Yes! Well, sometimes.
This is a common question among small business owners when it comes to advertising online. There are a lot of options available, but few of them present the same kind of opportunity as showing up on a major search engine. The decision comes down to a number of factors.
Time
The most important thing to take into consideration when it comes to PPC ads is time. Do you have time to set up campaigns? Do you have time to research trends, make changes and monitor results? In plenty of cases the answer for a business owner is, simply, “No.” Running a business is extremely time consuming, and time spent away from other parts of the business can cause major problems. Keep in mind, though, that not having time doesn’t mean you can’t run PPC ads.
Money
If you don’t have time, but do have a reasonable budget, you can dedicate some of it to hiring an agency to handle your PPC ads. You’ll get support from people who know the ins and outs of online PPC marketing and your campaigns will be better for it. You’ll also potentially gain access to better reporting that will help you make sure you’re getting the results you want.
Goals
Believe it or not, PPC is not a catch-all solution. You need to determine your reason for buying online ads in the first place. PPC makes the most sense for programs that focus on generating leads or getting people to purchase a product online. Don’t pay for each individual visitor if you don’t think there’s a potential to turn each one into a customer.
So if you have the time (and/or money) and you believe you can turn a site visitor into a customer, PPC might just be a good fit for your advertising dollars.
