Now, that title probably makes you think that we're going to talk about personals ads. In a way, we are. The step that comes after buying a pay-per-click ad, like Google Adwords and the like is figuring out what to do with your traffic once you've got it coming in. After all, it's costing you money, you might as well try to convert that into cash flow.

Next you need a well thought out marketing plan.

Your visitors are coming to your web site because they're looking for something. You even have some idea of what they're looking for; it's related to the search term and Pay Per Click ad you bought. However, just because they're searching for something doesn't mean that they're going to instantly decide that your offering is the best one available. They're going to hit that back button, check the search results against other companies, and try to find the offer that's best for them.

Just like you would, and, going back to our personals ads analogy, just like someone browsing personals ads.

Most likely, what happened is that you skimmed the offer, hit the back button, checked competing offers, and thought it over. Visitors to your web site are (more or less) like you. They're going to do the same thing. Now, that should put some context into the mix for you, and tells you something you should be doing. Comparison shop.

Take a look at other sites that come up on the AdWord you bought. What offers are there? How are they presented? How does yours stand out from the mix, in a positive manner? What sort of mood would a customer be in if they're hitting your site in a given search pattern? Will they be happy, sad, grieving, stressed, or passionate about something? Make sure your web site fits the mood of the visitor to make that positive impression, so they'll come back after doing the comparison shop.

What questions will be high in the minds of your visitors when they're hitting your site? What questions do they need to have answered in order to make a properly informed decision? What are the answers they need, and how can you present them? (Here's a bit of truth in marketing, and in sales - you need to answer those questions before you ask for the money.)

Ask yourself, or better yet, ask customers what information could you give a visitor that searched out your website that they'd be willing to sign up to get? Offer these visitors this information in exchange for their name and email address.

The easy way to do this is offer them a taste of the content they'll get for subscribing. You get their contact info, they get your information content (with offers for products they might be interested in), and it's a fair trade. This also establishes that you have a deep and abiding interest in the subject matter, are willing to share information on it, and are willing to be patient enough to let them make up their own minds. That shows that you respect them. Which is the foundation of any lasting, long term relationship, whether romantic, or commercial.