Pros and Cons of Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay per click advertising (PPC) such as that offered by Google Adwords has long been hailed as an economical way to get traffic to mini sites. It allows webmasters to pay only for actual visits to their sites rather than paying for each impression. But is it really as great as the PPC gurus would have you believe?

There's no doubt that PPC can bring results. But there are certain disadvantages that every webmaster should be aware of. Here's a rundown of the good and the bad.

Pros

PPC campaigns allow you to target the keywords of your choice. If you do your research and choose descriptive keywords with a low level of competition and a reasonable search volume, PPC advertising can bring you highly targeted traffic.
Prices are determined by bidding. For keywords with little competition, you can often get great placement at a very reasonable price. And you don't necessarily have to place the highest bid to get a good amount of exposure.
Search engine optimization can take some time to get traffic coming in. But with a PPC campaign, you can begin to see results immediately.

Cons

Finding the right keywords can take some work. If you choose the wrong ones, you might get traffic that will not convert to sales. And that results in money lost.
Some Internet users have developed what's known as “ad blindness.” They have learned to ignore the paid search results in favor of natural ones. That means that people who could potentially become customers might overlook your link.
If you're concentrating on PPC, you might neglect search engine optimization as a means of getting free traffic. This could prove to be a costly mistake.

Every mini site can benefit from a good PPC campaign. But don't fall into the trap of thinking that's the only way to get targeted traffic. While it's a good way to supplement your SEO efforts, it is no substitute for good organic search rankings.