To PPC or Not PPC that is the Question

A friend mine(let's call him Ted) who owns an IT firm recently decided to get into web development and SEO. Obviously, he thought it was as easy as "just add water" and instantly he would become a web dev and SEO guru.

Ted called me with a problem last week. He had developed a website for an office supply company and incorporated some sound SEO techniques, but after 3 weeks the website wasn't generating any traffic. The client was livid, they had spent a large sum on a new website [with the "build it and they will come" mentality] and it was not generating any ROI.

I first shared with Ted that unless the product is incredibly unique and has broad market awareness, plan on a minimum of 6 months to start seeing results from his SEO efforts. I then asked Ted about what kind of paid search(pay-per-click) initiatives they had incorporated. Ted stated "Pay-Per-Click doesn't work and it is too expensive." My first response was "Ted how do you think Google stays in business...it's not from offering free web searches." Then I asked him to do some basic math with me.

For the office supply company let's say the average profit is $40 per sale. Let's estimate the conversion rate is 5%. So 1 out of 20 clicks will turn into sales. Therefore, the office supply company will break-even at $2/click ($40 profit per sale/20 clicks to generate 1 sale). Suddenly the light bulb went on for Ted.

Paid search (Pay-Per-Click) generates immediate traffic to your website to rollout a new website, promote a new product or service, or simply increase sales. It also can be highly targeted by buyer behavior, geography etc. and is therefore can be a very efficient and effective marketing tool.

There is a science behind creating an effective paid search campaign and should complement on-going SEO initiatives. The research and on-going testing and management are critical to its success. If you would like to discuss how to generate a higher volume of qualified leads to your website via paid search please contact us at 800.287.7198 or inquiry@salessherpas.com.

Thanks,

Dave
www.salessherpas.com