As a business, you do everything you can to promote your business. But it doesn’t always work, right? There’s so much competition on social media. And when asked how long it takes to see results on Google, senior webmaster trends analyst John Mueller usually says “it depends.” But is there a marketing tactic that has a better chance of providing conversions, website traffic, and ultimately sales? More businesses are investing in pay-per-click (PPC) marketing to quickly see the results they want. Their ads will appear over organic search results, enhancing visibility and brand awareness. So, what is PPC marketing?
What Is PPC?
The true definition of PPC is murky. Many people confuse PPC with Adwords (a type of platform in PPC marketing) and paid search (search results that appear on top of organic search results).
So, what exactly is PPC? At its simplest definition, PPC is a digital marketing strategy where any ad when marketers only pay when a user clicks the ads — hence the name pay-per-click.
The cost per click (CPC) is used by marketers to determine which ads will deliver the best ROI.
Many correlate PPC with Google ads products, such as Adwords.
That’s because marketers commonly invest their ad dollars into Google. However, the PPC landscape has expanded drastically since then. You can invest in PPC ads on shopping search engines, social media, and more.
There are also different types of PPC ads. While search terms are some of the most popular, programmatic display ads and even video ads have PPC options.
Benefits of Using PPC
Are you not convinced that you need PPC? Here are a few benefits that you should know.
You Only Pay When People Click Your Ad
While we mentioned this previously, it’s important to emphasize the affordability of PPC ads. You’re essentially displaying your ad for free and are only paying when someone is tempted enough to click your ad.
This economic model is not only friendlier on your ROI but is also becoming more effective. More PPC engines match your ads to users based on their behaviors, so you’re more than likely to gain results.
Take Your Marketing Strategy to New Levels
PPC is not only a great way to generate website traffic and increase visibility, but you can see these results quicker than you would with other marketing strategies, such as SEO.
However, in order to get the best results, it’s best to go through a professional. That way, you know you’re bidding on the right ads and can make a better ROI.
Measurable Results
The only way you’ll know if your efforts are successful is if you measure your progress.
Fortunately, you can easily measure your PPC results. Some of the KPIs you can measure include views, impressions, leads, and click-through rates.
How do you measure your PPC results?
Google Ads will provide its own report. If you’re using other PPC platforms and search engines, there are different campaign tracking platforms you can use. You can also seek out a PPC expert to measure these results.
Based on Actions
Many marketing tactics, such as social media marketing and SEO, are based on visibility. However, PPC is based on actions. When your users click your ads, they go through the marketing funnel faster.
For example, your prospects are in the awareness stage when they see your ad.
But when they click your ad, this immediately drives them down to the consideration stage, meaning they’re actively seeking out products and services.
You Can Always Pause or End a Campaign
PPC is more flexible than you think. Since you don’t have any guaranteed payments, you can easily remove your ads.
While you’ll want to devote a significant amount of time to your campaign in order to ensure success, rest assured you can easily end your campaign for any reason.
But what if you outsource PPC marketing to a pro?
Ending your campaign depends on their cancellation terms. The best course of action is to choose a PPC marketing service that doesn’t have long-term contracts, so all you have to do is end your service.
Terms to Know Before Starting Your Campaign
When you begin your campaign, you’ll see a few weird words and acronyms. It’s best to know these first before beginning.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM refers to any marketing done on a search engine, whether paid or organic.
PPC is a type of SEM strategy, so you’ll see this acronym often. Keep in mind, not all PPC is done on search engines, so PPC doesn’t correlate with SEM on all levels.
Ad Rank
Ad rank refers to the position of your ad on the search engine results page (SERP).
Google and other platforms determine factors like quality score (score set by search engines based on ad quality) and maximum bid to get an ad rank.
Clickthrough Rate (CTR)
Your CTR refers to how often users click your ads, whether they be keywords or other listings. Platforms get your CTR by dividing the number of clicks an ad receives and the number of views.
Maximum Bid
This is the amount you’re willing to pay. Every keyword has a recommended bid as well as a maximum cost, though your bid should reflect your budget. Keep in mind, the more you bid, the more of a chance your ad will show.
How to Set up and Manage Your PPC Campaign
While we suggest outsourcing an expert, you can start by setting up your campaign yourself and doing simple tactics until you get professional help. Here are some simple steps to follow.
Keep in mind, this advice only applies to Google ads. Bing ads, social media, and shopping PPC will all have different steps and processes.
Create Your Account
To create a Google ads account, go onto their website and follow their directions. Fortunately, Google makes it easy and you can create your account and get started very quickly.
After making your account, Google will give you some optional fields to fill out. We recommend identifying your audience and tagging your website.
This way, Google can better target prospects immediately. And when you tag your website, Google will be able to better track your conversions.
Set up Your Landing Page
When advertising on Google, you’ll want to link your ads to an effective landing page that will convert leads. That’s why it’s recommended you build a landing page specific to your campaign.
Don’t worry, designing a landing page is easy when you have the right help.
Write Ad Copy
After designing your landing page, you’ll have to write ad copy that will convert your leads.
You can write ad copy that will go on all ads or write different content for all ads, depending on what’s best for your campaign, your audience, and the copywriting resources you have.
Keyword and Topic Research
This is especially important when you’re using Adwords. The keywords you bid on are especially vital to your campaign.
That’s why you should undergo in-depth keyword research. This includes finding one with excellent traffic, low competition, and a relatively low CPC to ensure you make your ROI.
Another reason why this is important is to ensure the right people see your ads and your ads will relate to what your audience is searching for. From here, you know your ads can provide a solution to their needs and questions.
As with all things, this strategy is best handled by a professional. But you can use a simple keyword tool to research keywords in the meantime, bidding on a few to get your campaign started.
Bid
From here, you can bid on your keywords. While most keywords will have a maximum PPC, you don’t have to pay this.
Instead, start with the recommended bid. The bid you should set depends on your competitors and your ad quality score, something that Google gives each ad based on the keyword they’re bidding on.
Monitoring Your Campaign
Keep in mind, it may take a day or longer to receive your report. That’s because it does take a bit to see results. But once you do, you should monitor your campaign to ensure you’re spending your ad dollars well.
What if time goes by and you aren’t happy with your results?
You can always change up your campaign. You can change your bids, bid on different keywords, and seek help from a professional. Fortunately, you’ll see where you need to improve and can make strategic decisions that way.
Find the Best PPC Marketing Company
When creating a new marketing campaign, it’s integral that you get some assistance for the best results. The same goes for PPC marketing, especially if you’re new to this strategy. This is where we come in.
We have experts in Google and Bing PPC. Our services also include click fraud protection, landing page design, white label PPC services, and more.
Pay Per Click Authority’s experts have over 10 years of experience in their respective fields, ensuring you see results quickly and make your ROI.
Are you ready to get started? Schedule an appointment with us today.