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Any form of advertising that allows you to target prospects by interest and location, like pay per click advertising does, has got to be one of the best advertising options available. You can measure your results precisely, and even control how much you spend. It’s also affordable for small business owners who compare it to other options like television and radio.

Of course PPC has its negatives, what doesn’t. Most of the problems people encounter with pay per click is when they go in headfirst without devising a plan. Their first ad campaign often results in hundreds or thousands of dollars wasted. There are books out there that can help and an ocean of helpful articles on the web.

However, getting things off the ground doesn’t require a book worth of information. There are a few basic PPC mistakes that most business owners make when they start out. They’re easy to fix, and repairing these problems can increase your PPC campaign’s effectiveness dramatically. Here are the most common errors people make, and how to fix them.

1. The most common error is using your home page as the landing page. It doesn’t matter what search engine you’re using as a base for your campaign. While it seems logical to send prospective sales to your website’s homepage, it can detract from your sales. Here’s how.

That’s because people who click on your ad are looking for something very specific. Their keyword search brought them to your ad. Instead of bringing them to the home page of your site, create a landing page. That allows you to present customers with just what they’re looking for. Focus each landing page tightly on the keywords you’re using in your ad, and don’t include other links or distractions.

2. Improper customization of landing pages. Ideally, your PPC campaign should work by presenting a potential customer with an ad closely targeted to their keyword. The landing page they arrive at should be closely geared towards that keyword, to present no confusion as to what the page is about. Your customer should never have trouble finding what he or she is looking for! Put each product or service on its own landing page, to avoid confusion.

3. Using generic copy for your ads. Statements that work in other media formats probably won’t transfer to PPC. Catch phrases like “quality service” just aren’t part of the vocabulary when people are using search engines. Use a main keyword in a headline that creates interest, then tell them the benefits. Line three is perfect for special features or a discount offer. Take a look at what other advertisers are doing online.

4. Low bid placement. All search engines use their own methods for determining where to put your ad. Yahoo and Google use a combination of the relevancy of your ad, and your bid price. One big mistake that many people make is not tightly targeting keywords enough to get top placement. As much as eighty-five percent of all PPC clicks happen on ads in one of the top three positions. If you can’t focus your ads tightly enough to get that top spot, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic.

Tags: Internet