads from other advertisers via your own Web site? With programs like the one for consumer cash advance portal My-PayDayLoan, you can earn money on a per-lead basis, and commissions are usually some of the highest paying offers anywhere.

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