Pay Per Click
PPC is an advertising technique used on websites, especially search engines. Pay per click advertisements are usually text ads placed near search results when a site visitor clicks on the advertisement, the advertiser is charged a small amount.
Advertisers bid on keywords they believe their target market would type in the search bar when they are looking for a product or service. When a user types a keyword query matching the advertiser’s keyword list, or views a page with relevant content, the advertiser’s ad may be shown. These ads are called a “Sponsored link” or “sponsored ads” and appear next to, and sometimes, above the natural or organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a webmaster/blogger chooses on a content page.
Over 85% of all searches on the Internet are done through search engines and they are the best tools for enhancing a company’s identity. They are identity builders, and they direct targeted consumers who are looking for your product or service right to your doorstep.
In the long term, brand awareness can bring visitors to their site without additional advertising. By using the power of search engines you can use the Internet to deliver a targeted prospective customer who is actively looking for your products or services right to your doorstep and build long term brand awareness at the same time.
When you setup a PPC campaign you can control the traffic. While a new website takes time to rank well in search engines, with PPC you can turn the traffic on and off. With PPC you can create almost instant traffic.
Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a term that describes marketing a Web site using various techniques to make it more visible on search engines. Search Engine Marketing techniques include SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), PPC advertising (Pay-Per-Click advertising), paid inclusion, social media optimisation… SEM is very important for businesses selling their products or services online.
SEO involves using various strategies in the design and creation of a Web site to enhance its organic listing. PPC ads are sponsored listings were the advertiser pays the search engine each time the ad is clicked on.
Search engine marketing ensures that you are delivering an almost immediate solution to online users that may not have previously known your website existed. The great thing about SEM is that its impact is directly measurable. You will be able to control the amount you spend on PPC campaigns as well as being able to monitor the benefits you receive from the SEO and PPC techniques.
The top three search engines, including Google, MSN, and Yahoo offer a PPC program with Google being the biggest in terms of ad dollars changing hands. All three engines use a bidding model to determine which ads show for which keywords and in which position. There are other variables that can affect the position of the ad include a measure of relevancy along with the click-through rate. And of course the rules are constantly changing.
Paid programs have some similar characteristics to SEO namely the targeting of keywords based on their search volume and chance to convert a visitor in to a consumer. The biggest difference is that search engine advertising produces immediate results. All you have to do is build an ad, place your bids, and fund your account to see clicks within hours or minutes. SEO on the other can take months before an impact becomes measurable.
Moreover, it is to engage in both paid and natural search programs. In this way you can target users regardless of where they are into purchasing cycle.
