PPC (pay per click) - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Solar Control · 06-07-2009, 10:17 AM

As we look more into the PPC advertising model I came across a couple of interesting pages.

Google offers free webinars. I have watched a couple, but the first one I viewed was called Advanced B2B Advertising and it was the best of the few I've seen. The concept of negative keywords will be particularly helpful to us in helping with the qualification process. I believe we had to have an AdWords account number to register for the webinars.

Also, Google has a Search Based Keyword Tool. Of course you can research your keywords using Trends and even specific tools tailored for SEO, but this Google one may be a useful one.

Last page I'll mention is one by Yahoo. They offer a $50 credit for signing up for their PPC campaign program. We are going to run it for a month and then decide where to go from there. Can't argue with the credit, other than the opportunity cost of the time setting it up. Some web hosting companies offer a similar deal with Google's Adwords.

Thundercow · 06-09-2009, 03:03 PM

I am a google-certified adwords pro. I took all those classes and passed the test. I manage campaigns for a few service companies and Adwords works, while Yahoo's system just doesn't seem to deliver visitors at a reasonable rate.

I feel that sending money into adwords blindly without taking the FREE webinars is pretty short-sighted. Adwords rewards well-thought out campaigns more than poor ones.

GunitePoolGuy · 07-11-2009, 04:01 PM

Thundercow is right.

PPC can be very powerful and get your phone to ring, but you have to figure out how much you should be spending on PPC otherwise youre just throwing your money away.

Things to consider:

Start measuring your phone calls

Figure out your avg customer value per month and per year

What is your sales close rate (%) when a potential customer calls

Now figure out your value per phone call

Predict what your conversion rate (%) is (website visitors who actually call)

How many actually call out of 100?

Figure out what your "break even" "cost per click" would be

Then set your "cost per click" at half of your "break even" cost

That will give you your daily budget for PPC

Hope you guys understand this. Let me know if you have any other questions. It might be easier if I give examples.

MattCoops · 07-11-2009, 07:50 PM

eMarketer did a study last year showing click fraud rate has increased to 17%
That's a large amount of advertising dollars wasted.
Also, I think organic rankings is key. Who ever clicks on the Sponsored Links section?
It's fairly easy to get your site ranked for the city you're in and the service you provide. Even amateur webmasters can get that accomplished here with a signature link.
True, Adwords will get you presence on search terms that are next to impossible to rank well for. You're still paying just to show someone your website. You're really getting no "return" unless your site can convert.
If you make your site a wealth of information rather than an advertising billboard with some keywords and city names and a call to action, you'll be on the right path to attracting users naturally, and boosting your organic rankings.
You need to make your site more than a brochure. The whole point of the internet is to be a source of research. So create a site that answers your customers questions.
People want to read more than: "we do it right" and "we do quality work"
Think like a customer.

tyler durden · 07-29-2009, 09:20 PM

If you know what you are doing. It is very well worth it. Provided the service you sell has profit in it.
Depending on your market a click can cost $1.00-$15.00. If you are set up right that click should turn into a call or email from someone who wants work done.

The really only hard part is getting that click in the first place.

Pro Builder · 08-02-2009, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundercow

I am a google-certified adwords pro. I took all those classes and passed the test. I manage campaigns for a few service companies and Adwords works, while Yahoo's system just doesn't seem to deliver visitors at a reasonable rate.

I feel that sending money into adwords blindly without taking the FREE webinars is pretty short-sighted. Adwords rewards well-thought out campaigns more than poor ones.

I'm looking to enlist some help. Can you email me? justin.probuilders@gmail.com

BrownCan · 08-05-2009, 01:38 PM

I agree!

Never jump on the bandwagon until and unless you have a clear plan, and can steer in stormy weather. PPC is demanding, organic even more. Just going through tutorials isn't enough. You need to have practical experience of good and bad results all the time.

Regards