Today, more and more businesses are turning to online marketing to promote their brands and products. Online marketing has numerous benefits, which include global market reach, round-the-clock advertising, and increased engagement with customers. However, before investing in internet marketing, businesses need to understand the various options available.
These options can be categorized into two: organic and paid digital marketing. Pay-per-click, commonly referred to as PPC, is a form of paid advertising that is popular among businesses that are looking to attract targeted traffic. Below is part of what you need to know to be successful with PPC.
What Even is PPC Advertising?
Pay-per-click is an online advertising model in which an advertiser pays a publisher a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. In essence, marketers will create and place ads on an ad platform, such as a search engine, and then bid on specific keyword phrases to have their ads displayed in the sponsored links on the search engine results page. This way, the content will be shown to relevant users, helping you to get more qualified traffic. In a nutshell, PPC advertising is a way of buying visits to your site rather than earning the visits organically.
The Basics Elements
While PPC advertising may sound simple and straightforward, you need a solid and effective strategy to run a successful campaign. If after reading through this post and it all sounds intimidating, you can always review the latest PPC management prices and have an expert handle your campaign. However, developing a good strategy will require that you understand the basics of PPC. Here are some basics of PPC:
Keyword Research
To optimize your PPC campaign and get more leads, you should start by identifying the popular keywords and phrases that searchers use when entering queries in search engines. Using high-performing keywords will have a huge impact on the position of your ads and the clicks you get.
Engaging Ad Copy and Landing Pages
Make sure your ad copy features interesting content that will encourage users to click your ads. Users who click the ads should be directed to a landing page with engaging content to encourage them to spend more time on your pages. Take time to test and optimize the landing pages to improve the conversion rate.
Managing Your Campaigns
In addition to keywords, ad copy, and landing pages, you should consider using ad extensions. Ad extensions such as an address, phone number, and product types will help you attract more customers. Track conversions periodically to determine the success of the campaign, making sure you make the required changes to make it better.
How Does it Work?
Having a basic understanding of how PPC works will help you determine whether this form of advertising is right for your business. This knowledge will also enable you to develop a great strategy and make informed decisions during your campaign. In the long run, you will have a better chance of realizing success.
When it comes to PPC, all ads are subject to a bidding system that is called the Ad Auction. Ad Auction is an automated process in which the search engine uses a combination of multiple factors to determine the ads that will appear in the top spots of the search engine results page. Factors such as the quality of the ad, bid amount, and extensions will affect the validity and relevance of ads, as well as if they will be displayed. Whenever there is an ad spot on the search engine results page, an auction takes place immediately for the keyword.
Advertisers are usually required to set up accounts through which they get involved in the auctions. They will also create their ads and decide where and when they would like them to be displayed. At the auction, advertisers will have a chance to bid on keywords that are relevant to their business. The bid describes how much you are willing to pay every time someone clicks on that particular ad.
Once a user submits a search query, the search engine will work to display the ads that best fit that specific moment, depending on whether there are ads related to the search query that needs to be displayed. Through a complex algorithmic calculation based on the Ad Auction, the search engine will determine which ads to display. The calculations not only determine the ads to be displayed but also the order and by which advertiser.
Why is it Important?
PPC contributes to your online marketing campaign in many ways. Here are a few reasons why the advertising model is important.
Measurable and Trackable
When running a PPC campaign, you can easily measure results and track progress. Keeping a close eye on impressions, clicks, and conversions will help you determine whether your efforts are bearing fruit. Depending on the performance, you can make the necessary improvements.
Quick Entry, and Immediate Results
One of the benefits of PPC is that you can easily catch up with your competitors who have been running their campaigns for some time. Provided you have a good strategy and cast a wide net, you will get qualified traffic to your website almost immediately.
Increased Control
PPC advertising offers you control in terms of how to reach potential customers, how much to spend on the campaign, scaling up as well as editing to optimize while the ads are running. As such, you can make changes depending on the performance of the campaign, allowing you to achieve the results you desire.
Works Well With Other Marketing Channels
PPC makes for a great way to increase visibility and attract qualified traffic. PPC works well with SEO, getting you the website traffic you need during the period before SEO starts producing results. The ads you create will help you to keep users engaged, no matter how they found your site. In the end, this will contribute to a successful online marketing campaign.
Incredible Targeting Options
One of the most notable benefits of PPC is that you will be able to reach customers who have interacted with your brand as well as those who were previously not part of your audience. You will enjoy great flexibility in terms of how wide you can cast your net.
Marketing Intelligence
Unlike organic search, paid search allows you to track conversions and get insights into the keywords that convert. This intelligence will also provide data on the percentage and cost of conversions, helping you to improve advertising results across different platforms.
Get Your Ads Seen Online
When done correctly, PPC can deliver amazing results. Tapping into the expertise and experience of online marketing professionals can help you to maximize your return on investment.
