Can anyone recommend an article that is a good start for a noob in PPC? One that covers the very basics. Thanks in advance.
There should be plenty of info right here on Digitalpoint or even try Googling PPC, there will be plenty of information out there. If you had any specific questions I can help you... just let us know exactly what you want to know!
The very basics: - the niche determines the price - google adsense is good to start with (and usually best to stick with) - don't break the google adsense TOS - do optimize your ads - don't worry about income untill you have decent visitor numbers.
The niche doesnt always determine the price but it does with the contextual networks like Adsense. There are other PPC providers that have fixed rates.
But you would not advise starting with those, would you? Anyhow, even if the price doesn't change with the niche, the click through rate will. I mean: if I put smiley-ppc ads on my spiritual site, I don't expect high click through rates, so it is not going to make me money. Since CTR does determine what I make, the niche is important. Webdesign sites get low CTR, so they don't make a lot of money - unless they are hugely popular like DP (of course).
You can start whereever you like, no one said you had to start your PPC experience with Adsense? You are right about the CTR yes but at the same time a lower CTR means you are spending less as well as it is CPC based. I do encourage anyone new to PPC to try a few different PPC providers and see what works for you. Adsense doesn't work for everyone, and other networks wont work for everyone. As long as you can find what works for you !
Well, it also depends on the region, I guess. For me (in The Netherlands) there just isn't an alternative to adsense. I mean, they do exist, but they are all spammy. Adsense is nice and targeted and it's easy to use and from what I hear on here, most people make the majority of their ppc income off adsense.
Like I said its a matter of trying different PPC networks to see what works best for you. Just because people on here make the majority of their PPC income thrugh Adsense does not mean Adwords is the right program for him.
Good point. I realize there is plenty of info here in the forum, however, I am looking for a 'beginners' article on PPC. For instance, someone asked a similar question in another thread, but instead of PPC, this member wanted an article about developing inbound links. Well, I recommended this article to him: http://www.jimwestergren.com/link-building-guide/ A general purpose article on the basics of link building. I am looking for the same type basics article, but on the topic of "PPC Basics"
Well the concept of PPC is pretty straight forward.... you pay everytime soneone clicks your ad. Thats the fundamental theory.