Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is a way of advertising online that’s become a must for businesses looking for quick and measurable results. In this post we’ll cover what PPC is, how it works and why it’s a good strategy for businesses looking to increase their online presence.
What is Pay-Per-Click (PPC)?
PPC, also called paid ads is a type of digital advertising where you pay for each click. Instead of earning organic traffic through SEO, PPC allows you to buy clicks to your website by bidding on keywords. The most popular platform for PPC is Google Ads, but other platforms like Meta (which includes Facebook and Instagram) and LinkedIn also offer similar services.
How Does PPC Work?
To understand PPC you need to break it down into its basic process:
1. Keyword Research and Audience Selection
Advertisers choose keywords that are relevant to their products or services. These keywords are the terms people are likely to search for online. Depending on the platform or channel, advertisers also make use of data owned by these platforms to build audiences to market to.
When it comes to Google search ads, keywords play the biggest role as you bid on searches directly. For other platforms like Meta and LinkedIn you rely on the platform’s data to select audiences based on demographics, interests and online behaviour. You can also integrate your own first party data to build custom audiences and lookalike audiences.
2. Ad Auction
PPC ads enter an auction every time someone searches for the keywords you’re bidding on. The auction determines the order in which ads will show based on factors like bid amount, ad relevance and quality score. PPC platforms favour advertisers based on how relevant your product or service is to your audience so keep that in mind.
3. Ad Placement
Once the auction has taken place, ads are displayed in the search engine results or across other websites depending on the campaign settings. The advertiser only pays when a user clicks on their ad. On Meta and LinkedIn, depending on the ad setup, you could be charged per impression instead of per click.
4. Cost Per Click (CPC)
The actual cost per click varies based on several factors including the competition for the keyword and the ad’s quality score. Higher quality ads tend to have lower CPCs and can perform better.
As an advertiser you can also set the CPC which helps you to manage budgets of all sizes. The platforms are quite good at doing this themselves but only after going through learning phases.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
1. Immediate Results
One of the biggest benefits of PPC is it delivers instant traffic. Once your ad is live it starts showing for the keywords you’ve chosen and you can drive traffic to your website straight away. This is great for businesses that need to generate leads or sales immediately.
2. Targeted Advertising
With PPC you can target specific audiences based on demographics, location, device and even time of day. This means your ads will be shown to users who are more likely to be interested in your products or services and maximise your return on investment (ROI).
Just review these within 7-12 day windows and give the advertising platforms time to learn about the audience you’re targeting.
3. Measurable and Trackable
Unlike some traditional forms of advertising, PPC is highly measurable. Platforms like Google Ads provide detailed reports on clicks, impressions, conversions and more. You can refine your strategy and focus on what works.
Conversion tracking is arguably the most important part of PPC advertising. If your conversions aren’t set up correctly the platforms could be optimising incorrectly and you’ll get poor results.
4. Budget Control
PPC allows advertisers to set their own budget and control how much they want to spend on their campaigns. Whether you’re a small business with a limited budget or a large enterprise, PPC can be scaled to fit your budget.
As mentioned earlier as an advertiser on these platforms you have control over your budget at all times but it’s good to set thresholds on your account in case you make a mistake with a daily budget.
What Makes a Successful PPC Campaign
To get the most out of a PPC campaign you need to focus on a few key components:
Keyword & Audience Research
For Google Ads, keyword research is the foundation of any PPC campaign. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush or Ahrefs can help you find high performing keywords for your business. You need to target a mix of broad and long-tail keywords to attract both general and specific search queries.
When it comes to platforms like Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok you need to know your audience from demographics to online behaviour and interests. These platforms use their data, known as 3rd party data, to optimise your audiences.
Ad Copy
Your ad copy needs to be compelling and relevant to the audience you’re targeting. It should have a clear call to action (CTA) that encourages users to click on the ad. Test different headlines and descriptions to see what works best with your audience.
Landing Page Optimisation
Driving traffic through PPC is only half the battle. Once users click on your ad they should land on a page that’s optimised for conversions. Make sure your landing page is fast, user friendly and aligned with the message in your ad to increase the chances of turning visitors into customers.
Why PPC should be part of your digital marketing strategy
Brand Visibility
Even if users don’t click on your ad just seeing it at the top of the search results will improve brand awareness. Over time potential customers will become more familiar with your brand which can lead to more organic visits and conversions.
Complements SEO
PPC and SEO go hand in hand. SEO takes time to deliver results, PPC can deliver traffic instantly. Running PPC campaigns alongside your SEO strategy will ensure your business is top of the search engine results page (SERP) for both paid and organic listings.
Flexibility and Adaptability
PPC allows you to adjust your campaigns in real time based on performance data. Whether you want to change your budget, keywords or ad copy PPC platforms give you the ability to tweak your strategy instantly.
Conclusion
PPC is a powerful tool in the digital world, businesses can use it to reach their audience, drive traffic and increase sales. By knowing how PPC works and following best practices you can create campaigns that get you the most ROI and help your business grow in a crowded online space.
If you haven’t got PPC in your marketing strategy yet, now’s the time to.
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