The whole idea of performance marketing is very simple – you pay for the result. This way, for example, two giants of the online market – Google and Facebook – are responsible for their marketing services. The most popular billing models are:

CPC: cost per click (ad click fee)
CPM: cost per mille (fee for 1000 ad impressions, e.g. banner)
CPV: cost per vier (fee for viewing, e.g. of a YouTube video)
CPS: cost per sale (sales fee, popular model in e-commerce)

As you can see, these models depend primarily on the medium you are using and the expected result. For example, if you want as many customers as possible to click on your ad in Google Ads, you automatically choose the CPC model, because no other model will work in this case. The situation is slightly different when you want your customers to take a different type of action. This is what the CPA model was created for.

CPA: definition

CPA means cost per action. This is a non-standard billing model as it can include a whole range of different activities that your customers or users take. Activities billed in the CPA model include, for example:

– e-book download,
– subscription to the newsletter,
– filling in the application form,
– making a reservation,
– sending an inquiry or satisfaction survey.

CPA: Marketing

Due to its flexible nature, the CPA model is very popular in marketing. It is particularly eagerly used in the aforementioned performance marketing. It can be used in many cases and is easy to calculate. Speaking of which, how can you calculate the cost of a campaign in the CPA model? Use this simple formula to do this: CPA Cost = Total Campaign Cost / Number of Actions.

So, if you ran a promotional campaign for your new e-book, spent $ 10,000 on it, and 360 downloaded it, the CPA would cost $ 27.78.

It is also worth explaining that the term CPA is understood differently by Google and Facebook. In the case of Google, CPA simply means conversion – that is, reaching your final ad goal. You can read more about it here. What about Facebook? In their Business Help Center, we can read that CPA “allows you to pay only for actions that people take on your ad.” So the way of understanding this method of settlement is very similar.

CPA: Earning

Finally, let’s explain the relationship between the CPA model and your company’s earnings. The only possible answer is indirect. CPA is rarely directly about selling. Of course, this is what you ultimately care about (you hope that after reading your e-book someone will become your client, or that the person who made the reservation will come to the scheduled treatment, etc.), but the model itself is not based on how much you earn. It focuses on what actions your customers will take. Of course, some of them will eventually lead to a sale, but not all of them. Therefore, you should approach the CPA model with a certain amount of caution and do not expect that campaigns settled in this way will directly translate into higher sales in a short time.

If you want to know more about the CPA model and see how it could work in your case – please contact the Paraphrase-Online team. We will help you plan and conduct campaigns that will help you achieve your business and marketing goals.

It is true that articles or films on a given topic remain on the servers and usually, even many years after the original publication, they are still available, but the harsh truth is that very often they simply do not interest any recipient anymore. Their online use-by date has passed – such is the fate of the vast majority of news, reviews, sports reports, political commentaries and materials from hundreds of other categories. The Internet generates enormous amounts of information that we simply do not need – even those that recipients consider up-to-date and valuable at a given moment, in the vast majority of cases, will soon lose their recipients’ attention. The circle of digital life in all its glory.

There are, however, individual pieces of the Web that enjoy unflagging interest. Such content is called evergreen, in keeping with its name being evergreen and flourishing recognition, and hence – also organic traffic to the site. A post, website or movie called evergreen content generate visits all the time. There is no trick to it, although of course such an article must be created in accordance with good SEO practices and full of properly selected keywords. The most important thing, however, is that its content does not expire, while remaining up-to-date despite the passage of time.

In the case of portals on pop culture, evergreen articles will be, for example, journalistic materials about timeless book or film classics, which are considered a canon in a given field. However, in the tech industry, for example, things are a little more complicated. Both software and hardware change so dynamically that such texts very quickly become obsolete. An article about the best programs for a given task one year after publication may be simply based on outdated data, ergo useless for the user. From the website administrator’s perspective, a guide to a specific version of a given application loses its potential when customers migrate to the updated edition of the program.

Please note that seasonal content is not classified as evergreen content. The Google Trends chart for the phrase “presidential election” shows a huge increase in interest every 4 years, but in the periods between the elections, few users search for material on this topic. A similar situation occurs with other cyclical events – the football world championship, the Nobel Prize Gala, Golden Globe Awards or death anniversaries of famous people.

Evergreen content – examples

– Diet items – what to eat to lose weight, how to gain weight, etc .;
– Recipes for popular dishes – from scrambled eggs, to chili con carne, to preparing lobster;
– Training articles – sets of exercises for a specific audience and for a specific purpose;
– Dictionary content – definitions and translations of words or phrases;
– Various types of guides – e.g. gardening, renovation, computer;
– User manuals for specific tools.

Of course, this is only the tip – an article can be called an evergreen when its topicality (and thus the potential interest of the recipients) does not pass with time. It does not mean, however, that once written text should not be updated. While the assumption of evergreen is long, eternal topicality in mind, expanding the content with new data will always be desirable – both by recipients and by indexing robots. However, a well-written evergreen text does not require frequent completion, saving you time.

For this reason, evergreen content articles cannot define, for example, the vast majority of purchase guides with product proposals. Of course, guides “what to buy – [month, year]” can also generate valuable traffic and increase conversion in a given e-store, but it certainly contradicts the idea of evergreen.

Apart from several industries, current trends and store supplies are changing so dynamically that such texts have to be updated very often – even every few weeks.

How to write an evergreen article?

The main source of traffic for this type of content is organic traffic from search engines. In online marketing, intuition is very important, but it loses to something much more powerful – data analysis.

A. Keywords
The selection of appropriate keywords that will be placed in the text will be a priority, making it easier for users to find the article. So you have to answer the question: what phrases do people who are looking for content on a given topic enter into the search engine? If the topic has already been raised on competing websites – let’s not hide it, it probably is – you can analyze the content and structure of the text using various tools, and use the collected data to build your own project. Tools such as Google Trends, as well as Ahrefs, Senuto and Semstorm will be useful for this.

B. Adapt the text in line with good SEO practices
The article must be filled with valuable keywords, but in addition to the content, the form is also important. In order for it to fulfill its role, i.e. not only generating traffic, but not causing the reader to immediately turn off the card and turn to other sources of knowledge, it should be presented in an attractive structure. It consists of the entire visuals – text layout, division into paragraphs, used graphics, font and its color and many other factors.

C. Linking
Even the best-written and presented text will not make it to the top of the search results if it is not linked to it from various sides – especially in a competitive industry, where many other players are waiting for high positions. If the article is indeed very valuable from the user’s perspective, many links will naturally appear, harnessing the social power of the internet. Usually, however, even this is not enough to lift a subpage where it should be – at the very top. For this reason, it is worth using the help of professional positioners with experience, resources and skills in link building.

D. Copywriting and sales decency
When writing articles that are evergreen content in mind, it is easy to overdo it and turn to clickbait to encourage users to read even more. Sure, the main assumption of blog articles is most often, in addition to collecting traffic, encouraging – directly or indirectly – recipients to buy products, use the services of a given company or build brand prestige. However, evergreen’s article must carry not only sales, but also substantive value.

E. Protection against obsolescence
It is worth avoiding references to current events – although a country or the world is commenting on a matter, sensation or behavior at a given moment, in a few months the public’s attention will completely change its direction. References to a currently popular series or a political dispute are very catchy and often the most justified in terms of marketing, but in the long run they harm rather than help. It is hard to find a greater signal that the text was written a long time ago than an outdated joke or a saying that was only popular in its time.

Regardless of whether you run a clothing store, an automotive parts store, a gardening equipment store, a health food store, you have one specific goal – for example, getting customers and increasing sales. An online store advertisement comes in handy, thanks to which you can reach a wide audience. This is the beginning of the road, but you are not far from success.

Online store advertising – possibilities

Wondering what online advertising options you have? Internet marketing is a very broad concept, thanks to which you will choose solutions adequate to your needs and expectations. Importantly, online store advertising should not focus on just one tool at all. To increase your chances of success, it is worth acting on many levels. Many forms of online advertising complement each other perfectly, thanks to which a larger group of potential customers can get to know you.

Paid online store advertisement

This is a paid online store advertisement that gives quick results. Therefore, it will be great when you are just starting a business and your brand is not yet known.

As part of Google Ads, you can use, among others from sponsored links. They are displayed in the search engine – above the organic results – after entering specific keywords. After clicking the user is redirected to your store.

Another option is given to banner campaigns, which are implemented with the participation of portals cooperating with Google Ads. The banner is displayed on the given website – after clicking on the graphic the user is redirected to the online store.

The third option is Google Shopping – a tool with which you can promote specific products in the search engine. The user entering the product name receives the results in a special box – a link to the product appears along with the name of the store, price and photo. This is a very effective method of advertising products from your online store.

Facebook advertising

Statistics show that most people use at least one social networking site. Facebook is the most popular and – among other things – is where you should mark your presence.

One of the forms of advertising is your own fanpage, through which you can establish long-term relationships with customers and engage in dialogue with them. It is also a good way to build brand awareness.

The fanpage itself is not enough – especially if the store takes its first steps. Facebook campaigns come in handy to help you adapt to your needs. The form of advertising can be, for example, sponsored posts appearing on the board of potential customers or in Messenger.

Content marketing

Content marketing is not direct advertising. It is a series of activities on the Internet that primarily allow you to increase brand awareness, build an image of an expert or gain leads.

These activities can be carried out in many ways, however, the publication of thematic articles on external websites and the publication of articles on a company blog plays a major role. But really, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. We discuss the topic of content marketing in detail in the guide.

Online store advertising – why is it worth it?

The need to incur financial expenses for advertising on the Internet raises many questions – including those related to profitability. Although it’s hard to get a definite answer, one thing is certain: online store advertising has many advantages.

Wide range
Internet advertising is distinguished by a very wide range. It allows reaching thousands of recipients around the world. This is especially important if you are considering selling products also abroad. A wider reach means reaching more users with more potential customers among them.

Unlimited access to the offer
Unlimited access to online stores means that an online store ad does not have to be displayed at certain times. It reaches the recipient virtually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Precise targeting
Online store advertising – regardless of the tool chosen – allows you to precisely identify the target group and then reach it. This increases the chances of the recipient carrying out a specific action, e.g. placing an order, subscribing to the newsletter. Detailed targeting also allows you to optimize the campaign in terms of spending.

The speed of launching the campaign
An online advertising campaign can be launched very quickly. What’s more, it is possible to reach a wide audience as soon as the campaign starts. This works great for online stores starting out that, in the case of offline advertising, would have to wait much longer for results.

Affordable costs
Traditional forms of advertising can cost a lot – unlike online advertising. It is much cheaper, which allows you to achieve your business goals with a lot less money. Thanks to this, every online store has a chance to appear in the network – regardless of its scale.

High flexibility
Online store advertising is characterized by great flexibility. You can modify the parameters of individual campaigns – so that they bring the expected results. And all this without having to increase advertising expenditure.

Possibility of constant monitoring of effects
Internet advertising is fully measurable. It is possible to systematically monitor effects using various tools. Thanks to this – if a given form of promotion does not meet expectations – it can be modified or completely eliminated.

Internet advertising is a profitable investment. Compared to other forms of advertising, it provides the best ratio of campaign costs to results. However, to get the most out of it, it’s worth starting to work with experts. Their knowledge and experience will allow launching effective campaigns leading to the achievement of assumed goals.