If you find yourself sitting on the fence when it comes to investing in PPC advertising, you’re not alone. Although many small business owners are aware of PPC, they aren’t so certain whether it is something they want to include in their advertising spend. However, because it’s one of the most effective online marketing methods, it’s certainly worth considering. Here we look at PPC advertising to explain when it is and isn’t worth the investment.
What is PPC (Pay-Per-Click)?
Pay-Per-Click advertising is a form of online marketing leveraging keywords and highly targeted search audiences. It works using keywords advertisers bid on based on how much they are willing to spend to rank for those searches. Advertisers only pay that fee when someone clicks on their ads, which means you tend to get better ROI on your advertising spend. It does pose a challenge if you’re up against big spenders willing to bid more for the most desirable keywords. You can overcome this challenge by using an effective keyword strategy to create a niche for yourself.
How Does PPC Actually Work?
Although creating a PPC strategy can be complicated, the basics of PPC advertising are simple:
- Open an account with Google Ads (or the platforms you plan to use)
- Create your ads using the platform’s tools
- Select your target
- Select your keywords and the maximum cost you are willing to spend per click
- Once your ad is created, your bid goes into an “auction” with competing advertisers
- The advertisers with the highest bids are ranked highest
You can set an overall budget and stop running your ads once you reach that number or decide to invest more if your ads are seeing good results. Your goal is to choose a smart keyword strategy where you find less competitive keywords that are more affordable, yet just as effective.
When PPC Makes Sense for Your Marketing Strategy
Most businesses find that the amount they pay per click justifies the small investment compared to the results a click generates. PPC makes sense for you when:
- You want to see quick results and generate more traffic to your website
- You are looking for more high quality leads for your sales team
- You want to grow your customer base and spread out to new segments
- You understand keyword strategy and can come up with an effective list that won’t always be outbid for ranking
- You have a solid ad campaign relevant to your keywords and landing page content
- You want a flexible marketing option that allows you to turn your campaigns on and off easily
- You have a reasonable budget if you intend to go for the more competitive keywords in your industry
If any, some or all of these points sound like you, then PPC makes good sense for your marketing strategy.
When PPC Isn’t Right for You
Although at least one of the above points probably applies to you, you have to balance those points with other considerations that make PPC a bad idea. This includes:
- You can’t secure the right price for your most important keywords (You don’t want to overbid for keywords, or you’ll ruin your ROI and break your budget)
- You don’t have the budget to go head-to-head with competing bidders for at least some of your preferred keywords
- You can only afford keywords that are not as relevant which means you can generate a lot more “junk” traffic instead of quality leads
- You lack the resources to create an effective keyword strategy that allows you to tap into less expensive keywords that are very relevant to your business
- You lack the team to develop relevant high-quality ads that Google views as bringing value to the user experience
- You have no real competition in your area, so paid search advertising is a waste of money
In most of the above cases, budget and resources are the main reasons PPC isn’t the right choice for you.
How to Adopt an Effective PPC Strategy
If a lack of experience is holding you back from PPC advertising, you can adopt an effective PPC strategy to see the best results. Because this is such a flexible and generally affordable marketing tactic, you want to take the opportunity to reach your target audience quickly. It is a bit complicated to get your keywords down pat, but the platform makes it easy to target your ideal audience interested in your particular goods and services. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Be Keyword Savvy
Since everyone in your industry is bidding for the same keywords, you might find yourself outbid often. You can’t overpay for keywords, but you can find less competitive keywords relevant to your business the competition hasn’t considered. You can tap into keyword gold using long-tail keywords and phrases that serve up a high-quality lead based on user intent.
Make Ads Relevant
Google of course considers bids when showing users results for Google ads. However, Google never sacrifices user experience for the almighty dollar. Therefore, you should focus on creating ads that are relevant to the keywords and phrases you use. Make sure the ads answer a question tied to your keyword with a call to action that allows users to take the next logical step. Your landing pages should reflect that content as well, providing an answer and making it easy for visitors to get what they want.
Create High-Quality Ads
High-quality PPC ads rank higher and can save you up to 20% to 30% of the amount you bid for keywords. Why? Because again, Google wants to provide a better user experience. High-quality ads that meet user needs, match content to keywords, especially long-term. Your ads need to look good, have creativity and most importantly tell users what you offer and lead them there.
If you decide PPC sounds like a good opportunity, using these tips can boost your ranking and allow you to drive traffic to your site faster.
Are you wondering how you can develop your own pay-per-click advertising campaign? At StructureM we offer PPC solutions catered directly to your company’s needs. Contact us today and let us help you come up with a plan!
