PPC, Google Places and Organic listings

[Feldon]

I have a local business and am currently in the top three on Google Places for my nearest town, however i would like to target a larger area to include other towns and a near by city but i won't be able to even get on Google Places or Maps as i have already used it for my existing town. So the only option for me is to use PPC or Organic listings.

I do currently use PPC and get an O.K return but am considering building a new site (s) and optimize to get on page one of Google, however i am asking my self if it is even worth it if there are 3 paid ad's at the top of the page then the 7 pack of Google Places and then the organic listings, o.k occasionally you might get an organic listing showing above Places but not always. So should i even bother with organic listings or should i stick to Adwords? Must admit i would like to be able to ditch adwords and save a bit.

My business is a service and can only realistically be offered to 30 mile radius of my home address.

 

[Codefixer]

Google Places is now called Google My Business.

Building a second site is quite a commitment and unless it's a relatively weak keyword with little traffic, it'll take you time, money to build something credible that ranks anywhere near the top of Google.

I'd go with the Google Adwords, you already have a campaign with ads, keywords so you can tweak these for the new area. If it works well and it's profitable for your business to service all the other areas then you could then consider building a second site.

 

[Karl B]

Whilst Google My Business (as Codefixer rightly pointed out!) and PPC are good, if you want long term success for your website then you need to look at other techniques. How much a month are you spending on PPC? Your money might be better spent on doing some PR and building the brand. It might cost a little more than PPC but it will give you a long term benefit and be much more profitable over a period of time.

 

[leveldisc]

I do currently use PPC and get an O.K return

Hi Feldon,

Do you think you could get a better return from PPC ? An awful lot of businesses are missing out on much higher profits by not optimizing all the PPC moving parts. An "OK return" could be masking a great return.

If you PM me your url, I'd be happy to have a quick nose around the PPC for your location and sector.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

I always ask, why switch off something that is working? Is PPC working for you? If so, if it ain't broke don't fix it.