Archive for January, 2008

In an effort to stay at the top of my field, I am constantly digging for the latest and greatest information on the Internet as it relates to  search engine marketing, specifically search advertising (aka “pay-per-click” advertising), and during the course of researching, I click on a lot of text ads in Google.  It never ceases to amaze me just how many businesses try to navigate the uncharted waters of a pay-per-click advertising campaign themselves.  I applaud their efforts however in most cases, they have no clue what they are doing.  Case in point:  you click on an ad and are taken directly to the homepage of the advertiser’s website. 

Rule number 1 of pay-per-click advertising:  Never have your text ad pointing directly to the homepage of your website.  Only in very (and I mean very) rare cases would you do this.  When someone clicks on your ad, you want them to be taken to one of two places.  Either a precise landing page that was created specifically for the product or service you are promoting with a link to your website OR to a specific page on your website, again pointing them directly to the specific product or service your text ad was promoting.  But NEVER take them to the homepage!  If you would like to receive valuable advice and tips on pay-per-click advertising campaigns such as with Google AdWords, then sign up for my newsletter today at www.ppcbydesign.com.

So to the “do-it-yourselfer” I ask you; would you do your own corporate tax return based on a little bit of knowledge you may have acquired about the tax code?  Would you defend yourself in court if you thought you could win?  The answer is NO, you would probably leave it in the hands of a professional wouldn’t you?  Well pay-per-click advertising is no different.  It simply boils down to this - some things in business demand total expertise and a pay-per-click advertising campaign (as well as corporate tax returns and legal representation) is one of them (smile & a wink).

Until next time my friends,

JoAnn