Those unfamiliar with marketing may also be new to Pay-Per-Click (PPC), also known as Pay-per-Click. Pay-Per-Click is becoming increasingly well-known among marketers, and seen as having equal importance as SEO. Navigating PPC can initially seem intimidating, so we have provided this beginner tutorial on PPC to simplify your learning process.
What is PPC
Pay Per Click (PPC), more commonly called Pay Per Click advertising, is an online advertising method in which advertisers pay whenever a person clicks their ad online. You can utilize various types of advertisements when using this form of promotion – the most frequently employed being Paid Search ads.
Google ads for paid searches can be seen when conducting commercial investigations using commercial keywords on Google. For instance, when looking for heating experts online, you might use paid search to see their ads appear higher up on the results list, and pay-per-click ads appear above regular Google results pages – hence their name “pay-per-click ads.”
This beginner’s guide to pay-per-click (PPC) reveals critical components you should understand to create a successful pay-per-click campaign.
Key things to consider
Starting a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign may seem intimidating at first. Below are a few essential points you should remember before embarking on this journey.
Define your goals, and make them specific
What goals and outcomes do you hope to accomplish through your PPC campaign? Setting specific goals, setting clear goals allows you to adapt your strategy to meet them.
Creating an advertising plan can be intimidating for those unfamiliar with marketing. There are certain questions you must pose to yourself in order to craft the most effective plan:
- What services and advantages are you offering your customers, what sets us apart, who are our prospective customers, and what is our budget for pay-per-click advertising (PPC)?
- Answering these questions with clarity and precision will put you on the road to creating an efficient PPC strategy.
Develop a Keyword list
Keywords will become your ally when building an pay per click campaign. Long tail keywords could include search terms that resonate with your target audience and those you seek to attract, as they provide specific and cost-effective means of reaching potential consumers.
First, research your target market and the people you are targeting. This will give you an idea of possible keywords to apply. Although you could use software, this would cost more and may not look natural as expected. Choosing keywords carefully is the key to your success!
Know your competitors
Knowing your competitors is vital to business as understanding your target audience. If established competitors are already using pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, studying and learning from them may prove fruitful in improving your own. When identifying potential threats within your area, it’s also important to establish whether they pose serious threats; being aware of who the serious players will assist with the proper investigation of any possible threats that could emerge.
If you’re keeping tabs on competitors, some key considerations to keep an eye out for include:
- Are they bidding on keywords you missed, with different ads and landing pages than yours?
By answering these questions, you are already on your way to building a stronger and more effective campaign.
Track your conversions
When designing an AdWords campaign, it’s essential to measure the conversion rate – this provides an easy way of knowing if your campaign was successful or not and allows you to adjust your budget appropriately when certain key phrases gain more traction than others. When that occurs, knowing where best to allocate the budget becomes easy.
PPC campaigns aim to generate leads, which in turn help businesses generate additional revenue. A successful PPC campaign may yield increased clicks, ultimately translating to increased sales.
For additional insight on what conversion percentage to set, see: What Is an Ideal PPC Ratio of Conversion (and How Can We Increase it).
Continual development
However, learning all of the aspects of PPC won’t happen overnight or within just months of starting a business. Each business must first identify its niche and target audience before becoming proficient in PPC. Being effective requires you to keep an eye on competitors – what do they share in common that could engage customers, for instance?
Launching your own PPC campaign will be the best way to gain experience. From this endeavor, you’ll experience its highs and lows first-hand – helping you understand what works well and which strategies could increase conversion rates.
To Conclude
Overall, PPC can be an extremely effective marketing tool if you opt to utilize paid searches. Launching a campaign is straightforward and can be accomplished within minutes; to maximize success with PPC, it is key that all the elements discussed throughout this post are considered and adjustments can be made over time to increase conversion rate.