PPC: The Last Great Hope of Surviving in Google?

You’ve spent months searching Google, Bing and Yahoo for businesses related to yours, yet cannot understand what ‘they’ are doing to consistently rank high in searches. Sure, you’ve business experience, sell something viable to humanity and have an excellent model for sales. The last missing element in your marketing efforts is falling short: search engine marketing.

This is where Pay Per Click, or PPC, kicks into high gear, propelling your business forward utilizing what you already ‘are’, and propelling you forward into what you ‘want’ to be.

What is PPC?

Think of Pay Per Click marketing as attending an antique auction. You really want that ancient mural, yet have 20 others bidding against you, effectively driving the cost of that mural upward. In search marketing, Pay Per Click is that ‘auction’ where you’re pitting your business against thousands of others, or dozens locally, hoping that you’ll win the end prize: a coveted click which takes potential customers towards what you pray will be increased sales. As you’ll see below, the likelihood your ad will be chosen elevates when you choose search marketing as opposed to hoping one day you’ll appear naturally in search results.

Understanding PPC perhaps better than most, Blue Fountain Media bubbles over with PPC knowledge, writing white papers and helping scores of seemingly lost businesses navigate the mighty world of Google and Bing.

As genius marketing gurus like Blue Fountain CEO Gabriel Shaoolian will tell you, billions of keyword searches are conducted via the ‘Big 3’ search engines each day - nearly all are looking for what you are offering. On average, 67% of clicks derive from results 1-3 - generally, the ‘paid area’ of Google. That equates to thousands, or millions, of businesses - perhaps yours - that are left to fight for the remaining 33% of clicks, generally given to natural search traffic, or ‘Organic’.

Yes, but i already rank ‘naturally’

Many businesses already do. However, according to surveys calculated in 2012, 89% of new traffic clicks on ads outside of organic traffic’s reach. In other words, your chances are realistically 9 out of 10 that somebody will find your advertisement compelling enough to click on as opposed to finding you in positions 4-10 on the first page. Imagine your sales chances increasing by 89% before anyone sees specifically what your selling!

PPC is simply too expensive…and isn’t penalty proof

Advertising your business is an expected expense before opening your doors. That being said, let’s look at some general advertising facts expected to highlight 2014:

• $46.5 billion will be invested in online advertising, amassing print media by nearly $14 billion. Search engines own 56.4% of market share in online advertising.
• 49% of viewers are responding to PPC ads - only 1% for email.
• Organic (natural) ranking position #1 gets only 17.2% of searcher’s clicks - 1.08% for #10.
• Newspaper advertisements lost $16 for every $1.00 earned digitally.

What’s the most important statistic of all? New businesses could make an immediate impact through Pay Per Click advertising - while saving money - whereas print media, radio and television have little appeal anymore.

It only gets better

PPC advertising, first started on an old web directory called Planet Oasis in 1996, has too many perks not to consider when evaluating your business model. Attempting the Pay Per Click marketing field alone, however, could prove more nightmarish than helpful since many different factors play into bid amount, proper ad writing, geotargeting, demographical brouhaha and the list goes on.

Make Google explain PPC…

Only Google truly knows the complexities, intricacies and fantastic benefits which comes from effective PPC marketing. Helping customers tackle the 900 pound search engine gorilla for years, it’s perfectly normal to lack understanding of PPC marketing - Google professes, in so many words, that they’ll definitely fill in your missing puzzle pieces.

When you need assistance navigating the world of PPC, or if you’re simply tired of watching opportunity fill the bank accounts of your competition, call or email Google today, even if you’re filled with numerous questions or concerns. If they’re adamant about making your business goals happen, one visitor at a time, hold them to it.

…But remember, content can thwart penalties

The amount of content you produce in 2014 is going to be the difference between success and failure. It's actually even more complicated because the content you produce needs to be high-quality. It's the foundation of your SEO efforts and with more content you have more chances of ranking for long-tail keywords.