Search Marketing's Holy Grail
Written 22.03.07 by: Sally Smith
MediaPost Publications today reports that Google’s Pay-Per-Action (PPA) search model has come a step closer with the release of it’s PPA beta version for a limited number of US advertisers.
PPA, long hailed as the future of search engine advertising because of its ability to eradicate click-fraud, will add a whole new dynamic to search marketing. When fully rolled out, companies will be able to bid on actions as well as clicks; paying for qualified leads or completed sales rather than site visits alone.
Google needed to act as smaller more dynamic companies, like Turn.com, have been building their businesses on a cost-per-action model for some time now. Given Google's size and market position, it should be leading changes in the sector and thanks to its resources it has been able to produce a beta version quickly.
This is an intelligent move by Google for a number of reasons. Firstly it appears to be listening to the feedback of its customers, who want leads and sales not just clicks. Secondly, PPA removes the thorn in the side of search marketing which is click fraud and lastly the move once again out-trumps Google’s rivals (just when Yahoo! Search thought it had caught up).
the OTHER media will monitor the progress of any PPA roll-out and experiment with the new technology as soon as it becomes available in the UK. A PPA search marketing model can only be of benefit to our clients, who will see clearer conversion rates and a better return on investment.