Paid advertising is a great way to generate more traffic to your site and increase business leads. Before shelling out the dough, learn how to get the most bang for your buck.

 

UNDERSTAND KEYWORDS

Let’s start with the basics of understanding search engine advertising. In general there are 2 types of keywords: broad “high-traffic” words and “long-tail keywords.” High-traffic… that’s what we want right? These keywords are often so broad that they aren’t worth their cost. Your primary goal is to find words that your customers use to find you online, which sometimes are not the keywords that generate the highest traffic. For example, a broad keyword would be “restaurants,” and a specific long tail keyword would be “BYOB Cuban restaurants, downtown Philadelphia.” The more specific the words are to your company or service, the more likely you are to receive and be paying for solid leads.

Talk to people –friends, family, and existing customers to find out what they would type into a search engine to find your type of company. Learn to identify the words/phrases people are most likely to use.

 

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

Display Ads or Banner Ads –These ads use some sort of graphic element to capture the attention of the viewer on a web page. With today’s advanced online capabilities, banner ads can be targeted to individuals using data collected on the viewer’s online habits and personal profile.

Text Ads – Text ads are commonly referred to as pay-per-click ads, which are search-driven advertisements. They can be very effective but depend heavily on good keyword research.

 

TRACK EFFECTIVENESS

Since online advertising drives traffic to your website, having the ability to track the performance of an online ad campaign is of the utmost importance.

Google Analytics Installing Google Analytics on your website is an absolute must when it comes to online ad buying. It’s free and easy to install and navigate. It will allow you to track and report website traffic.

Create A Landing Page Send incoming visitors to a unique page (called a landing page) on your website, rather than your homepage. Landing pages make tracking easy and allow you to customize your message for incoming visitors and drive visitors toward specific actions, such as signing up for your newsletter.

When you combine the use of a landing page with your advertising analysis, you gain a lot of information about how to reach and sell to your new visitors.

 

MAXIMIZE YOUR BUDGET WITH PATIENCE

Online advertising isn’t a quick-fix solution. You will need to spend the time and money to manage and cultivate it.

Paid internet advertising is big business and serious stuff. Executing it effectively may be over the head of a DIYer, and you don’t want sink the boat before you’re out of the bay, so seek professional help if your feeling overwhelmed.