Search Engine Marketing Costs

One of the most common questions asked about Search Engine Marketing programs is "how much does it cost?". Unlike classical news media advertising where a specific section of space would cost a specific amount, costs of SEM/PPC advertising will vary depending on the market and the advertiser's willingness to invest in it. Programs typically have an upfront cost of the initial research, setting up the campaign(s), and writing the ads. Then, there is usually a monthly fee for maintaining the program(s). These cost vary depending on the company doing the work and/or the amount being spent on advertising dollars.

The fees aside, the real cost of SEM/PPC advertising is the cost of the clicks on an ad and the effectiveness of the program. A campaign is usually set up with anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of keywords targeting the advertiser's market(s). Ads are writing for each keyword or groups of keywords, then the keywords are each bid on for placement of the ads on the search engine page. Bids can range from cents on the dollar into the tens of dollars… per click. Nothing is ever charged for the ads unless an ad for the advertiser is clicked on.

So, the total cost of the advertising will end up being the total of all clicks on all keywords advertised on. This is a relatively simple concept. Unfortunately, SEM/PPC is peppered with landmines of expense if the advertiser is not wise about managing his/her campaigns. The cost of a particular campaign will depend on the market pursued, the keyword bids placed, the effectiveness of the advertisements written, as well as the effectiveness of the site where the ads send the prospective customers to (the landing page). Google Adwords, in particular, will adjust the cost of 'clicks' depending on whether the prospects stay on the landing page or click the return button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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