Is Pay Per Click Effective?

If you happen to own some Google stock, then you might be surprised that we’re even asking the question “is pay per click effective?” Some estimates peg Google’s AdWords revenue haul at a cool $100 million per day. And that’s just Google. Bing, Yahoo, Facebook, and even LinkedIn are all enjoying plenty of ROI. So yeah, if you’re on that side of the fence, asking “is pay per click effective?” is about as pointless as asking “is water wet?”

1.2 Million Businesses Can’t be Wrong…Can They?

Of course, it takes 2 to tango, and behind those hundreds of millions of dollars a day in pay per click revenues are businesses and organizations – some huge, some tiny, and a whole bunch in between. According to Wordstream, about 1.2 million businesses have joined the AdWords party already. When you factor in the other pay per click platforms we’ve noted above, that number is closer to 2 million – and counting.

So, with all of this interest, activity and revenue, it goes without saying that pay per click is worth it, right? Well…that depends.

Report: Pay Per Click a Colossal Waste of Money

The truth is that not every business is marching in the pay per click parade. Some, like those profiled in a New York Times article, failed to see the ROI they expected. And a report commissioned by eBay concluded that spending on pay per click in general, and AdWords specifically, was a colossal waste of money.

However, there are (at least) two sides to every story, and there are indeed hundreds of thousands of businesses – especially small and mid-sized firms competing with enterprises in their marketplace — that would answer a definitive

YES to the question “is pay per click effective?”

And so, what’s our take on this debate? Do we think that pay per click is worth the investment? Or do we think that it’s all a bunch of hype and hot air?

The Leap Clixx Answer to “Is Pay Per Click Effective?”

Here’s our view: yes, pay per click can be very effective. But it’s 100% NOT a “set it and forget it” deal – and that’s the misunderstanding that causes the most under-performance or outright failure.

To succeed with pay per click advertising – whether we’re talking AdWords, Facebook ads, Bing, LinkedIn, Yahoo or any other platform – campaigns have to be customized, monitored and optimized. Testing (and yet more testing) is a BIG part of this process, as is strategically choosing daily budget levels, crafting ad copy, choosing ad rotation settings, selecting geographic areas, and of course, selecting the right keywords (and negative keywords!).

When all of those factors are properly calibrated and everything fits together the way it should as part of a larger inbound marketing program, then pay per click advertising is VERY effective, and well worth the investment.

Learn More

If you’re looking to reap the rewards of pay per click advertising – or you have tried in the past with limited (or non-existent) success – then we invite you to contact us today. We’ve built and run numerous and highly successful campaigns for our customers across the country. We know what works, and just as importantly, we know what doesn’t!

Not convinced AdWords is for you? Download our FREE eBook “Why Google AdWords Should Be Part of Your Inbound Marketing Strategy” now: