PPC
PPC, or pay-per-click, ads are usually the first thing that people think of when you mention paid online advertising. PPC ads are usually set up on search engines like Google. In exchange for top billing, companies pay a small fee every time an ad is clicked by a user.
And yet, for as much as PPC comes to mind, it is still not used by as many companies as it should be. 45% of all small businesses are involved in some kind of online advertising, but many avoid the pay-per-click space because they don’t understand it, or more importantly don’t understand why they need it to enhance their advertising efforts.
Here’s what you need to know.
Do I Need PPC Ads?
PPC ads are part of any effective search engine marketing (SEM) strategy. SEM refers to the umbrella of marketing that includes paid and organic optimization efforts and is most successful when you have a strong balance of both. And keep in mind that while PPC ads started on search engines, they’re also found on social media today and they can help you get noticed when other efforts aren’t doing as well.
Search engines will make it easy to set up PPC campaigns that can help you monitor cost-per-click (CPC), ad rank, and even quality scores and click-through rates. You will also be able to set a maximum bid, which is the max that you’re willing to pay for people to click on your ad. That helps search engines rank paid ads accordingly.
Benefits of PPC As Part of Your Paid Ad Strategy
PPC campaigns are cost-effective. You can pick exactly how much you’re willing to spend and get a much higher return on your investment than you would get from organic marketing.
PPC ads also produce faster results and allow better targeting. You can control and test these ads much more easily, which allows for the most optimization available. When you’ve got lower rankings, these ads can help increase them on search engines and elsewhere. And the data that you collect from these campaigns can help you improve your SEO strategy—ultimately you’ve got a lot to gain and very little to lose.
Finally, perhaps one of the best perks for anyone who’s done any kind of organic marketing: PPC ads aren’t nearly as impacted by algorithm changes as organic marketing efforts. You’re in total control of your spending and ad placement, too.
So, what are you waiting for? Take the time to learn all about PPC campaigns and ad them to your paid advertising efforts for maximum results.
What if I Need Help?
You’re a business owner, not a marketing professional. Therefore, it’s only sensible that you reach out to professionals for help with your marketing needs. Considering that paid advertising generally has an impressive return rate, you can afford to invest in a little help along the way. Find out how a PPC ad strategy can enhance your marketing efforts by getting started with yours right away.
Resources
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ppc
