Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a form of digital marketing that requires an advertiser to pay a small fee each time someone clicks their ad on the web. The goal is to drive targeted traffic back to their website, app, or landing page.
If you’re trying to grow your online presence, expand your brand visibility, and build your community of followers, a PPC campaign can be a great way to do so. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the role of PPC in advertising, why you need it, and what makes it so effective.
What Is PPC Advertising?
In the world of online advertising, clicks are highly prized. If you can get someone to click on your ad, then you’re one step closer to winning their business. In a seemingly infinite sea of competitors, brands have to find a way to stand out above the crowd and pique the interest of their target buyers.
To do so, they pour time, money, and creativity into ad campaigns. One approach is to simply post the ad on your website, social media pages, and other platforms, hoping that the right person will come across it and check it out.
Alternatively, you can invest in PPC advertising and drive those clicks to you.
These ads come in many different shapes and sizes. They can include images, text, or a combination of both. Yet, while they may all look unique, the basic premise is the same: Once you create one, the goal is to have it appear on a search engine results page (SERP).
That way, when someone types in a keyword related to your business and/or location, your ad will be one of the first they see. For instance, if you provide pet grooming services in Knoxville, TN, you want your PPC ad to be the first one that pops up when someone types “pet groomer Knoxville” into the Google search bar.
As you can imagine, this form of search engine marketing (SEM) is super popular. Some of the top PPC platforms include:
- Google Ads (formerly AdWords)
- Facebook Ads
- Bing Ads
You’ll only pay a fee when someone interacts with your ad through an impression or click. This fee is usually only a few dollars, and it’s worth it if the click leads to a purchase. Consider this: While you might pay $4 when someone clicks your ad, if they’re paying for a service that costs $400, that’s quite the markup!
What Are the Benefits of PPC in Advertising?
There are all kinds of internet marketing tactics out there. Why should you invest in a PPC ad campaign to drive website visits? Let’s take a look at a few of the top reasons you should consider this strategy.
It’s Cost-Effective
First, let’s talk about your budget. It’s no secret that digital marketing costs can add up quickly. One of the best aspects of PPC ads is that you can directly control how much you spend on them.
Plus, you’ll only have to shell out that money if a visitor clicks on the link that leads to your page, app, or website. Once they’re there, they have a high chance of converting into a buyer. The ROI can be high, especially if the link goes to a well-designed, user-friendly space that’s easy to navigate.
It Helps You Achieve Business Goals
While many brands use PPC advertising to make an e-commerce sale, that isn’t the only business goal that you may have in mind.
Some companies simply want to build thought leadership, so they’ll link to a recent blog post they’re written. Others want to build their list of leads, so the link will take visitors to a page where they can enter their contact information to join an e-newsletter signup.
No matter what your conversion goal might be with PPC ads, you can design campaigns to achieve them. They serve as the integral middle piece of the sales funnel, helping to convert your prospects into customers.
It Delivers Fast Results
In a perfect world, your website or app would speak for itself. You’d build your online community and over time, Google would reward you by placing your site high in the SERPs. Yet, ranking organically like that can take quite a long time, from a few months to a few years.
With optimized PPC ads, you don’t have to wait around. You can rest assured that your ad will be visible just hours after you launch your campaign.
It’s Measurable
Any time you invest in an outreach tactic, you want to make sure it’s working! Many PPC platforms, including Google Ads, interface with back-end analytics tools that allow you to track, measure, and analyze your campaign performance.
In seconds, you can see metrics such as:
- Number of impressions
- Number of clicks
- Number of conversions (based on your business goals)
You don’t have to wonder how your ads are performing or which ones are more effective than others. The data is all right there for you to study.
It’s Controllable
Once you analyze the results of your PPC ads, you might decide to switch up your strategy a little.
For example, you may try targeting different keywords, placing your ads in a different location, or adjusting your budget. Those changes are easy to make, especially when you work with an automated PPC platform.
We Can Bid Toward Better Clients
While the list of Google updates and changes is a very lengthy one, some changes really stand out. If you are willing to share some of your client information with Google, their AI can help bid toward clients that have a similar profile to your current client base. This allows your ads campaign to be more effective and typically post a higher conversion percentage.
With just a little optimization, you can get your ads in front of an entirely new audience — even people who aren’t familiar with your brand, but are likely a good client for you. While you can achieve the same results with an organic search engine optimization (SEO) campaign, a platform like Google Ads can get you the same traffic and positioning in a much shorter timeframe. Both avenues produce results, but ads are much faster in terms of response and results.
Discover the Benefits of PPC
As the Digital Era continues, more consumers than ever are hopping online to find the latest brands, products, and services. You need to get your name out there, but climbing the virtual ranks isn’t always easy. This is where PPC comes in.
The role of PPC in advertising is a valuable one, and it will continue to grow. Are you curious about using it to drive traffic and build credibility for your online brand?
If so, let’s talk. We can help you set up an effective PPC campaign that delivers the results you want. Contact us today to get started!f
