While not as cryptic as its organic counterpart (SEO), paid search marketing is arguably just as puzzling when factoring in keywords, budgets and bids, ad ranks and so on. And, for many businesses, pay-per-click (PPC) is a vital investment in terms of digital marketing. So, with that being said, let’s have a look at everything you need to know about PPC.
What is PPC?
PPC falls under search engine marketing, and is a form of online advertising that works on a system which charges people when a user clicks on their ad. PPC is used for many things, with the 3 most common campaign goals being to increase sales, generate leads, and promote brand awareness.
What’s the secret to good PPC?
PPC is all about relevance. If somebody is searching for a specific product or service, making use of PPC allows you to show a targeted ad at the exact moment that search happens. As long as it’s relevant, PPC campaigns can be wildly successful.
What’s wrong with purely organic searches?
While a strong SEO strategy is great at improving domain authority, keywords are becoming increasingly competitive by the day, meaning that ranking in SERP’s is more challenging. SEO and PPC work best when they’re used to compliment one another.
Why does PPC involve bidding?
The long and short of it is that, like most things in life, placements (where your ad shows) is limited. The easiest way to level the field is by creating a bidding system, where the highest bidder wins. With that being said, platforms like Facebook and Instagram take engagement into account, while Google Ads focuses on relevance, meaning that your placements are put in the position where they’d fare best, no matter what.
Which platforms are best for PPC?
While search engines are usually the most popular because of how they display ads relevant to searches, platforms like Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising and Facebook ads are the top contenders. With that being said, Google is (by far) the most valuable for any PPC campaign.
5 benefits of PPC
- PPC contributes to business goals
PPC is great for aligning website traffic to the end goal. It can support various aspects of the sales funnel and the path your prospects take. It’s great for fostering the middle ground, and help the middle of your funnel through downloads, signups, entries and purchases. Regardless of your goal, PPC campaigns are great at driving the most valuable engagement to your site.
- PPC can be measured
By making use of both Google Ads and Google Analytics, you’ll have access to much more information and high-level performance details on things such as impressions, clicks and conversions.
- PPC offers instant entry
While gathering traction in SEO requires ongoing efforts, and can take months of investment, Google Ads offers you that within a few minutes of launching your campaign. Additionally, it’s not as constricting, meaning that you can easily cast a wider net if you’re looking for new prospects.
- It’s cost effective
PPC advertising gives you control over a much wider range of options for reaching potential customers, including targeting, ad placements, and budget. You can set your own ad budget and bids based on what you are willing to spend. If you want to scale up, you’ll see the ROI, and if you want to take a break, you can easily pause your ads.
- PPC ads are easy to produce
One of the best parts of PPC is that it doesn’t require sophisticated designs or technical skills. Campaigns are easy to set up, accessible to every company, and platforms like Google Ads (or a digital marketing agency – if you use one) are there to walk you through the steps.
What makes a good PPC campaign?
While there are a myriad of things you can learn to master PPC, if you have a knowledge of your target audience, relevant keywords, catchy graphics and landing pages that convert, you’ll find success quickly.
And there you have it! You’ve officially embarked on the journey into the sphere of PPC advertising! If you’d like to learn more about digital marketing, why not get in touch with us? We’d love to hear more from you – and help you grow with effective PPC strategies!
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