PPC Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the difference between "Paid Search," "Pay Per Click," "PPC," and "Sponsored Link" advertising?

     Nothing, paid search advertising has been called many different names. Each is a form of online advertising in which relevant ads appear when a particular keyword or phrase is entered into a search engine.

2) What is the difference between advertising on the Content Network and Search?

     When you do Search Advertising, you are advertising directly on a search engine. When you opt in to advertising on the Content Network, your ads will appear on websites that are relevant to your products or services. Sweet Spot Marketing will work with you to determine if the content network is right for your marketing goals, as well as choose specific sites that are relevant to your product or service. For more information about the content network, see our blog post from 2009 titled "What is the Content Network".

3) How do the Search Engines charge me when doing Pay Per Click Advertising?

     You are only charged by the Search Engine when someone clicks on your ad and is directed to your website.

4) Who sets the price for each keyword?

     The price for each keyword is based on supply and demand. The Search Engines will typically start the bidding price at 10 cents per click and competition will raise the price. Typically the higher your bid, the higher your ad will appear.

5) Is pay per click advertising expensive?

     A poorly managed campaign can be expensive. Paying attention to details will allow your campaign go from expensive to profitable. It is important to know where your money is being spent and determining if you are receiving a positive return on your investment. We will insert conversion tracking code into your site (at no cost) which will be able to determine which keywords are generating leads/sales and which ones are not.

6) What is the difference between an “Exact Match” keyword, a “Phrase Match” keyword, a “Broad Match” keyword, and “Negative” keyword?

     An exact match keyword means that when someone types in a phrase or keyword into a search engine, they have to type in that specific keyword or phrase. A phrase match means that when someone types in a phrase or keyword, their search must include the exact keyword but can have descriptors before or after the keyword. A broad match means that when someone types in a phrase or keyword into a search engine, your ad will appear on similar variations of your keyword. A negative keyword is a type of keyword you can put into your paid search campaign that will tell the search engines not to display your ad.

     Note: During our initial conversation, Sweet Spot Marketing will ask the necessary questions to ensure we have the proper match type set up when we create your keywords.

7) What is the difference between paid search and natural search (SEO)?

     Paid search is the process in which you dictate to the search engines which keywords will trigger your ad to appear and you will pay whenever someone clicks on that ad. Natural Search, sometimes call Organic Search or SEO, is a process in which the Search Engines determine which sites appear based on the relevancy of their site and the search term entered by the user.

8) Should I start with Paid Search or Natural Search?

     In most cases, Sweet Spot Marketing will suggest that you start with a Paid Search campaign first. The reason we suggest paid search as a starting point is to allow you to test a large number of keywords and measure the results of those keywords. Once you have good data set on a number of PPC keywords, we can work with you to make good decisions in creating a specific, well-targeted SEO campaign.

9) Why should I pay Sweet Spot Marketing to manage my Paid Search account rather than do it myself?

     Keeping up with the latest changes the search engines are handing out is a full time job unto itself. We are one of only 136 Certified Google Adwords Companies in the US and our account management staff has multiple years of experience managing accounts that spend as little as $500 a month all the way up to $100,000 per month.

     The bottom line is, Sweet Spot Marketing is easy to work with, has affordable pricing and provides the industry expertise that will maximize your search engine advertising dollars.

10) I only want to sell my products to consumers or businesses in my region, so can I target my ads to only have those people see them?

     Yes. The great thing about Paid Search Advertising is you can geo-target your ads so only people in the markets you want to reach will see your ads. If you later decide that you want to expand or contract that area, we can change that within just a few minutes.

11) How long will it take to launch my new Pay Per Click Account?

     Once we have the initial call with you to determine your goals and objectives, we will have your new Pay Per Click account built and ready for launch within a week.

12) How long will it be before I start seeing results?

     Immediately. You will start generating traffic to your website within a few hours of your new PPC campaign launching.

13) What kind of reporting will I receive?

     Sweet Spot Marketing believes in complete transparency when it comes to reporting. We provide detailed reports that break down the money spent on each keyword or campaign. We also perform an ROI analysis that shows which keywords and campaigns are the most profitable and which need adjustment. Sweet Spot Marketing also provides a monthly summary report that will detail the changes and updates made to your account each month.

14) Can I make changes or updates to my account?

     Yes. Just contact one of our Google Certified Account Managers with any changes or revisions and we will be happy to implement those for you.

15) Can I change my budget at any time?

     Yes. We can change your budget and see it updated within a few minutes.

16) How does the billing work? Do I pay Sweet Spot Marketing or do I pay the Search Engine?

     Sweet Spot Marketing can invoice you for your click charges along with our monthly service fees to save you the hassle of keeping up with multiple invoices. We do accept all major credit cards and can extend credit terms for companies that qualify.

17) Can I cancel at any time or is there a cancellation fee?

     You are not held to any long term contracts when working with Sweet Spot Marketing nor will you be charged any kind of cancellation fee. We only ask for a 30 day notice when you decide to terminate your account.

18) Do I get to keep my account even if I cancel my services with Sweet Spot Marketing?

     Yes, in the event you cancel our services, you will still have access and ownership of your online account.

19) How do I start doing business with Sweet Spot Marketing?

Just call us toll-free at (888) 505-7111 or fill out the form on the contact us page, and a Sweet Spot Marketing®, professional will be in touch with you shortly.