The True Cost of PPC Goes Beyond Your Monthly Advertising Budget

September 15, 2017 - By Aaron Hockel

What is the True Cost of PPC

For organizations exploring pay-per-click (PPC) for the first time, the budgeting process can seem straightforward: you set an overall budget, a cost per click, and away you go. In reality, the true cost of PPC advertising includes more than your monthly ad budget. Even discounting the cost of set up time, there are additional monetary costs to consider. To illustrate the true cost of PPC advertising, we will use an example monthly budget of $3,000.

Paying a Pay-Per-Click Expert

Let's look at the average cost per click, taken from the Google Keyword Planner, for three high value searches in the roofing industry in the United States:

• Roof Repair - $21.44
• Roof Replacement - $24.44
• Local Roofing Contractor - $20.08

When investing $20+ into a single website click, not to mention the $3,000 per month, it can make sense to pay an outside company to make sure that investment is being maximized. Outside fees can start at $500+ per month and easily surpass $1,000 depending on your advertising budget. With pay-per-click management, you often get what you pay for, so if a price seems to good to be true, it usually is.

Landing Page Development

High quality landing pages, optimized to convert paid traffic, are invaluable in getting the most out of your PPC budget. Each of the above searches should have their own landing page, that speaks to the heart of the search. Now let's assume the roofing company also repairs and replaces gutters, windows, and siding. Suddenly we are looking at needing to develop 12 landing pages. To maximize the $3,000 investment, it will likely require paying your website developer to create these landing pages.

Handling Inbound Pay-Per-Click Leads

If you are investing in a pay-per-click manager or agency, development of great landing pages, and paying $20+ for each click, it is imperative your operations are set up to handle inbound leads. This is especially true for inbound phone calls, because people are not always inclined to leave voicemails. Often times this can mean hiring a call service to guarantee every call is answered. Pricing for middle of the road outside call services typically run around $100 per month.

The True Cost of PPC Ads

Adding up our outside costs, the true cost of PPC ads for our roofer has increased beyond the $3,000 budget. Taking average pricing for all of the above, it is likely his total investment will be closer to $4,000 per month. These additional investments, however, will typically produce results that offset the costs and beat PPC campaigns that are not built by professionals, backed up by specific landing pages, and not set up to handle inbound leads. Interested in a free PPC consultation for your business? Contact the PPC experts at AltaVista Strategic Partners for a free breakdown of the true cost of PPC advertising for your services. They can be reached by sending them an email or calling 800-313-2168.

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