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When it comes to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, Google still reigns as king. There are, however, some other options to try, and those looking to advertise their websites may find some of these options to perform better than Google’s AdWords platforms. AdWords has the most competition, and while it is effective, some may have better results targeting different advertising platforms. With large customer bases and established records, here are four options to consider.
LinkedIn is the premier social media platform for professionals and those working in the business field. Today, LinkedIn functions much like an online business card, and many professionals use it when networking with other professionals and business owners. Their PPC programme is unique in that it targets its audience of business professionals looking for make connections and meet other professionals. Those who are targeting businesses will likely see great results when using this platform. In addition, LinkedIn users are often wealthier than the average person who sees PPC ads on other networks.
Yahoo!
Before Google took control of the search engine market, Yahoo! was the champion. While most in the public today believe that Yahoo! is a shadow of its former self, the reality is that Yahoo!’s sports, news and music pages are some of the most popular in the industry. Yahoo! has a long advertising history, and users can target their ads to specific sections of Yahoo!’s media empire. If PPC ad deals with sports, news or entertainment, Yahoo!’s advertising network might be a great option.
Bing
Even though it has been around for years, most still view Bing as a newcomer to search engines. Thanks to a large advertising campaign, Bing now attracts a significant portion of search engine traffic. Most of Bing’s users are younger and looking for alternatives to the traditional names in search engines, and those looking to run a PPC campaign may see better results with Bing’s user base. Further, Bing is the search engine of choice for Microsoft aficionados, and those who deal with products or services related to Microsoft products may find a more receptive audience with Bing.
Social media has begun to dominate the Internet, and Facebook is the undisputed champion of social media sites. With nearly one billion active users and a diverse user base, Facebook is one of the Internet’s heavyweights. Facebook’s advertising platform allows users more freedom than Google AdWords, and users are likely to try out ads that are interactive. Further, users can like ads and share them with their friends. Running a great ad on Facebook can cause it to go viral and spread throughout the network.
The important key to remember with PPC campaigns is that they only cost money when someone clicks on an ad, so Google’s large user base is not much of an advantage. Those handling PPC campaigns are encouraged to try all of these networks and log their results; the cost for doing so is minimal, and the results may end up being surprising.
Nick is a Search Marketing Manager at Search Factory, a Brisbane based SEM and SEO agency. Nick has experience running PPC campaigns across a variety of networks and knows that a tailored approach across multiple networks can often drive the best results for clients.
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