Guest Blog Post by Ron Durant, CEO of e-NERTIA Marketing

Working in Online Marketing you hear a lot of negative feedback about poor results or false claims, especially regarding pay per click. This creates a negative stigma that can make potential customers afraid to get involved with PPC. Fear can make what could, and should be a beneficial relationship between client and PPC provider, much more difficult to achieve.

From a client perspective, imagine that you paid hundreds or thousands of dollars on PPC ads but received very few leads or conversions. After researching your website and landing page analytics you realize a very high number of your clicks do not appear to be relevant to your business, or maybe your PPC ads are a little too vague and your keywords too broad to deliver the kind of relevant traffic you need. All of which means that you are not going to achieve the number of leads or sales, and ultimately the ROI you expect from your PPC Campaign.

If this happened to you it could leave a pretty bad taste in your mouth and make you reluctant to invest in pay per click in the future. That’s unfortunate, as Pay-Per-Click advertising can be a very effective and affordable form of advertising. Handled properly, PPC can deliver the results your company needs with an ROI that is both acceptable and identifiable. That’s the beauty of Pay-Per-Click advertising, virtually every dollar you spend can be tracked, and accurate ROI’s reported.

As in most situations, the phrase “Buyer Beware” comes into play. So follow the basic rules of good business, when considering a PPC provider. Work with someone you know and trust, get referrals from people you respect that have worked with the potential PPC provider. Meet with each provider you are considering and make sure that there is both a connection and a comfort level before you make a decision on who to hire.

Also, keep in mind that PPC is an ongoing process involving keyword changes, ad testing and creation, landing page testing and creation and a continuing effort to improve both results and ROI. Make sure you are receiving monthly reports, in layman’s terms, that both explain and analyze results.

Finally, establish a relationship with your PPC provider and ask questions. Reputable providers welcome this type of communication. We appreciate a client that wants to be involved in the success of their PPC Campaigns. That way everyone is on the same page, there is never any misunderstanding due to a lack of communication and we are all working together to achieve the desired results.

Remember, PPC is fun, effective, trackable and profitable. See you on the search engines!

Guest Blog by Charlene Burke, CEO of Search By Burke Marketing Group

When a small business owner takes advantage of their online marketing strategies, they can see an increase in their business. Many owners do not realize the importance of using a professional service in order to assure that their website is giving their potential customers the impression that they desire. Having your website optimized for search engines by an expert in SEO is also key.

Having a website that is of professional quality is much like moving their business from an unknown location to the middle of Oxford Street.

It is important to realize that nearly all consumers will use the Internet to gain information about the business they are thinking of buying from. This is why a website can make or break the advertising efforts of a business. As a business, you want to make sure that your website is giving your customers the right impression.

Your business’s website is one of a kind. What you do with your online marketing affects your other methods of marketing to your customers. It can be expected that if you send out a mailing, potential customers are going to go check you out on the Internet before ever contacting you. Your website must work to encourage those potential customers to follow through and do business with you.

Unfortunately, you may find that your marketing efforts have fallen short of their desired effect. If this happens, you must look good and hard at your website and ask yourself what message your online marketing efforts are sending.