What is PPC Advertising?

When it comes to advertising for your business, it can be extremely difficult to determine which options are best for your specific marketing needs and goals. This is especially true when you stop to consider all of the options that are available to you. While there are many ways you can achieve higher search engine rankings for your website, few methods can match the speed of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. Also known as paid search marketing, PPC advertising is the fastest way to get your company to the top of search engine results.

If you’ve ever seen “sponsored” results at the top of a page when searching for a specific product or service, these are there due to effective PPC advertising campaigns. While PPC advertising can be highly effective when done right, it is also difficult to navigate without assistance. As a leading provider of pay-per-click advertising solutions for businesses of all sizes, the team at FirstPage Marketing knows how complex this form of advertising can be. That’s why we’ve put together some information to help you understand what PPC advertising is and how it can help your business reach new heights.

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Important Terms for PPC Advertising

When discussing PPC advertising, it is crucial to understand what the following terms mean:

Pay Per Click

As the name suggests, you only pay for PPC advertising when someone clicks on your ad campaigns. This allows you to get more bang for your buck when compared to other forms of advertising.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

This term refers to the process of leveraging search engines to market your brand, services, or products to specific target audiences through paid and organic techniques.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

The cost of a single conversion or sale from your PPC ad.

Quality Score

The metric that measures the relevance of a PPC marketing ad when compared to target keywords.

Bid

The maximum amount of money or budget a PPC marketer is willing to spend on each ad click.

Ad Rank

The rank/position of your ad as it appears on the search engine results page (SERP). This is typically calculated by multiplying your quality score by your maximum bid.

Ad Groups

This outlines how your PPC ad keywords are segmented or grouped into certain categories or themes.

Landing Page

The website page a user will land on when clicking on your PPC ad.

Benefits of PPC Advertising

PPC advertising offers the following benefits for businesses of all sizes across various industries:

Reach a Wider Audience Quickly

With an effective PPC ad campaign, you can appear at the top of specific search engine results pages almost instantly and start earning traffic. This also allows you to connect with warm leads that are more likely to engage with your brand and purchase your products/services by reaching them at the right stage of their journey.

Easy to Measure and Track

PPC advertising is very easy to measure and track, giving you a lot of data you can work with to determine if your efforts are paying off or if you should try a different approach. This data can also be used to evaluate, enhance, and optimize other areas of your digital marketing strategy, ensuring that everything is helping your business grow.

You’re in Control

With PPC advertising, you are in the driver’s seat. This means that you have control over a wide range of options for reaching potential customers. For example, you can choose to target certain keywords, set your budget, and scale it up or down as needed. This ensures that you are always targeting the keywords you want while spending an amount that you are comfortable with.

Types of PPC Campaigns

You can utilize the following types of PPC campaigns for your advertising efforts:

Search

Search-based PPC advertising campaigns are those that appear on search engine results pages. By targeting relevant keywords and selecting the right bid amount, your business can rank above your competitors by showing up in the top 2 to 3 positions in search results. You can easily identify current PPC ads by looking for search engine results with the term “sponsored” in the top left.

Display

PPC display ads are similar to search-based campaigns, but they include a visual element (image, animation, video, etc.) to further attract the attention of potential customers. While search-based campaigns are focused on showing up in search results, display ads are designed to show up while users are browsing the internet. Display ads typically show up on the side of web pages or as banners at the top of a page depending on how they were designed.

Remarketing

A remarketing campaign shows display ads to individuals that have previously visited your site or purchased products from your site. A remarketing campaign is primarily used to bring customers who were close to converting back into the sales funnel, though they can also be used to promote new products to customers.

While there are several other types of PPC campaigns that can be used for your business, the options listed above are the most commonly utilized. While some businesses choose to only use one type of PPC campaign for their business, others choose to utilize multiple types at the same time based on their needs and goals. If you are not sure which option is best for you, an experienced digital marketing agency can help you make an informed decision.

To learn more about our PPC advertising solutions or to discuss your marketing goals, get in touch with the team at FirstPage Marketing. We can be reached through our online contact form and will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our services or your PPC advertising preferences.

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