In the very earliest days of the Internet, people were excited at the prospect of being able to reach out to, and communicate with, other people around the globe. Today, the Internet is still largely about social networking and social searches - in fact, the public's love affair with meeting others online has even spilled over into mainstream media advertisements. But how much of an impact do social networking and social search have on PPC?
Pay Per Click
Pay per click advertising, or PPC, is hugely popular online. Many advertisers use PPC to get their name out there and even pull traffic to their sites. PPC works very simply, a system that's based upon keywords and search engines (like so many other systems used online).
Using certain keywords and phrases, users enter information into search engines to find sites that might match their requests. Anyone who has used a search engine knows that once a search is entered, links to web pages come back. PPC allows advertisers to include sponsored links on results pages, links that will generate a small amount of revenue when clicked upon by users. Using these sponsored links, advertisers not only get their links on search pages, but they potentially pull in new customers and buyers.
Social Networking and Social Search
The Internet will always be used for social connection, and it's obvious this phenomenon is only growing through online forums, chat rooms, discussion groups, even whole web sites that are designed for nothing other than social interaction. But do social networking and social search play a role in PPC?
The thing is, everything on the Internet is built around search engines. Many use search engines to find new social sites, new ways to interconnect, new people to meet, and that provides plenty of opportunity for PPC links and ads. It's always a great idea to offer social interaction on your web site no matter what kind of products or services you're selling, and sponsored links are just one more way to call attention to these social features. PPC is a big part of the Internet, as is social networking. Why not marry the two, and create traffic while you capitalize on an ever-growing online trend?
When you market your site toward people looking for social interaction, be sure to include enticing keywords and features that make it easy to connect - forums, live chat, discussion board, person to person, etc. PPC advertising has been known to work, because search engines and keywords are the driving force behind so much Internet traffic. Social networking and social searches draw in traffic, which only proves the two are well-suited to each other. |
