What is Pay Per Call? How does it work?

Pay Per Call is the next wave of advertising on the Internet. Similar to a Pay?Per?Click advertising. Pay Per Call has a lot more to offer and a wider audience in mind. The Pay-Per Call (PP-Call) is geared towards small businesses that do not have a web presence on the internet. However, this form of advertising can be used by all types of business or services offered on the net.

Advertisers create an ad similar to a Pay-Per-Click (PP-Click) ad. Advertisers choose key terms in which they would like to appear under. They also choose their geographical location (local, regional or national) Pricing starts at $2 and can exceed $20. The ad itself consists of a headline and 2 additional lines of text, (including a URL if the company has one). Surfers then call the toll free number shown in the ad. After the surfer calls the number, the call is forwarded to the actual business phone. Seems pretty basic doesn't it? But, I had a few questions I needed answered so I contacted Ingenio and spoke to them about their service.

My first question regarded calls placed after business hours. If my business phones are manned Monday ? Friday, 9 to 5, will calls still come in after 5pm on Friday? The answer is that currently there is no automated scheduling that will turn your ads on or off at a specified time. However, you can go in manually and pause your account so that your ads are not shown during non-business hours. The automated scheduling is in the process of being implemented but there is currently no set date for this to take effect. Of course, you can place your business hours in the ad as well but this may take up valuable space that could be better utilized describing products or services. Businesses that have a call center for after hours calls are effectively 24 hour businesses, so this should not be an issue for them.

My next question concerned wrong numbers and short calls. We have all done it. We see one number and dial another. Or, we see something and on impulse we reach for the phone, and then change our mind ten seconds after dialing. So, does the advertiser pay for these types of calls? Is there a time limit a person needs to be on the phone for? There answer is yes. The calls need to last at least ten seconds. This should be more than enough time to establish that a wrong number as been dialed. I also wondered about people trying to beat the system. The trouble with PP-Click is that people may dial and occupy a salesperson with no intent other than to try and boost their revenue off the ads placed on their site. Ingenio has taken this into account. They can track calls that come in through their system. Any numbers seen abusing it can be blocked. Hopefully, this will discourage any type of scam to boost profits on sites that sponsors these ads.

I was also interested to know about ads that did provide a URL. Was there an additional charge levied when someone clicked on the ad? Fortunately, there is not. If a business sells over the net as well, they could certainly use this to their advantage. Of course, one of the main advantages to this type of advertising is that it caters to potential customers that do not, for whatever reason, like to make purchases online. Overall PP-Call may be worth its weight in gold. At least the potential is there. Will it surpass PP-Click as far as the preferred method of advertising? Probably, not. It does however give advertises who couldn't advertise on the net before a reason to start. Maybe then they will see the importance of having a web presence on the Internet.

Visit Joe's blog http://mr-seo.blogspot.com/ to learn more about SEO. His affordable web design service is located at http://www.jnb-design.com and for more tips on SEO and his services visit http://www.mr-seo.com

---

The Power of Taglines: Take My Tagline Test!

An effective logo/tagline combination can be one of the best... Read More

Long Copy Secrets - Keys To Mental Engagement

Master copywriter Robert Collier often used a technique to get... Read More

Internet Marketing: 10 Blazing Internet Marketing Secrets To Sky-Rocket Your Profits

Your turn to succeed has come.I am happy to offer... Read More

How To Find Deep Discount Pro Online Marketing Tools

You can't row a boat without an oar or build... Read More

Are You Utilizing a 5-Point Prospecting System?

If not, you may be losing out on some very... Read More

7 Quick Marketing Tips To Uplift Your Profits

1. Publish an ezine.Your ezine will help you to stay... Read More

Viral Marketing! Are You Missing Out?

Many of you are reading this article because you would... Read More

Identify your Target Market by Tracking and Exploiting Profitable Search Engine Keyword Phrases

There's a very lucrative "marketing formula" to targeting prospects on... Read More

Online Web Marketing Tips

Here is a list of a few of my favorite... Read More

At Last, The Real Secret Of Internet Marketing

I am going to share a real secret with you... Read More

Online Marketing Law! Whats Happening?

You read that right. There's a new law in California... Read More

Why Submitting Articles Gnaws at You Like an Unsent Thank-You Note

Writing and Submitting Articles is More about Psychology than Writing... Read More

The 3 Secrets of High Traffic Sites

It seems to be in vogue these days to downplay... Read More

New Product Launch Checklist

Launching a new product or service is an exciting time... Read More

Got Some L.A.F.S.?

Could you use some laughs? I'll bet you could, especially... Read More

Internet Marketing Online: Secret To Gain An Advantage Over Your Competition By Using Bartering

If you've a business, you must always keep an eye... Read More

Have You Got Your Ear To The Ground Or Your Head In The Sand?

What happened on your website yesterday? What about last week... Read More

Strategic Internet Marketing Is Planning

Strategic Internet marketing is a way to define your potential... Read More

How To Create An Automated Income Producer

One of my favorite net marketing tasks is creating a... Read More

The Truth Behind Guaranteed Sign Ups

I've got a confession to make... I have been into... Read More

How Your Hobbies Can Help You With Your Business

Everyone has a hobby or interest that they have a... Read More

10 Search Tips for Internet Marketers

From kids to the old, everybody searches and search engines... Read More

Blog and Ping ? A Search Engine Traffic Bonanza

Everyone is talking about blogs these days as the magic... Read More

In Depth Analysis of a Successful Niche Product

The product is about teaching your parrot how to talk.... Read More

Interactive Content ? Blogs, Forums, and Feedback ? What Does Your Web Site Need?

The business principle of continued contact and online relationship building... Read More

Online Marketing & Promotions: Joint Ventures Super Secrets Revealed

What is a Joint Venture?How can this online marketing and... Read More

Add-on Sales - The Key To Success On The Web

Question: Can you guess the cheapest way to make a... Read More

Online Paid Survey

Basic IdeaAround the world, companies spend over $250 billion dollars... Read More

6 Steps to Establish Your Expertise

Like the Internet itself, online marketing resources such as blogs,... Read More

Internet Marketing - Article Announcer

Who said marketing on the internet was easy. All the... Read More

Online Sales: 10 Mind Boggling, Electrifying Tricks To Ignite Your Sales

Do you want to unleash a tsunami of sales at... Read More

Getting Members For Your Community

If you read my first article titled BUILDING A BUSINESS... Read More

Make Your Internet Marketing Easier With Niche Marketing Keywords

If your home based business depends on niche marketing, keywords... Read More