Starting a new PPC campaign from scratch requires planning and a clear set of conversion goals. Building new accounts, researching keywords and testing ad copy all factor in to the ramp up time - but is there ever a point at which you’re ‘done’? Can occasional maintenance take the place of the undivided attention you were devoting in the early days of a new PPC effort? The short answer is ‘definitely not’. Although it may seem plausible that your campaigns will reach a point where they can be switched on to auto pilot, there are many reasons you should always remain active in their daily management.

In particular, PPC strategists should actively devise promotions and rebates which cater to annual trends. You can’t do this if you’re taking a hands-off approach. Keeping your ads seasonal can be a huge boost to their effectiveness and click-through-rate. During the months of April and part of May, for example, many retailers integrated Mother’s Day specials into their PPC advertisements. Discounts coupled with targeted ad copy which speaks to the specific occasion a person is shopping for - an occurance which is more likely should you be tailoring ads to specific calendar events - have much higher conversion rates than the general variety. Keep your PPC copy current and watch your sales soar!

• Don’t Dilute the Potential of your Press Releases

If you've been using press releases for direct online marketing and search engine optimization, you probably have a few favorite networks bookmarked by now. Some are pretty pricey (PR.com, PRWeb.com), but pack a lot of SERP punch depending on the keyword phrases you link back to your site with. Other sites aren't quite as effective (SanePR.com, PRLeap.com, PRLog.org) but allow you to post releases for free, with as many outgoing links as you want, making them a sensible part of a comprehensive S...

• Does PPC Frighten You? It Should

Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is undoubtedly the fastest way to get your products or services in front of your target market via a popular search engine. It is also a great way to waste a staggering amount of money if you’re not very careful. Starting a new PPC campaign from scratch requires planning, market research and a clear set of conversion goals. You have to understand what you’re getting yourself into before funding your first Adwords or YSM account, or you’re definitely flirting...

• SEOs: 3 Ways to Communicate in 2008!

Although that sounds like a disingenuous campaign slogan, let me assure you that I like to keep my political opinions to myself. C2K8 is the proper abbreviation (which I just made up) for said slogan and it stems from some hard lessons my department and I have taken to heart over the past year. Search marketing is going to change dramatically in the months ahead, with an economic downturn predicted along with the usual evolutionary nature of the profession, and increasing communication with clie...