ForumsInternet/eCommerce

(repeated from a very similar thread - if originator can repeat, then so can I)

Or better yet, rely on "good coding in the source code, a lot of relevant content and legitimate links" (grin)

Establish credibility and expertise (become a search destination) with
great content. Help the engines find that great content with legitimate
links from other established sources, as well as properly coded pages
(don't make a search engine sweat, or it'll leave in a huff - wink)

I've achieved several dozen top-10 Google rankings for my website alone
in 2 months time (a brand new site, rebranding my firm and new URL in
Oct 2007) without spending 1 cent on PPC.

Not saying PPC is bad or not worth it - but it's not NECESSARY with the
right webdev team that can provide the best solutions for your
business. Hint on who that might be? (LOL)

Mike

PPC-Pro, re: "Studies have proven that websites that rank high organically and have PPC ads running on those keywords as well, not only dramatically increase their click thru rates but their conversion rates as well."

No question that the click-thru rate increases. Could you please provide links to the studies proving that conversion rates increase? Hard evidence of this would be significant to several clients. Thanks!

You're asking ME? Yes, I think that is too much to ask (or claim) regarding PPC -- that's why I was asking for links to the studies that proved conversion rate would increase. Click-thru rate, yes . . . and if the clicks increase, the sheer number of conversions might increase, too -- but in our studies, the conversion rate actually dropped (and quite significantly) which is why I'm so interested in seeing studies that proved otherwise.

"Too much to ask or claim ... " PPC is one of the fastest growing industries right now. Google didn't go from a simple search engine with moderate revenues to a power house of a company seeing revenue jumps by the billions each year because pay per click advertising doesn't work. PPC is their bread and butter ... period.
I've been doing this for over 6 years and have tested the results (conversion rates) across several different sites. While there are many different ingredients that go into a successful internet marketing campaign, the results favored having strong listings both organically and paid. (Lot's of good stuff about this at MarketingSherpa.com)
It's important to understand the role of your PPC campaigns. PPC Campaigns do NOT sell your product or service ... your Website does. If you're using "targeted" keywords, good ad copy and relevant landing pages, the traffic coming to your site should be qualifed. But if your site doesn't sell ... prices too high, no free shipping, site lacks appeal, clumsy navigation, unclear calls to action and the list could go on and on ... then the blame is on the sales person / website.
Having an Industry Leading website is Critical in online marketing. Go to www.archive.org and type in a URL in their Way Back Machine and see how many times the big boys change/update their websites. Look at Wal-Mart and Best Buy for example. They do this for a reason
Bottom line - Pay Per Click Advertising works. I do it everyday. Granted there are clients that come to us that haven't had or start of with poor results. But we can always trace poor performance back to the website, pricing, lack of incentives or other factors that hinder the purchase. Using good analytic tools to determine bounce rates and possible pages being abandoned during the check out process are essential in making it all work. Let's face it ... the day's of "build it and they will come" went bye bye a long time ago. The internet has truly evolved to a "survival of the fittest" scenario.

PPC-Pro, I didn't question whether PPC works (one of those "big boys" is a client of mine). I simply asked for a link to the studies you cited that have proven higher website rankings and PPC ads dramatically increase conversion rates. If you're saying now that they really don't (and that the factors that do correlate to higher conversion rates are actually contained within the site itself), then fine, no surprise there -- that's what our studies show. If you had studies documenting a direct impact on conversion rate, that's what intrigued me. Thanks.