As your business grows online, PPC becomes a viable option for improving your advantage in the marketplace. PPC (Pay-per-click) marketing is a form of marketing that lets you bid on the estimated value of each click your advert gets depending on the keywords, platforms, and type of audience it brings. Simply put, with PPC, you(the advertiser) pay whenever a user clicks on your ad.
The PPC medium does not come without its pitfalls. This is why you have to pay attention to the basics before running a Pay-per-click advert or campaign. For instance, targeting the wrong audience or location, or using the wrong keywords would be a problem because you will pay for adverts that produced no conversion for your business.
Understanding the basics of PPC (Pay-per-click)
Pay-per-click is relevant to the various marketing goals for your business such as creating brand awareness, generating leads, or increasing sales. When applied correctly, it becomes the magic your business needs to thrive online. This is one aspect of digital marketing that holds the potential for improving the online performance of your business because it puts your brand at the forefront and prospects can find you.
PPC makes your adverts visible based on how relevant it is to what users are searching for. People go online in search of services, products, and information. Most times, these people (users) are specific about what they seek. As an advertiser, you can get your brand, products, or services to show up whenever they come looking.
“We can rightly say that relevance is the power of Pay-per-click.”
Depending on the intent (what the user types into the search engine) you can showcase your products if they are related to the search using keywords (specific words that connect your ads to the search intent).
Pay-Per-Click Platforms
Search engines play a major role in the effectiveness of PPC adverts but are not the only platforms. Thanks to cookies and targeting, adverts can show up across devices and platforms beyond search engines.
1. Google Ads
Google Ads is the commonly used platform for PPC campaigns because it is widely known and provides an easy means to run adverts. With Google Ads, your campaign is shown across partner sites, mobile applications, and the search engine itself. Currently the largest Pay-per-click platform, Google Ads is favorable towards small and large businesses and the platform is constantly optimized to give you results.
2. Microsoft Ads
PPC adverts on Microsoft Ads show on Microsoft and Yahoo networks as well as partner networks. The Bing networks hold a unique target audience for Microsoft Ads. This gives you an opportunity to showcase your brand to a distinguished customer base. Advertising with Microsoft Ads is favorable when you make use of specific Keywords. Therefore, time should be invested in Keyword research.
3. Social Media
Social Media Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Pinterest also give you access to Pay-per-click advertising. Each platform will help you target a unique audience based on specific demography and give you an opportunity to bridge the gap left by search engines.
Keywords and Pay-per-click
As we mentioned earlier, PPC Advertising thrives on relevance. Keywords help users find your products and services the same way they help you target your desired customer. With keywords, customers know what they are looking for even when they don’t know about your business.
Keywords contribute to determining whether an advert is relevant to the search or not.
With proper keyword research, you will discover what prospects are looking for and which words to use in your campaign so that you show up when these keywords are used. It will also let you know how much of your competitors use the same keywords and give you an insight into how well your advert will perform given the rate of use by your prospects and competitors.
Different Types of Pay-per-click Advertising
PPC Adverts come in a variety of Search Ads, Display Ads, and Social Media Ads
1. Paid Search Ads
usually come in text formats and are found in search engines like google and bing. They show up whenever users search for specific keywords and usually top the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Search Ads are optimized by writing an Ad copy that is anchored on specific keywords and linking the Advert to the desired landing page.
2. Display Ads
Display Ads typically include images displayed across partner networks of the platforms you use. With display ads, you can use images that resonate with your target audience and optimize the text with powerful call-to-actions that lead them to your website. They are very useful for creating brand awareness although they may not get as many clicks as search Ads.
3. Social Media Ads
Social Media Ads are known for flexibility. The likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linked In, and so on provide the liberty to create awareness and drive traffic to your website. Because people spend time on these social media platforms, you can get your brand across to them at their convenience. The great thing about PPC advertising on these platforms is that it can be used to target users with specific interests and demographics.
Retargeting with PPC
Users who find your adverts the first time may not complete the intended action. That is, they may not buy your product or place a demand for your services.
However, because they engaged with your advert the first time, you can make them see more of your business through retargeting Adverts. This is also known as remarketing – when you run adverts targeted at users who have previously engaged with an advert you ran. This is made possible through the cookies which are used by the advert platforms to locate such users.
Retargeting lets you establish consistency in the minds of your prospect so that they remember your brand when they need a product or service you offer.
Optimizing your Pay-per-click Advert
PPC demands that enough attention is paid to the details. Before you run an advert or campaign, you need to do the following;
- Have an established goal
- Know your brand strengths
- Conduct Keywords research
- Analyze your competitors
- Write an engaging copy with a powerful call to action
- Use an image that reflects your brand
- Adopt a favorable bidding strategy
- Monitor the performance of the campaign while it is running
The benefits of PPC (Pay-per-click) Advertising are for large and small businesses. For one who is just setting out, PPC will help you position your brand for success.
Photo by Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash