Pay per click marketing is often associated with big business. For example, State Farm alone spent about $44 million dollars on Google in 2011. In our experience, nationally-focused clients often reach out to us very aware of what PPC might be able to do for them, but many local business owners often feel less sure about the potential benefit. Feeling relegated to the the minor leagues and not understanding the opportunity, they hesitate to explore this avenue for growth, only to eventually try it and quickly see positive results.

The Key : Pay per click advertising (or PPC for short) can be dialed in to focus on regional areas. This could be the entire U.S., a single zip code, or a specific radius around your location.

Even Google has come to recognize the power of local search. For example, when you search for ‘Italian restaurants’ or ‘car repair’, almost no national businesses appear on the first page at all. That is because many people use Google to search locally. For a local business owner, this can be a huge opportunity. Depending on the area and the keywords you target you can enjoy a number of very important advantages over large, national or international businesses that can be touch to beat.

Advantages for local PPC include:

1. Relevancy – As a local business you are often more relevant to potential clients searching in your area than a national brand on the other side of the country.  This often translates into more clicks and sales.
2. Lower Click Costs for Your Ads – High quality scores for a relevant, local webpage mean your bids go further.
3. Targeted Message – Because you know your audience, it is often easier to craft a more effective ad that resonates with your potential clients.
4. Easy to Test – You know your products and your area.

Important Tip : Many PPC companies represent multiple clients with the same products in the same region. This means that what they find works best for you is then shared with competitors. Be sure to find an agency that is willing to forgo working for your direct competition while they are working for you.

Whether you are interested in a national or local PPC campaign, pay per click can help a business to quickly grow their business. Working with your PPC management service, you can begin a test to see how PPC works for your business. Results will vary depending on your business goals, budget, competition, and online traffic in your area, but the effects are highly measurable and allow you to see exactly what you gain from the effort. After you have determined a baseline for your campaign, you can then continue to improve your ROI over time with new insights and data.

In our next post we will answer more common questions regarding PPC for small business. For now, please feel free to contact our team with any questions.