Power Boost Your Profits With Pay Per Click Search Engines 
by Richard Baker

When Overture started the Pay Per Click ("PPC") Model in 1998,
many commentators dismissed it as nothing more than a gimmick. 
After all, why pay to have your web site listed on a search 
engine, when all the large search engines were free at the time?

5 years on and Overture has gone from strength to strength for
one reason; the quality of its results. If imitation is the
best form of flattery then Overture is bright red. The likes of
FindWhat, Kanoodle, 7 Search, Espotting and now Google Adwords
have all followed Overture's lead.

From Alexa.com's statistics Overture is in the top 100 in terms 
of visitors on the web today. Not bad for a site that relies 
largely on word-of-mouth. Even the likes of FindWhat, Kanoodle, 
7 Search, Espotting and Google Adwords are in the top 1,500. 
When you compare this to McDonalds (top 6000) then you start to
appreciate the amount of traffic the PPCs can generate.

PPC Search Engines will help you target specific audiences, 
reaching over 85% of all Internet users in a cost effective and
immediate way. Clients can see as much as a $20 return for each
$1 spent. That is one of the highest Returns on Investment you 
can buy for your marketing on or offline.

WHAT IS A PPC SEARCH ENGINE?

The concept is extremely simple; like all great innovations. You 
bid on words that you predict surfers will use to find content 
offered by a site like yours. For example, if your website is 
about gardening...you might bid on the words "garden care" or 
"lawn care" etc. When someone searches on the words "garden 
care", the search results are returned in the order of the bids 
placed; so a website with a 60 cent bid would rank higher than 
one for 55 cents and so on. 

The connection between surfer and website is direct.

7 POWERFUL REASONS TO USE PPC SEARCH ENGINES

1. Traffic - Pay Per Click Search Engines like Overture deliver
200 million searches every month.

2. Reach - Search results reach 85% of all Internet users.

3. Targeting - Directly connect with specific audiences through
custom titles and descriptions.

4. Cost effectiveness - Pay when targeted customers click through
to your site. Clicks start from as low as $0.01.

5. Control - Choose how much to pay for each visitor, which
keywords you bid on and your budget.

6. Quick - You can start receiving traffic almost immediately.

7. Credibility - The Pay Per Click Search Engines have strict
editorial policies. As a result surfers and other search engines
will view your listings with trust and greater credibility.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MOST OF PPC SEARCH ENGINES?

PPC Search Engines are the best value advertising currently
available. If you write a good website and expert title and
descriptions with your listings, qualifying your visitors is a
relatively easy task. How can you make the most of PPC search
engines...great question and here are 5 do-able tips!

1. Bidding On Low Cost Relevant Words
Brainstorm on all those great little words that are relevant.
These are a great source of qualified traffic. With research and
creativity you can come up with hundreds of low cost search
phrases, targeting your potential customers for just a few cents
each. When it comes to Pay Per Click tips, this is arguably, one
of the most important to note.

2. Be Specific
Forget bidding on broad-brush words like "e-commerce", "gifts"
and "shoes" etc. Apart from being expensive they are unfocused
...that means you will be paying for visitors who stay for a 
very short time before clicking away. If your website sells
shoes, be specific. Are they for men, women or children? Do you 
specialize in leather shoes, maybe Italian Leather. Are you 
location specific, such as London or New York? Then tailor your
bids accordingly.

3. Bid at Smaller PPC Search Engines
Okay, Overture is the daddy, but prices reflect that. A visitor
who searches at Overture is just as qualified as someone
searching on the same words at any PPC Search Engine. Often the
newer and smaller PPC Search Engines have less bid competition
and represent good value.

4. Qualify Your Title & Description
After results have been returned, make sure your titles and
descriptions are focused to the type of visitor you want. This
can actually increase your click throughs by 44%. Write your
title and description so that they relate to the keywords that
you are bidding for. Often using the keywords in both the title
and description will increase your click through rates. People
will only click if they are genuinely interested - so you'll save
money that would have been wasted from clicks of people who were
just browsing your link. When it comes to Pay Per Click tips,
this too is one of the most important to note.

5. Don't Delay
The sooner you start Pay Per Click advertising, the sooner you'll
start getting traffic. With most PPCs, the bids are rising not 
falling. Again, with most PPCs including Overture, when two or 
more bids tie, the first bidder is given priority. This is 
especially important if you plan on bidding on popular terms.

Over the next 3 years PPCs will continue to grow significantly. 
I predict that they will grow by 50% in traffic each year for 
the next 3 years. 

PPCs have come along way since 1998, but the scope and the 
potential audience is huge. This is very good news for webmasters
looking for a cornerstone in their online marketing with an 
excellent Return on Investment.

Good luck!


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Richard Baker is Director of Blue Fruit Ltd - a specialist Pay
Per Click placement consultancy. He is an expert in Pay Per Click
management and optimization techniques.

"...overdelivering solutions at affordable prices"

website: http://www.bluefruit.co.uk
email:   contact@bluefruit.co.uk
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