Pay per click Google: Pros and Cons

First the pros

• Google PPC helps you in creating your own ads and clues you on to savvy keywords.
• The best thing about Google pay per click is the robustness of their search engine. Search for any word or phrase on Google and you will find that the sponsored links (the PPC ads) are just as relevant as the natural search results. This is why marketing experts r ecommend Google pay per click as they feel that it directs the PPC ads to the actual users.
• You can advertise on Google even if you are a small businessman. The initial deposit that an advertiser has to pay on Google PPC is a lowly $ 5. Once you have deposited the money, you can even set your ad budget to as low as ten cents a day! Google Adwords makes a lot of sense to small businessmen.
• Google has a huge following across the world. You can be sure that a massive number of Google's visitors are viewing your ad.
• Google allows you to limit your ad reach by specifying the geographical location where your ad should be seen. That is a big advantage if you want to advertise on Google but have a product or a service that caters to a particular location.
• Google PPC is very friendly - it allows you to pause your campaigns anytime you wish. So, if you feel you are overspending, just hit the pause button on Google PPC and take a breather.
• It gives you real time tracking (3-hour gap) of clicks, costs incurred, impressions generated. Their MIS (Management Information System) is really good.
• Because Google PPC is affordable, easy and fast, many advertisers prefer to collect customer data using Google PPC, rather than selling their wares to the Google's visitors at first go.

Now, the cons

Bid rates on advertising; Google Pay per Click programs are not fixed and are forever varying. If you bid 50 cents on a keyword and the next guy has 51 cents, then your ad is less likely to show up than the guy who has bid just 1 cent extra. You can play the same game too. But remember, if your budget is tight this can be a very big disadvantage.

Certain keywords on Google are very costly and there is hell to pay if they do not work. Then there is always the high chance of click fraud. The point is Google's vast reach can really cause a huge dent in your advertising budgets.

In many cases, the visitor-to-customer conversion ratio is very poor.

Google AdWords: Tips

Every PPC search engine has its own quirks and the same applies for Google PPC too. Here are some tips that you can use to exploit the Google PPC to your advantage:

• Google rewards its advertisers if their ad has a good click-through rate. Google PPC's model of pricing is not just based on keywords alone; it also takes into account the click-throughs as well. So if you have released a well-written relevant ad that is generating a good number of click-throughs, expect a cost-cut by Google.
• Do not enter into any kind of bidding war. Instead, be creative and write catchy pages, and design your landing pages in such a way that you get the desired results.
• Mention your product's price in your ad in a clever way. This will keep freeloaders off and you will save money.
• In Google PPC you can specify that when certain keywords are searched for, your ad should not show up: for example, free, cheap, crack, gallery, etc. If you specify these "exclusions" then you will get rid of unwanted and expensive traffic.
• Do not bid at the top nor bid the lowest. Remember, being seen at the top position means nothing so long you are there on the first page of search results.
• As Google PPC is syndicated, you must hunt around to place your ads not just on Google but also on sites that have syndicated Google's content. For all you know, your target audience may well be found on such a site.

The last tip would be to talk to a Google PPC professional. Because Google PPC is a vast subject and the tips given above do not cover enough areas that a professional can cover.