PPC – short for Pay Per Click – is a type of online marketing in which you pay the likes of Google to bring new traffic to your site. It’s an important part of the search engine marketing opportunity and can complement your SEO efforts, and perhaps even better them. Before you go wild with PPC, however, it’s important to know exactly what it is. In this guide, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about how PPC works – and hopefully get you pointed in the right direction. Let’s get started with some of the basics.
Why Pay Per Click?
In simple terms, PPC ads are advertisements that the likes of Google display on its search engine. If a user – someone entering a search term – clicks on your ad, they are taken to your landing page, and you pay Google a fee. When your ads are displayed, it’s usually at the top of the search results page, above the fold of the organic results – which makes PPC positioning incredibly valuable – you can pay to sit above other businesses who have spent years trying to rank organically. However, as is the case with almost every aspect of online marketing, the reality of what is needed to make that PPC ad work is a little more complex.
Where can I use PPC ads?
There is an infinite number of ad networks, although some are definitely preferred more than others when it comes to PPC. Google Adwords is probably the most popular by far, but there is also Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, and display advertising to consider. All of them, however, tend to work the same kind of way. Taking Google as an example, if your ad is displayed on its search engine, it keeps all the money it charges you for that click. However, if Google is running your ads on another business’s website, they take a cut, and the rest goes to the website publisher.
How much does it cost?
This is a big question – but the answer is simple: it depends. You pay for each click, but there are a lot of different factors informing the price of that click. The cost per click – or CPC – varies from network to network – Google’s tend to be more expensive than Bing, for example, because more people use Google. However, the price is also determined by the keywords you choose to use in your ads. Some keywords can cost you a few pence – others can cost more than £50. Again, it’s the popularity of that keyword that is the important thing to remember – essentially you are entering into a bidding war. The most popular keywords are incredibly expensive, so to make your PPC management success, the reality is that you will need to be a little more clever, by using long tail keywords.
How long does it take to get going?
The good news is that PPC ads are relatively easy to set up – you could have a campaign going in a few clicks on Adwords, and they will start rolling in a day or so. But there is bad news, too. If you want your PPC campaign to work well and deliver results, it takes a lot of time, effort and clever thinking. It may be better to hire a Pay Per Click Management Services if you are new to the game. There is a huge range of elements to take in – and get right. Let’s take a look at that right now.
What does a PPC campaign consist of?
First, you need to set up an ad group. This is a set of ads that are related to your overarching campaign. So if you sell computer games, you might have a Christmas campaign, with one group dedicated to XBox games and another dedicated to PlayStation. The next step is to associate your ad group with specific keywords. So you might put ‘Xbox games’ to get you started for the Xbox group, and so on. Next, you need to create your actual ad. Each of the ad channels you use will have specific rules, and it’s essential that you follow these. However, this is also a huge opportunity to ensure your ad gets read by the right people – and gives you the results you need. Hiring a professional agency can help you form the perfect words to compel your audience to click. Finally, once that audience clicks your ad, they will be taken to your landing page. It’s here that you need to match your ad text to the keyword in terms of relevance. And it’s also a chance for you to close the deal, and make a sale.
PPC management can help your business get more qualified traffic, better online leads, and ultimately, more sales and exposure. But it can be difficult when you don’t understand the PPC landscape. If you need help with your PPC campaigns, don’t hesitate to call us here at Click Through Digital? We would be happy to assist you in making your PPC campaigns a success.
