What is PPC? Learn the basics of pay-per-click advertising

Have you ever Googled something and found the first few results saying ‘Ad’ next to them? 

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That’s PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. 

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These ads are designed by businesses to reach customers searching for certain keywords and phrases. When used correctly, they’re a great way to reach your audience and engage with potential consumers. 

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There’s a lot to learn about PPC, but you’ve got to start somewhere — and you’ve come to the right place to get going. In this article, we’ll take you through the basics of PPC advertising, why PPC is important, and some top tips for creating an effective PPC campaign. 

What is PPC? 

PPC (also known as pay-per-click advertising) is a form of internet marketing. Businesses create adverts and pay each time one of their ads is clicked. When your ads are relevant and well-written, the fee is worth it — especially if whoever clicked the ad ends up making a purchase. 

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For example, if you pay $3 for a click, but that person purchases a $300 product from your site, the small ad fee seems trivial.

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Here’s an example of some paid ads on Google for the search term ‘furniture’: 

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(Image Source)

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You’ll probably be familiar with PPC from Google, but it’s also used on Bing, Yahoo, Facebook, and other places as well. 

Why do businesses use PPC? 

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits you’ll get from using PPC. 

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• Cost-effective: When you use PPC ads effectively, you’ll get a good return on ad spend (ROAS). This makes it a pretty cost-effective way to reach new customers and potentially get more sales. 

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• Track your goals: Paid ads are measurable. You can see exactly how many times your ads have been clicked and how much you paid for them. This means you can easily measure performance against your goals. 

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• See live performance: PPC allows you to see how your ads are performing in real-time. As a result, you can make instant changes to improve your results. 

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• Target the right audience: Are you looking to target women in their late 40s who live in Cardiff? Look no further than PPC. With paid ads, you can target audience groups based on their demographics and behaviours. 

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• More visibility: Your ads will appear on the first results page when someone searches for a relevant term. You get more visibility and you’re more likely to get a click (studies show that the higher position you have on Google’s ranking, the higher click-through-rate you’ll get). 

Debunking the PPC jargon

There’s a lot of jargon out there when it comes to PPC. Let’s clarify what some of these phrases mean: 

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Top tips to get the most out of your PPC ads 

If you’re launching a PPC campaign, hold fire. First, take a look at these top tips to put you on the right track. 

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• Start with a clear budget: Assign a clear budget to your ad spend before you launch your ads to make sure you don’t overspend. You can always increase the budget if things are going well.

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• Choose your keywords wisely: The keywords you choose will help determine who sees your ads, so you need to think carefully about what they should be. 

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• Use the right providers: Google is the obvious choice for a lot of businesses, but don’t forget about the other providers that offer paid advertising services (such as Bing, Yahoo, and Facebook)

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• Keep your ads relevant: The more relevant and well-targeted your PPC campaigns are, the better rewards you’ll get. 

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• Partner with an expert: Partnering with a PPC agency is a great way to make sure your PPC strategy is up to scratch. They’ll help you figure out what keywords to target, how to write your ad copy, and how to allocate your spending. Take a look at our blog about finding the right digital marketing agency to help you in your search. 

Launch your next PPC campaign with Ascend 

When done well, PPC can help you generate leads, increase sales, and boost your brand awareness. But if you don’t use it properly, you risk spending money on ads that don’t reach the right people and don’t convert into sales. 

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If you’re not sure where to start with PPC, contact Ascend. Our PPC specialists will take the weight off your shoulders and help you get the results you want. 

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