The dream of every marketer for a cost-per-click (CPC) campaign is to increase its effectiveness while staying at or under budget. Kellysearch.com's Matt Lester recently offered some creative ideas to boost CPC ROI at little or no extra cost. These tips focus on Google AdWords, but many might apply to CPC programs across the board. Here are a few of his suggestions:

Show when it counts. Adjust your campaign to show your ads during your audience's peak Internet times. Google has a "handy option" called Ad Scheduling, Lester notes, which allows you to automatically turn your campaigns on and off at specific times.

Choose keywords like you mean it. Various tools, such as Google's Keyword Tool (accessible when you're logged in to AdWords), will help find specific keywords or phrases that are actually being used by the folks you most want to reach.

Select Longer Tail terms. By avoiding generic terms, and instead appealing to users searching for "very niche or specific items," Lester says, you'll likely reach a more targeted audience at a lower price.

Think seasonal. Up your spend in the months leading up to your product or service's high-demand times.

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