So, how do you establish a PPC campaign? It's very much like the strategy and process for a print advertising campaign. You start with the purpose of the campaign: what's the message, who's the target and what do you want them to do?

Based on what you're planning, you'll choose keywords for your PPC ad that match what the audience is looking for and that relate to your Web site pages. If you're really feeling adventurous, you can create an Excel spreadsheet and create a list of different keywords to test.

It's extremely easy to test different ad phrases and see which ones work better to generate response. In fact, PPC advertising can be a really inexpensive way to try various keywords for all your other online marketing efforts. Also, you have full control of how much money you spend. And, you can turn it on or off. For example, if your daily budget is $10, the ads will stop running automatically when you reach $10 worth of clicks, and then start again the next day.

Make sure your PPC ad message has a clear offer (a reason to get excited, such as "Save $50!") and a clear call to action ("Do this to learn more" or "Do this to buy at this discounted price").

Then, follow the simple rules of Google PPC ads:

• Your ad title can be up to 25 characters, including spaces.
• Description line 1 can be up to 35 characters, including spaces.
• Description line 2 can be up to 35 characters, including spaces.
• Include the complete domain name of your Web site.
• Tracking URL: a special landing page promoting the featured PPC product with a clear offer and call to action (this must be used so the customer immediately sees the information related to the PPC ad only).

 Next week, I'll provide an example of a PPC ad that works. Until then have a great week, C S Wurzberger