How to Use PPC for Local Business

So is pay per click (PPC) advertising not for local business? We think it is actually, and we have several points that you ought to consider when you decide for yourself if it’s a good fit for your local business.

Let’s look a variety of pros and a few cons for PPC ads, and give you a framework for deciding if they’re right for you.

Here are some of the pros of PPC for local business

  • Can be done on a modest budget – You have the ability to monitor and control costs, and you can start with very little. On the other hand, getting a professional SEO can be quite costly.
  • Doesn’t take and as long to get results – You can get almost instant results. With SEO, it can take months or years for things to fully pan out, and in that time Google will have changed the SEO algorithm a few times and you’ll need to do it all again!
  • Can help you dominate first page results – Even if you’re fortunate enough to have page one rankings, PPC ads appearing there also will provide you with that much more share of the pie.
  • Easier to specifically target your audience – By specifically targeting keywords, you can go after the actual audience you desire.
  • Trackable and measurable – The analytics you can access with your PPC platform provide you with immediate and invaluable intelligence as to what’s working and what’s not. This is especially true with keywords.
  • Can actually help SEO – While the search algorithm is a secret, empirical evidence signifies that traffic and social interaction play a sizeable role in search rankings.

The cons to using PPC for a local business are basically three:

  • Learning Curve – Each of the major PPC platforms, Google, Facebook and Bing, all have their quirks, and you need to know this information to run effective campaigns.
  • Costs – You’ll need a budget, and your efforts and revenues will be dictated by the size of it. Also, you’ll need discipline to not spend through your ad budget on an unprofitable campaign, and know when to end it.
  • Keywords research – Essential for PPC. You’ll either want to do this yourself or outsource it to someone who knows how.

PPC can be a terrific plus for a local business. Just take care to watch costs and give time for learning.