You Down With PPC? (Yeah, You Know Me)

Ask one person and they'll tell you a pay-per-click campaign is a great idea. Ask another, and they may tell you it's not worth your time. With so many conflicting (and often compelling) arguments for and against PPC usage, it can be hard to know what's right for your business. The good news is that if you want to try your hand at a pay-per-click campaign, you can set your budget ' giving you complete control over how much or how little you invest.

Ready to learn more? Read on for a few tips on how you can be down with PPC.

Do your homework. Before starting your PPC campaign, do a little research. Find out who your competition is and look at their ads and the content they're using. Take notes on what you think they're doing well and areas they need to work on. Pay careful attention to the keywords they're using for search engine optimization in their ads. If their ads make you want to click on them, chances are your target customers will too. This is your chance to make your PPC campaign outshine your competitors, so get inspiration from their ads but don't copy them. Make yours better.

Incorporate SEO-friendly keywords. Search engine optimization is a crucial ingredient of your PPC campaign. For a quick and easy-to-understand keyword tool, use Google's Adwords. Make sure the SEO keywords you use are specific to what you're trying to sell and not so broad that it won't reach your target audience.

Write catchy content. When you're writing your PPC ad, you'll want to make sure it's concise, but interesting, too. If writing isn't your forte, don't feel bad about hiring someone to do it for you. Catchy content will catch the eye of your intended audience and make them want to learn more, which includes clicking on your pay-per-click ad.

Be picky about your landing page. Not just any old landing page will do. Simply linking your PPC ad to the home page of your website might not be the best idea. Instead, have someone create a landing page specifically for your PPC campaign (if possible) with content that matches your PPC ad. Bryan Laurienti, co-owner of BBB System, suggests, 'If this is not an option, just make sure whatever landing page you choose has content that matches up with the content in your PPC ad or it could confuse (and turn off) potential customers.'

Tell us: Have you ran a PPC campaign? Let's discuss tips on what you think is the most successful way to run one and what your favorite keyword tool to use is!