The Demo Site

Pay-per-click programs are not all created equal. When you think of PPC programs, you probably
think of keyword marketing — bidding on a keyword to determine where your site will be placed in search results. And that’s an accurate description of PPC marketing programs as they apply to keywords. However, there are two other types of PPC programs, as well. And you may find that targeting a different category of PPC marketing is more effective than simply targeting keyword
PPC programs.

Keyword pay-per-click programs
Keyword PPC programs are the most common type of PPC programs. They are also the type this book focuses on most often. By now, you know that keyword PPC programs are about bidding on keywords associated with your site. The amount that you’re willing to bid determines the placement of your site in search engine results.

In keyword PPC, the keywords used can be any word or phrase that might apply to your site.
However, remember that some of the most common keywords have the highest competition for
top spot, so it’s not always advisable to assume that the broadest term is the best one. If you’re in a specialized type of business, a broader term might be more effective, but as a rule of thumb, the more narrowly focused your keywords are, the better results you are likely to have with them. (And PPC will cost much less if you’re not using a word that requires a $50 per click bid.)


NOTE
Did you know that Google and Yahoo! have $100 caps on their keyword bids? They do.Imagine paying $100 per click for a keyword. Those are the kinds of keywords that will likely cost you far more money than they will generate for you. It’s best if you stick with keywords and phrases that are more targeted and less expensive.

The major search engines are usually the ones you think of when you think keyword PPC programs, and that’s fairly accurate. Search PPC marketing programs such as those offered by vendors like Google,Yahoo! Search Marketing, and MSN are some of the most well-known PPC programs.


Product pay-per-click programs
You can think of product pay-per-click programs as online comparison shopping engines or price
comparison engines. A product PPC program focuses specifically on products, so you bid on place-ment for your product advertisements.

The requirements for using a product PPC program are a little different from keyword PPC programs,however. With a product PPC, you must provide a feed— think of it as a regularly updated pricelistfor your products — to the search engine. Then, when users search for a product your links are givenprominence, depending on the amount you have bid for placement. However, users can freely displaythose product listings returned by the search engine in the order or price from lowest to highest ifthat is their preference. This means that your product may get good placement initially, but if it’s not the lowest-priced product in that category, it’s not guaranteed that your placement results will stay infront of potential visitors.

Some of these product PPC programs include Shopping.com, NexTag, Pricegrabber, and hopzilla.


NOTE
Although product PPC programs are popular for controlling the placement of your product listings, there are some services, like Google Base, that allow you to list yourproducts in their search engine for free. These product PPC programs still require a product feed,however, to keep product listings current.