At MyAdvice, our mission is to make sure our client practice websites enjoy as much visibility as possible. For most clients, this entails a combination of both search engine optimization for organic search and pay per click advertising.
Although we have always been big proponents of organic search, Google and Bing keep boosting the visibility of paid search, pushing organic results lower and lower down the page. That’s why we feel a mix of both organic and paid search works best for most practices.
If you haven’t really thought much about pay per click ads, they have some great advantages.
They can be actual ads
Unlike organic search results, where it’s more difficult to control the verbiage that is displayed, pay per click ads (PPC) allow you to control what is listed and provide more space for your message. PPC ads allow various options depending on what you want to highlight.
You can control the budget
With PPC you determine how much you’re willing to spend per day. We work with you to determine your goals and we set the fixed amount.
Higher on the page
As Google and Bing have pushed organic search results down below the fold (an old newspaper term that now connotes having to scroll to see the results) for many search queries, they have pushed paid search to the top. Whereas just a couple years ago organic search delivered the top six results on the page, now the top four results are usually paid search, and it only looks to be getting harder and harder to be seen solely with SEO efforts.
Build your brand
Visibility on both organic and paid search is optimal to building a reputation as the source for whatever procedures you seek to highlight. If your practice is “everywhere” it adds to the impression that you are the expert. While it may not equate to an immediate click through to your site, repeated exposure gives you a prominent place in the minds of potential patients.
You can target precisely
With organic search, keywords and various optimization strategies deliver results, but they can’t be explicitly targeted. With PPC, you can target your potential patients with a variety of options: keywords, geography, time of day, and day of the week, among others.
You can make an impact instantly
Results from SEO aren’t instant. As we optimize your site, the results build as you rise on SERPs. In contrast, a PPC campaign can be created and executed in just a few days.
You can try different approaches
The speed above also means you can try different strategies. Want to gauge the interest in a new procedure? Do a specific PPC campaign focused solely on it.
Not only can you try different procedures to see what has more pull, you can do A/B testing within each procedure. Try different ads with different verbiage. Does a call-to-action button work better than a phone number? Test one approach against the other and you’ll accumulate valuable information for future marketing.
Costs can be low
Paid search can be expensive if you’re targeting a wide area with popular keywords. But it can also be relatively low cost. If you target a relatively small area and use a small set of keywords, you may be able to have an awesome conversion rate. Plus, as noted above, you can constantly adjust your strategy to keep it ultimately targeted.
Do you wonder if your practice should add PPC to its organic search presence? Call your MyAdvice representative, and let’s start looking at a strategy where you can test the water.
