Search Engine Optimization Bible, Second Edition

Chapter 10. Managing Keyword and Pay-per-Click Campaigns

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Keyword budgeting

• Understanding bid management

• Tracking keywords and conversions

• Reducing pay-per-click costs

• Tracking pay-per-click campaigns

• Improving click-through rates

• Using PPC to generate profit

• The ROI of PPC

Keywords and PPC campaigns, like any type of advertising campaign, need to be monitored carefully to ensure that they are as effective as possible. Of course, you'll also want to be sure that you're spending only as much of your advertising budget as you need; but determining those factors requires monitoring activities, spending, and conversions, and managing the strategies that you use to improve those factors.

The one factor that will influence your PPC campaigns the most is money. Be it in the form of your PPC budget, the amount of money that you need to save, or determining your ROI, you'll be constantly justifying your pay-per-click advertising with financial values. Tracking those values isn't difficult, but it can be time-consuming.

Moreover, the competition for keywords and PPC advertisements can be fierce. If you're not constantly tweaking your PPC campaigns to make them as effective as possible, then you'll be throwing your budget away like empty candy wrappers.

Keyword Budgeting

Part of the allure of PPC advertising is that it appears to be a low-cost alternative to other types of advertising. The initial attraction is that it seems you can reach more people using less of your advertising budget. ...