PPC or Pay-Per-Click is one of the most effective and commonly used online marketing methods that are being used by businesses today. Any business that has a website or blog with a high traffic ratio can generate revenue from incoming traffic through PPC marketing. There is a plethora of businesses, including search engine giants like Google, offering pay-per-click program services for publishers and webmasters.
Once you select a pay-per-click program, you will need to put HTML or JavaScript in your pages, and then activate the advertisement. The program will then track the number of views the ads have accumulated and how many clicks were generated. You will receive payment at the end of the month from your pay-per-click program, based on those metrics.
With so many different options available in the market, it is understandable that you will get confused when trying to pick the best pay-per-click program for your website. It is recommended that you take your time and do your research thoroughly before picking a pay-per-click program, if you want to maximise returns from the high-volume traffic coming to your website.
So, how do you go about picking the best pay-per-click program for your website? We have highlighted the four most popular options available, which provide established pay-per-click programs.
Google AdWords
Let’s start off with the most popular pay-per-click option on the internet, Google AdWords. It has proven time and again that it can provide unmatched traffic volume. Google is already a search engine giant dominating the landscape by having over half the search market share. If you want to pick the best pay-per-click program for your website, you won’t find any better than Google AdWords.
Pros
• Traffic volume:
Google commands a massive percentage of search traffic online, which means they can provide you with access to millions of consumers who are actively searching for your products and services.
• Top ad positions immediately:
You don’t need to wait around to get to top position on search engines, because if you can outbid the competition your ads will appear at the top positions immediately.
Cons
• Clicks can be expensive:
Your cost-per-click (CPC) on AdWords will be considerably higher than other pay-per-click programs.
• Requires some time to learn:
You may need to take some time to fully understand AdWords, since it can be a bit complicated. If you don’t understand how AdWords works, you will end up with inflated CPCs that are higher than other advertisers.
Yahoo! Bing Network
The Yahoo! Bing Network comes in at second place behind Google on the search market and is also a good choice for a pay-per-click program for your website.
Pros
• Lower CPCs:
The keywords offered on the Yahoo! Bing Network are more affordable, and with lower CPCs, you have the chance to test your keywords and ad copy before you transfer them to AdWords.
• Great customer service:
If you are new to PPC marketing, and worried about how to set up campaigns, you don’t need to worry. There is always someone on the phone to answer your questions.
Cons
• Lower search traffic:
Don’t expect to see high search volume numbers, especially in comparison to Google AdWords.
• Limited growth:
The low search volume can become a problem, because it is harder to grow campaigns. It takes longer to achieve growth than you would on AdWords.
It has the biggest social network, which makes it an outstanding pay-per-click program for your website. You can introduce your products and services to over 1 billion people on Facebook. There are over 50% active Facebook users daily, which means that the traffic numbers will be off the charts, and you will have an enormous audience to interact with.
Pros
• Several targeting options:
Facebook lets you target user interests, specific demographics, and geographical regions, which gives you an incredible advantage. You can target men between 21 and 35 years old, who live in Miami.
• Largest consumer database:
Facebook has a gigantic consumer database, and you will have direct access to everyone that is using Facebook!
Cons
• Lower CTR:
The biggest letdown here is that the CTR or click-through-rate is going to be on the lower end, when compared to paid ads triggered by search queries on Google, Bing, or Yahoo. This is because Facebook users won’t be actively seeking your products and services.
• Needs constant refreshing:
You will need to constantly refresh your ad copy and images, when targeting a small user base, which can get tiring quickly.
Advertising.com (Sponsored Listings)
Advertising.com is a division of AOL, which lets advertisers adjust bids and target specific websites based on what websites they first appeared on. Examples of the industry listings include, major news media websites like ABC, ESPN, and Huffington Post.
Pros
• Top websites:
The Sponsored Listing program offers an exceptional website inventory, and you also have complete control on which websites your ads show up.
• Affordable visibility:
Your ads will also get a lot of impressions, because they are appearing on websites that get millions of views every single day. The top bids may be high, but the sheer volume of traffic these websites get means that even minimum bids get a lot of exposure.
Cons
• Lower conversion rates:
You will only be targeting specific websites, not users on sponsored listings, which means that conversion rates are also going to be on the lower end of the scale. This is because you aren’t getting clicks from people who are searching for your products and services.
• Lower click-through rates:
The click-through-rates will also be on the lower end, when compared to PPC ads on search engines, because you are targeting impulse clicks.
These were some of the most popular pay-per-click programs that you can choose for your website. However if you don’t have time to create such ads why not check out our PPC services.
