Demystifying PPC Ads for Business
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a powerful tool that can help businesses of all sizes establish a strong online presence and reach their target audience quickly and effectively. With the right strategy and a strong understanding of digital advertising, you can develop campaigns that churn results and consistently generate and convert new leads for your business.
In this guide, we'll break down:
- What PPC ads are
- How they work
- Whether PPC ads are right for you
- How to optimize your PPC strategy
What is PPC Advertising?
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a form of paid media where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. It's a way to purchase higher visibility and pay for visits to your website, rather than earning them organically through search engine optimization (SEO).
Chances are, you come across and possibly even click on dozens of PPC ads each day. One of the most common examples is Google. When you type a query into the system and land on the search engine results page (SERP), you’re met with a variety of results, including links, information boxes, and maybe even images, videos, or listings.
For many of the queries, the first few results on that page are typically PPC ads. The companies pay to place themselves at the top of the list in the hopes of drawing you into their website and, ultimately, landing a sale.
Google isn’t the only place you can have PPC ads, though. You can also invest in PPC ads on other search engines and on most social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
How to Optimize PPC Ads for Your Business
Now that we know what a PPC ad is, how do they work? And how you do you make them work for you?
Creating a PPC ad doesn’t have to be a complicated process, but creating one that drives results does take time and expertise. With any PPC ad, there are several questions you want to address:
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What is your goal?
Having a clear and specific goal is key for any marketing activity you do. This helps you stay focused on one clear message and marketing funnel and enables you to measure success. Without a clear intention, consumers will likely get confused by your ads and you will be driving traffic without a clear and strong call to action (CTA).
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Who is your target and where do they hang out?
Knowing who you’re marketing to is also a key foundational step to marketing. Understanding your target market helps you understand and properly address their pain points, and also tells you what platforms they are likely to use, the language they prefer, and more.
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Where will you direct them?
A successful PPC ad can drive lots of clicks, but if the landing page you direct them to isn’t clear and engaging, you’ll just pay for a lot of traffic that doesn’t convert. Thinking through the full sales funnel and updating or creating a new landing page specific to your campaign is essential to ensuring your PPC ads are driving results for your business.
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How will users search for you?
Once you’ve established the who, what, and where, you’ll now want to start researching which words and terms your target audience are using to find your solution. This is also known as keyword research. Finding the perfect keyword is an art, as you want to make sure you are choosing words or phrases that are: - Intent-specific
- Related to your offering or CTA
- Cost-effective
You also want to find keywords with high search volume and low competition. Finding the right terms can take time but can make a huge difference in the success of your PPC ad campaign. One of the best ways to find the right keywords is to invest in paid keyword research tools and/or invest in a digital marketing partner who understands SEO and PPC Ads.
See how PPC Ads worked for this local furniture store. They were so successful that they had to pause the campaign so they could keep up with all the new business!
Should You Start Utilizing PPC Ads for Your Business?
PPC ads are a great and effective method to create immediate visibility for your brand. They also pair extremely well with SEO and content marketing efforts, complimenting your organic marketing methods.
Some other benefits of PPC ads are:
- Targeted Advertising: PPC allows for precise audience targeting based on factors like location, language, device, and even specific times of day. This ensures that your ads are seen by the right people at the right time.
- Measurable Results: PPC platforms provide detailed analytics, allowing you to track metrics such as clicks, conversions, and return on investment (ROI). This data helps you understand what works and what doesn't, enabling you to make informed decisions for future campaigns.
- Budget Control: With PPC, you have complete control over your budget. You can set daily or monthly spending limits to ensure you're not overspending. Additionally, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective advertising method.
- Competitive Advantage: Even with a smaller budget, a smart PPC strategy can level the playing field. Well-optimized campaigns can help smaller businesses compete with larger corporations for the same audience.
Finding PPC Experts
Ready to take your PPC advertising to the next level? Partner with our digital marketing agency for PPC and digital marketing strategies that drive real results for your business. Contact one of our team members today and let’s start maximizing your online visibility!