PPC Tarmac's Quarterly Tip Sheet

Winter, 2008

PPC Tarmac is a division of Game Face Web Design

The Good News

Although one third of consumers are expected to spend less this holiday season, the news is not all bad for online retailers. Black Friday online traffic was up an average of 15% over last year for many product categories.

What does that mean for your business?

The Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 49 percent of people search online every day. Search is now second only to checking email as an online activity.

Even consumers that choose to shop in person are doing more research online before they hit the stores. Consumers report that the Internet is the most useful source of information for potential purchases.

When customers are searching for deals, they click on the sponsored links that show up on Google. These "Adwords" ads are free to place, unless someone clicks on one, in which case it could cost from 5 cents to $50, depending on the competition.

How much would you pay to get someone to your website who's looking for exactly what you sell?

The Bad News

Businesses with online stores should expect increased competition as retailers fight for consumers searching online for best buys and reasons to visit.

Beyond the price and value of their offerings, this competition for online sales comes in three flavors:

1. Competing for search leads (getting found on Google first)
2. Competing for interest (better website design and content)
3. Competing for sales (online stores that close deals)

There are many new free tools that can help small businesses like yours compete, and few of your competitors are using them well... YET!

The game isn't over. For a few hours a week, you can learn how to get more visitors to your website while the fourth quarter lasts. See below for two opportunities beginning now:

• a morning workshop in Hudson on December 4th, and
• an online course beginning December 8th, free to workshop attendees.
  

Internet Workshop This Week; Free Online Course Follows

At 8:30 am on December 4th, PPC Tarmac is holding a workshop (free to Columbia County Chamber Members, $25 for others) at the Muddy Cup in Hudson (a satellite office of Game Face). To learn more, visit /hudson-workshop.

Starting December 8th, a fourth round of "Intro to Adwords" will run for six weeks. It is free to those who attend the workshop above, $100 for others. Join an online learning peer group of Mid Hudson Valley businesses developing Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad campaigns together! For more information, or to register for this online course, visit /ppc-roi