The Deceptive Simplicity of PPC

Suddenly things grew complex. To the search engines’ credit, specifically Google AdWords, a great deal of educational information including tutorials and the AdWords’ blog are available to help teach marketers how to effectively manage their PPC campaigns.

Unfortunately though, most business owners and marketers don’t have the time to study or the background to grasp some of the complexity. I have heard this first-hand when potential clients call and state that they have spent thousands of dollars on Google AdWords yet only generated a few sales – far from reaching a return on their advertising spend. They got caught up in the deceptive simplicity of pay-per-click marketing.

Like with managing your own financial investments, if you don’t have the time to research (or as Jim Kramer of CNBC’s Mad Money calls “buy and homework”) then it is better to hire a knowledgeable resource, whether in-house or outsourced, with the expertise to secure a fair return (or at least not squander your hard earned money.) If recruiting a resource is not practical then test on a small scale with a laser-focus on one aspect of your business (e.g. pilot test.)

Don’t fall victim to thinking that pay-per-click is an easy way for producing sales. It contains it’s own set of nuances that are becoming as complex as search engine optimization.