XML, LSI, LSA, HTAccess: As a competitive SEO theres no shortage of acronyms to keep up with. But if youre truly committed to becoming the best search-engine marketer you can be, I think one of the most important ones is: PPC.
A working understanding of pay-per click marketing is one of the easiest ways to spike your resume and stand out from the SEO-"only" crowd.
Not only does PPC experience make for a far more well-rounded internet marketer, but youll also be able to quickly apply paid marketing principles to your organic SEO. To name but three:
- Improve click-through rates for organic results
- Identify search phrases with the most profit potential
- Use PPC data for content development
Improve Click Through Rates for Organic Search
Copy influences click-through rates in the SERPs. After you've improved a PPC ad's click-through rate by 2% for a high-value keyword because of a tweak like Product Ships in 24 Hours instead of Free Shipping, you'll experience a shift in mindset you'll be able to apply directly to crafting more relevant title tags and meta descriptions.
If there's one principle an experienced PPC manager understands, it's the different motivations behind every ad group in a campaign. Every search, every market will require a unique set of marketing messages that belong right along with your big list of keywords.
Identify Potential Profit
Not all keywords are created equal. Basic PPC knowledge can help SEOs better identify which keywords are delivering the best return per dollar spent.
One simple way to identify whether or not a keyword is performing is by conducting a search in Google to see if ads are being displayed for the query in question. If there are a lot of advertisers, it's there might be money to be made with that search phrase.
The next step in this process is to look at how many ads are targeting the exact key phrase you entered in an ad headline. The more exact matches to the search you find in the headline, the more likely PPC managers are targeting that keyword and aren't just displaying for a broad match result.
Use PPC Data for Content Development
This is probably one of the best benefits of understanding PPC: you get a feel for each keyword for the volume and type of traffic, and the return that can be expected it.
This information can be solid gold when creating a content development plan since you already know the volume of traffic and an estimate of how well it will convert when you rank for it. (Use this automated Excel setup to to estimate traffic for number one positions)
How do you use your PPC experience?