A new Internet marketing scheme is taking advantage of hvacr contractors' lack of online marketing knowledge, say Chris and Michelle Smith, owners of Write2Site, a digital marketing firm that specializes in email and internet marketing for the heating and air conditioning industry.

The program in question is one in which the contractors are offered pay-per-click advertising on different search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN at different cost levels ranging from $600 to $10,000 per month.

The $1,000 level states that a contracting company will receive 22,800 impressions and 87 to 109 clicks to its Web site each month. When averaged, this click-through rate is costing contracting companies more than $10 per click. However, the average cost per click when working directly through Google is only about $4.28. In addition, the impression count is insignificant, as an ad serves no purpose if nobody clicks it to go to the Web site.

Many contractors are struggling to survive in this very tough economy. The Smiths advise contractors to investigate more carefully, any online marketing programs. They say the Google AdWords system is actually very easy to use and very effective for advertising a contracting business. It does not require an Internet programming professional, and a company will only pay for the actual clicks to it's Web site.

For those who are too busy to set up the Google AdWords program on their own, the Smiths advise searching Google for “AdWordsProfessional.” The advertised links that show up on the right of the screen are marketing professionals who advertised themselves with AdWords; so they should know what they are doing.

For more information: www.write2site.com.