PPC - What is it?

PPC is an internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites or landing pages, whereby the advertiser only pays when the ad is clicked, ie. no click, no cost.  Advertisers simply bid on keyword phrases (not unlike an auction) that are relevant to their product and services.  When a surfer’s keyword query matches a keyword phrase you have bid on, you ad will be displayed.

Image: Google Search for B2B Website - in this case the top three shaded results and the right-hand column are paid-for advertisements.  The other results are organic listings (not paid for).

Why PPC?

Can generate leads/drive sales – Did you know that 28 people in the UK are looking for “B2B PPC” and 480 people for "B2B website" every month? And they are only two of our key terms.

Highly demand driven (targeted) & non-intrusive – Prospects tell search engines what they are looking for at the time it is of interest to them.

Measurable ROI – If set up correctly, you are able to measure real ROI for individual ads

Very cost effective in B2B – Often less competition (lower keyword cost) and higher lead value than in B2C

Brand benefits - 88% of UK searches are for branded search terms - don’t miss out on prospects who are trying to find you by appearing below your competitors.  Furthermore, 36% of search engine users believe that the companies whose websites are returned at the top of the search results are the top brands in their field.¹    Are you a top brand?

What Next?

You PPC campaign can be ‘live’ within hours of setting it up and you may have some competitors who already advertise and scoop up your leads that could be yours.  Don’t delay it - get started!  Simply email us or call us on 01663 766565 and we will get the ball rolling.

¹ UK Internet Statistics Compendium (2011), Econsultancy, May 2011 – view sample report

A major re-branding and corporate identity design should never be undertaken lightly and axongarside recommends that such a project should only be considered when there are really compulsive business reasons for doing so.

In the case of Central Electrical we were originally invited to pitch for the re-development of the company’s B2B website by our web development partner, Silkmoth. As we got stuck in to understanding Central’s business, objectives and opportunities as part of our web design process it became increasingly clear that before we begun to design a website Central should consider its brand positioning and corporate identity neither of which reflected the company which had changed hugely since it was founded in 1972 by  Mike Sutton. The company has expanded into a variety of markets outside the water industry and now provides a comprehensive range of services beyond the sales and maintenance of electrical drives including a full  consultancy service to its prestigious client base.

The challenge as we saw it was first to develop a new identity to reflect these developments, and then a website which had the ability both to generate online sales prospects and also to be an effective sales tool. Directors Tim and Shaun Sutton accepted our recommendation to establish a Central Group in which electrical sales would join six other divisions as part of a comprehensive new corporate identity.

The website was developed on the Kentico platform by Keith Jones and the team at our development partners, Silkmoth, who worked closely with axongarside on the specification of the site. Our experience working with other B2B sales organisations told us that creating distinctive sales channels not only makes a company’s offerings more understandable and accessible for customers but encourages cross and up selling by the sales force. Our design brought the new sales structure to the fore of the new site so that potential customers can easily find the information that they require. At the same time, in line with our own best practice approach to B2Bwebsite design we made extensive use of call to action ‘advertisements’ on every page of the site. This facility allows the site owner to create visual links to other related and relevant pages on the site. As well as making it easy for visitors to drill into the site, this also helps them to understand how other parts of the Central Group could bring benefits to their business. An early test of B2B websites is often whether field and internal sales refer to the site as part of their day to day sales process.  www.gocentral.co.uk has passed this first test with flying colours.

If you are considering a re-branding project and would like some advice about how to approach the task call Ian on 01663 766565 or email him info@axongarside.co.uk

To find out more about axongarside’s B2B website design process download our smartsite ebook