Search Engine Optimization Bible, Second Edition

Chapter 6. Pay-per-Click and SEO

IN THIS CHAPTER

• How PPC affects SEO

• Before you PPC

• How pay-per-click works

• Pay-per-click categories

• Keyword competitive research

• Choosing effective keywords

• Writing ad descriptions

• Monitoring and analyzing results

Pay-per-click (PPC) is one of those terms that you hear associated with keywords so often you might think they were the conjoined twins of SEO. They're not, really. Keywords and PPC do go hand in hand, but it is possible to have keywords without PPC. It's not always advisable, however.

Hundreds of PPC services are available, but they are not all created equal. Some pay-per-click services work with actual search rankings, whereas others are more about text advertisements. Then there are the category-specific PPC programs, such as those for keywords, products, and services.

The main goal of a pay-per-click program is to drive traffic to your site, but ideally you want more out of PPC results than just visits. What's most important is traffic that reaches some conversion goal that you've set for your web site. To achieve these goal conversions, you may have to experiment with different techniques, keywords, and even PPC services.

Pay-per-click programs have numerous advantages over traditional search engine optimization:

• No changes to a current site design are required. You don't have to change any code or add any other elements to your site. All you have to do is bid on and pay for the keywords you'd like to target.

• PPC implementation is quick and easy. ...