Search Engine Marketing

Use Pay per Click Advertising to Build a Solid Email List

Written by Kristin Marquet for Gaebler Ventures

Learn how to grow a receptive list by using pay per click advertising. Even though pay per click advertising may seem outdated, it is not. In fact, it is one of the quickest and most effective ways to build an email list.

Many small online business owners need to incorporate list building strategies into their overall marketing plans to increase the bottom line; however many small business owners fail to use list building strategies because they find it overwhelming, time-consuming, expensive, or they lack the knowledge.

To make your life easier, we are going to show you that list building, specifically through using pay per click advertising, is not time-consuming and does not have to cost a fortune.

The easiest way to build an email list is to use pay per click advertising, preferably with the Google Adwords program. Go to www.google.com/adwords for more information. When someone searches the internet using certain keywords (that you bid on for your pay per click ad), your advertisement will appear at the top or down the right side of the result page. Google's Adwords program is effective, but can be very expensive if you do not use a daily or monthly budget.

List building through pay per click advertising is much quicker and effective than using free advertising methods such as article directories, press releases distribution systems, message boards, and forums. Writing press releases and distributing to various outlets, as well as writing articles for magazines and blogs could take months to attract people to your site.

Consider these tips:

• To keep your cost low, bid on specific, relevant, and uncommon keyword/keyword phrases. Common keywords cost a lot more. Single keywords are often more costly than phrases with multiple words. Rather than just bidding on the keyword "shampoo" bid on "organic shampoo" or "organic shampoo for dry hair."
• Make sure your website or blog is specific to the keywords that you have selected. If you have selected keywords that are related to shampoo, make sure the content on the site is related to shampoo. If you are part of an affiliate program, make sure that you have relevant content on the site or you will not get a good ranking on Google.
• Use relevant keywords a few times on your website. For every 300 to 500--word page article, use keywords/phrases with a 2 to 4% keyword density or search engines will categorize it as spam.
• Bid a little higher on keywords/phrases to start. You can lower your bid if you are not getting the traffic and conversions you want. Although Google rewards higher bids, be careful to put a limit on your spending because it is very easy to overspend.
• Use a domain name that includes the keywords you selected. It is also helpful to include the keyword in the title of the web page.

Kristin Marquet will be receiving her MBA from Harvard University in Fall of 2010. She has worked in the marketing and public relations field for over 10 years.

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