Getting high natural search results is, of course, still the best way to drive traffic, but that part of the jungle is the densest of all. You could be in the top ten results one month and nowhere to be seen a month or two later, but by bidding high enough you can always ensure your sponsored ad will be on the first page of results for your keyword(s).
How do you know the effectiveness of your PPC ads?
The traditional method is to create a separate landing page that has no other incoming link for each ad . Then you can just use your stats to check the traffic to that page. (Make sure you have a link out to your home page, however.)
Another method is to play with the URL of the page you’re targeting. If you do this, you don’t need a separate landing page for every keyword if you’re marketing the same product or service. (A separate landing page to entice immediate visitor action on the product or service, however, is still essential. You can just use the page this way for both Google and Yahoo and for an infinite number of key phrases.)
You can accomplish this by adding a “?” (no quotes) after your landing page URL; for instance, www.buythisnow.com/specialoffer becames www.buythisnow.com/specialoffer/?src=google (to track just the source) or www.buythisnow.com/specialoffer/?src=google&kw=widget (to track both source and keyword).
Everything after “?” is ignored when the URL is accessed, but the page’s full URL will show up on your stats.
Good technique, huh? I’d like to say I originated it, but I owe this to Erin Walker at Search Engine Guide.
Tags: landing page, PPC (pay-per-click) sponsored search results
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