What Is PPC? Learn the Basics of Pay-Per-Click Marketing
What is PPC and how does it work?
PPC stands for pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is a form of online advertising where you only pay a website owner (on which the ad is placed) whenever your ad is clicked on. According to Google, businesses receive an average of $2 of revenue for every $1 spent on paid advertising on Google Ads (formerly Google Adwords). PPC can be an effective way to drive traffic to your website, and it can be a cost-effective way to generate leads for your business. PPC can also be used to increase brand awareness.
What are the benefits of PPC?
PPC can be an effective way to generate leads for your business.
PPC can also be used to increase brand awareness.
PPC can be a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your website.
PPC can be used to target a specific audience.
PPC can be used to improve your search engine ranking.
What are the different types of PPC?
There are two main types of PPC: search engine PPC and display PPC.
Search engine PPC: This type of PPC is placed on search engines like Google and Bing. When someone searches for a keyword that you're targeting, your ad may appear at the top of the search results.
Display PPC: This type of PPC is placed on websites and apps. Your ad will appear on a website or app as a banner ad or text ad.
What are the most popular PPC platforms?
The two most popular PPC platforms are Google Ads and Bing Ads.
Google Ads: Google Ads is the largest PPC platform in the world. It allows you to place ads on Google.com and millions of other websites.
Bing Ads: Bing Ads is a PPC platform that allows you to place ads on Bing.com and other websites.
How to get started with PPC
If you're interested in starting a PPC campaign, there are a few things you need to do that we’ll discuss in depth below:
Define your goals. What do you want to achieve with your PPC campaign?
Research your keywords. What keywords do you want to target with your PPC ads?
Set up your PPC account. You'll need to create an account with a PPC platform like Google Ads or Bing Ads.
Create your ad. Once you've set up your account, you can create your PPC ad.
Monitor your results. Once your ad is live, it's important to monitor your results and make sure that your campaign is achieving your goals.
What are some common goals for PPC campaigns?
There are a few common goals for PPC campaigns:
Generate leads for your business.
Increase brand awareness for your business.
Drive traffic to your website.
Sell products or services.
Get people to call your business.
Get people to visit your store.
Get people to sign up for your email list.
Make a general announcement.
Increase online sales.
Drive offline sales.
PPC campaigns can be used for a variety of different goals. It's important to choose a goal that is relevant to your business and that you can measure.
How to Choose PPC Keywords
A key part of PPC is choosing the right keywords and having a strategy in place. There’s many different sources from which you can gather keywords. Google also provides a tool called the Keyword Planner that gives you suggested keywords: https://ads.google.com.
Some other resources for keywords include:
Spyfu: www.spyfu.com.
SEMrush: www.semrush.com.
Here’s a fun trick on how you can do a competitor analysis for your keywords:
Go to your competitor’s website
Right-click in the white space
View source code
Hit Control F (CTRL + F Keys)
Type in keywords
Once you've generated a list of potential keywords, you need to narrow it down to the ones that will be most effective for your PPC campaign. To do this, you need to consider your goals, your budget, and the competition.
Once your keyword research is complete, you can then take a more in depth look and choose the keywords that are most aligned with your overall business objectives. For example, if you’re selling yoga mats, you don’t want a search for yoga blocks to show up on your ad.
How many keywords should you be using?
Have you heard of the expression “less is more”? This serves to be extremely true when it comes to the amount of keywords you should be using in your PPC account. Choose 20-30 max for your keyword account.
From the keywords you have selected which are the keywords that most align with your product?
How much does PPC cost?
The cost of PPC varies depending on a number of factors, including the keywords you're targeting, the type of PPC campaign you're running, and the PPC platform you're using. Generally, PPC campaigns cost between $0.10 and $2.00 per click.
When should you start a PPC campaign?
The best time to start a PPC campaign depends on your goals. If you're looking to generate leads for your business, it's best to start your PPC campaign when you have the budget to do so. If you're looking to increase brand awareness, you can start your PPC campaign at any time.
How long should a PPC campaign run?
A PPC campaign can run for as long or as short as you want it to. However, if you're looking to generate leads, it's best to run your PPC campaign for at least 3-6 months. This will give you enough time to track your results and make changes to your campaign if necessary.
What are some common mistakes people make with PPC?
There are a few common mistakes that people make with PPC:
Not setting a budget: When you're first starting out with PPC, it's important to set a budget and stick to it. Otherwise, you can quickly spend a lot of money without seeing any results.
Not researching keywords: Keyword research is essential for PPC success. You need to choose keywords that are relevant to your business and have enough search volume to make your PPC campaign worthwhile.
Not monitoring results: Once your PPC campaign is up and running, it's important to monitor your results and make sure that your ads are performing well. If they're not, you'll need to make changes to your campaign.
Not using negative keywords: Negative keywords are essential for PPC success. They help you weed out irrelevant searches and prevent your ads from being shown to people who aren't interested in what you're selling.
Bidding too high or too low: If you bid too high, you'll spend more money than necessary on PPC. If you bid too low, your ad may not be shown at all. You need to find a happy medium.
How do you measure the success of a PPC campaign?
There are a few ways to measure the success of a PPC campaign:
Click-through rate (CTR): The click-through rate is the number of people who click on your ad divided by the number of people who see it. The higher your CTR, the more successful your PPC campaign is.
Conversion rate: The conversion rate is the number of people who take the desired action divided by the number of people who see your ad. The higher your conversion rate, the more successful your PPC campaign is.
Cost per conversion: The cost per conversion is the amount you spend on your PPC campaign divided by the number of conversions you get. The lower your cost per conversion, the more successful your PPC campaign is.
ROI: The return on investment (ROI) is the amount of money you make from your PPC campaign divided by the amount of money you spend on it. The higher your ROI, the more successful your PPC campaign is.
Quality score: The quality score is a number that Google assigns to your ad based on how relevant and useful it is. The higher your quality score, the more successful your PPC campaign is.
These are just a few of the ways you can measure the success of a PPC campaign. Choose the metric that makes the most sense for your business and track your results over time. This will help you determine whether or not your PPC campaign is successful.