15 replies to this topic

[bims]

Hi,

Is it necessary to run a PPC campaign if you rank well for terms that you're targetting? What would be the reasons for doing this?

Thanks in advance

[seadog]

Hi,

Is it necessary to run a PPC campaign if you rank well for terms that you're targetting? What would be the reasons for doing this?

Thanks in advance

Well if you are on a page two times vs once you statistically stand a better chance of attracting a click. In addition depending on where you rank both (organically and paid), you could have ads in very different portions of the page.

Measure the ROI on the PPC campaign and if it meets your goals (or even average it all together) then keep it running.

[Jill]

Is it necessary to run a PPC campaign if you rank well for terms that you're targetting? What would be the reasons for doing this?

If it makes you more money than it costs you, then I'd say it's worth it.

If it doesn't, it's not.

[bims]

Thanks guys. I guess your ad can also be seen on third party pages which is also a good thing.

[torka]

May or may not be, depending on your goals for the ads.

As Jill said, if the ROI is positive, then it's probably a good thing to continue to run the ads, because you'll be making more profits with them than you would without them.

If the ROI is neutral or negative, on the other hand, you need to decide based on what your purpose is in running the ads.

If you simply want your name to be seen in as many (possibly) relevant places as possible and cost is not a factor, then, well, it doesn't matter if the ads make a profit, so, sure, let 'em run everywhere.

If, however, you're looking to make a direct profit from these ads, then negative ROI is bad. Either find and specify third party sites that return positive ROI for your ads, or disable the third-party site option entirely.

--Torka

[bims]

Makes perfect sense. How long would you trial it for? Is a week enough time to decide?

[BlueSky]

Makes perfect sense. How long would you trial it for? Is a week enough time to decide?

Maybe, maybe not. If you get lucky, it might be a case of setting it up and all is good. If it requires fine tuning, expect more than a week:

1. Put a conversion tracking system in place (e.g. Analytics conversion tracking).
2. Research keywords & ad text.
3. Start up initial campaign, and wait for sufficient stats to build up.
4. Evaluate performance of keywords, adjust bidding.
5. Evaluate performance of ads, split testing, re-test, re-group, landing page testing, and so on.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until your key performance indicators are met.
7. Decide if it is worthwhile.
8. Keep on doing steps 4 & 5 to adjust to the ever changing market.

If you're lucky, only steps 1 & 2 would apply. But I would continue to optimize the campaign anyway, to keep costs under control.

[Ignoramus]

Hi,

Is it necessary to run a PPC campaign if you rank well for terms that you're targetting? What would be the reasons for doing this?

Thanks in advance

As people have said - if the ROI on your PPC campaign is acceptable, why stop ?

Another factor. You can't bet your business on organic rankings. They can change overnight. Sure, if you drop out of the listings you can re-activate PPC but it can be expensive if you have lost your history.

IMHO the ideal situation is to have a PPC advert 'above the line' plus an organic listing on the first page.

[abra4magic.com]

Another important thing to consider: How many clicked on your PPC ad but would have clicked on your free organic listing if your PPC ad wasn't there?

You'd need to check your anayltics with both running as well as only your organic result. Once you determine how much extra you're paying and add that in to your cost you can figure if your net profit is better with or without both.

[LibbyLu]

Another thing to consider is what page of your site are you ranking for organically? If it's not a targeted page, then you are better off continuing with AdWords (as long as you're making money off it of course ).

[cline]

If you don't take that AdWords spot, a competitor will.

When users see you listed in both the organic and sponsored results, they'll infer that your site must be especially highly relevant for them, increasing CTR for both listings.

[jehochman]

If you choose your terms carefully and lower your bids enough, you will almost always make money if you have a good website, and you are making a good offer to your prospective clients. (If your site stinks, or your offer isn't compelling, then nothing will work.)

[Eschtruth Harrison]

Don't make the assumption that people know the difference between an ad and the natural results. In many cases they will just click on the first thing that seems relevant to them. So even if you have a high natural listing (say position 5) but there are 2 sponsored results on top, you are effectively in the number 7 position visually. People may not look that far down the page.

[Darryl Payne]

I believe that it is important for some of your more competitive keywords, to still run a PPC campaign. Some people see the sponsored links as ads and some don't. Some people will trust paid ads over natural search. On the other hand, some people will never click on a paid ad. So it is important to make use of both when it is cost effective.

[jammin' Jake]

Anybody come across any studies or statistics as to a searchers propensity to click an organic listing versus a pay per click listing? I've done a fair bit of research, but haven't had much success. Thanks in advance for any help!