Search engine placement, guaranteed
Can you guarantee your site will be listed on the first page of search results?
The answer is yes. But maybe not the way you think.
Pay per click is a type of Internet marketing where you tell a search engine what you're willing to pay for a website visitor. For example, you might be willing to pay 15 cents for a website visitor searching for “Austin mortgage broker”.
If that "bid" of 15 cents puts you among the eight to 10 or so top bidders, your link will appear on the first page of search results — separate from the "organic" results.
Why do pay per click?
The attraction of pay per click is that you don't pay for exposure. You only pay when a searcher actually clicks the link to your site. Just think if you only had to pay the yellow pages for the number of people that actually called. Pretty good deal, huh?
It's also a smart marketing plan because pay per click qualifies customers better than almost any other type of marketing. Someone searching for "mortgage refinance Reno Nevada" isn’t just some random visitor. They're interested enough in mortgage refinancing in Reno to be searching on the Web. That’s as qualified as a web lead gets.
What are the drawbacks?
If you're not careful, you can start paying for clickthroughs you don't want. It should go without saying that if you have a mortgage brokerage in Cleveland, Tennessee, you want to be careful about bidding too high for the search phrase "Cleveland mortgage." The vast majority of people searching that term are going to be located roughly 600 miles north of your office.
Which pay per click programs are right for you?
There are literally dozens of pay per click programs. But the largest ones, and the ones you’re probably the most interested in are:
If you're just starting a pay per click advertising program, it's best to start with one of the big ones.
How can you make it work for you?
If you’re new to pay per click, start with the basics: Do some searches on Google or Yahoo that you think might lead people to your site, and see what other brokers or companies you’re up against. Do you want to be on the first page of results for a given search? The best way to find out is by performing the search yourself and seeing the results.
When you start bidding, be sure to choose the search terms you're bidding on wisely. The search terms you bid on should be the same that your target market is likely to search with.
Once you’ve selected your search terms, edit your content so that it’s relevant to the search. If you’re paying for the term “mortgage refinance Nevada”, make sure you talk about refinancing in your content. The first step is getting them to your site, the next step is keeping them there with engaging content that educates and shows them you’re a professional they can count on. If you’re willing to pay for help, a tool like WordTracker can be invaluable.
More borrowers than ever are using the internet to qualify for purchase mortgages and to refinance, and pay per click is the only way to guarantee a top ranking in any search engine.
