Should you use a Google or Yahoo! Representative to setup your Pay-Per-Click campaign?

Should you use a Google or Yahoo! Representative to setup your Pay-Per-Click campaign?

Nobody knows more about PPC programs than the developers of the programs, right?

This is probably true.

It is also true that Google & Yahoo! Want you to profit from advertising on their sites.

However, you should be careful not ignore the fact that the telephone consultants you will be dealing with are still subjective, and the consultant you are dealing with is probably not a very experienced marketing consultant.

Much like the Yellow Pages companies, while they want you to profit from their advertising media-they want as much money from you that they can get in the process.

I was once criticized by an “SEM consultant” for implementing tactics that reduced the number of PAID clicks to their site, while increasing the QUALITY of the clicks. (By the way-said consultant did NOT work for Google or Yahoo!)

For instance, the DEFAULT for Google and Yahoo! is that you pay the same for a “content” driven click as you do for a “search” driven click. Most experienced PPC advertisers will tell you that “content” driven clicks are worth a lot less than search driven clicks. Your campaigns almost always should be setup with a content program in which the bids are 1/5th to 1/10th the price of your search bids, since conversion rates are typically 1/5th to 1/10th as effective (or less).

Having said all of that, if you cannot find a local consultant that you trust to help you set up a Pay-Per-Click program efficiently, then going directly to Google or Yahoo! might be your best option. Trusting a telemarketer from some company you have never heard of is probably more risky. You can contact us for advice on how to find a trustworthy consultant-or check back in the next few days when we cover Internet Marketing Consultants.

Google has been charging their customers $300 to set them on their network-the good news is that your $300 will go towards your advertising campaign. The bad news may be that they will not help you unless your budget is at least $900 a month and most LOCAL businesses cannot spend this much on a campaign.

Yahoo! charges about $150 to help you get setup on their network, which should include a $50 advertising credit, and about $80 to help you get set up on Yahoo! local with a $20 credit.