, AWhat is PPC? How does it work? Should I be using it for my eCommerce? Isn’t it very technical and expensive? These are questions that many business owners, both new and established are asking themselves. Luckily we have the answers.
In this article, we will discuss every essential thing you need to know about PPC ads namely:
- The definition of PPC
- PPC platforms and how they work
- Types of PPC ads
- Some tips for successful PPC advertising
What is PPC?
PPC means pay per click, and it is a particular advertising method. It lets advertisers display their ads for free but yet pay each time someone clicks on them.
While for other types of advertising, you pay for the privilege or time you display your ad, with PPC, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
However, most platforms where you can run PPC advertising will require you to spend a minimum amount for an ad campaign. But you are in control of your maximum ad spend.
You can display your ads in the following ways.
- Along with (usually at the top of) search engine results related to your niche;
- On social media or web pages that your target audience use; or
- Playing before or inserted in content that your target audience digests (like a commercial break).
PPC ads can be a vital gateway to funnel users into your customer journey.
When a user clicks on your advertisement, they will be redirected to your webpage, shopping page, or any of your content. You can bring them your website, a subscription form, or even a checkout page with a prepared cart.
Each time a user clicks on your ad, you pay the advertising platform a certain amount, hence, pay per click. You get to set a maximum budget which means that you will only get as many clicks as you are willing to pay for.
Here’s an example of a PPC ad on Reddit.
What is a PPC Platform?
A PPC platform is any search engine, app, website, social media, or online content that allows you to run your PPC ads. So it can be Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, or Quora.
News companies and other mainstream media can also host PPC ads on their website, as well as independent bloggers and all kinds of content creators.
How does a PPC Platform work?
PPC platforms work differently from each other.
For example, you can run ads on Google that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) when users search for information related to your niche. You can also have your ads appear for specific keywords that consumers might search for.
So if you are running a Google ad about a sale event for your running shoes, it can appear along with search results for someone searching keywords like “shoes for jogging” or “workout shoes.”
On the other hand, if you run ads on a social media platform like Facebook, your ads will display to users who fit the demographics you chose for your campaign.
When you advertise on Facebook, the platform allows you to pick the interests, gender, age, location, language, and other measurable characteristics of your audience. Then, Facebook will display your ads in places and features on the platform that your “chosen” audience uses.
PPC platforms also allow you to control the duration of your ad, automate the timing of your display, and more.
So generally, all PPC platforms allow you to choose who precisely to target and where and under what conditions you want your audience to see your ads.
What are the types of PPC ads?
No. 1: Search Ads
A sponsored search ad is the most prevalent sort of PPC ad.
When it comes to PPC advertising, this is the ad type that most advertisers start with.
Advertisers select keywords for which they wish their adverts to appear. They then input what ad content they want to appear when a user searches for their keyword and how much they’re ready to pay if their ad is clicked.
The platform determines which order the ads appear on the SERPs and how much advertisers should pay via an auction method. The platform takes into account how much you are currently bidding and the quality of your content (whether it matches the search results or not).
No. 2: Display Ads
Another type of PPC is display ads. It involves advertising your product or service to individuals while they are browsing the internet.
While search ads appear in front of users who are currently searching for your product or service, display ads are shown to users whose online footprint indicates that they might be interested in your product or service.
This type of PPC is essentially what you get with social media.
No 3: Remarketing PPC Ads
A remarketing campaign displays your ads to those who have already visited your website.
A retargeting campaign is a significantly profitable PPC campaign because the users you target have already expressed interest in what you offer.
It’s frequently used to reintroduce clients who were on the verge of converting back into the sales funnel, as well as to upsell or cross-sell more products to your current customer base.
You can target anyone who has ever visited your website, including the following.
- Any previous user
- Customers who previously bought from your site
- Your newsletter or email subscribers
- People who watched your content anywhere else online
- Shoppers who abandoned carts
- Anyone who went to your website but didn’t convert
No. 4: Video Ads
You can create video content that you can submit to a platform like YouTube to run as an ad.
It can display before videos, as an ad break in the middle of content or at the end of a video.
No. 5: Shopping Ads
A Shopping campaign, like a Search campaign, allows adverts to appear on search engines. But shopping ads include an image of the product being sold, as well as the price, title, and description of the product.
Shopping ads are the best PPC ads to use if you are selling products rather than services.
A shopping ad can have more conversion potential than search ads. This is because the user has previously seen an image of the goods and knows their price.
Knowing more than simple descriptions of a product helps inform consumer decisions.
No. 6: Paid Social Ads
Paid social ads can be display ads, search ads, or remarketing ads; only they are on social media. So you can advertise on social media for all purposes.
If you’re looking to introduce a new product or get cart abandoners to return, you can run ads on social media to help you get what you want.
PPC advertising is available on a variety of paid social sites. For example, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, and TikTok are some of the most popular places to run ad campaigns.
No. 7: Sponsored Ads on Gmail
You can also advertise on Gmail using Gmail Sponsored Ads. This way, your ads appear as an email on a user’s promotions inbox.
With this type of ad, you pay Google when someone opens your “email” and saves it, forwards it to someone else, or clicks the ad.
How can you optimise your PPC efforts?
Here are a few general tips for excellent PPC advertising.
- Ensure that your ad represents the landing page users go to when they click.
- Don’t skimp on market research and automation details. Sending the wrong message to the wrong consumer can label your brand as spam.
- Do not rely 100% on PPC. Supplement your advertising with native ads or other organic methods like SEO, email marketing or link building.
- Ensure that your PPC ads are planned as part of your entire customer journey optimization (CJO).
- You need an excellent, professional website with conversion rate optimization. Ads usually land on your website, and you want it to do its job well too.
- Create high-quality content for your ads. When your ad content looks or feels sub-standard for your audience, they won’t trust it enough to click it.
- Have a focused PPC ads manager for your company. The research alone takes plenty of time and expertise, so it is better to have someone do it for you.
If you are looking for a smart and easy way to run ad campaigns that are guaranteed to bring traffic and potential conversions, we have the solution for you.
KAMG is a team of senior advertising experts who can help you achieve whatever business goals you want with your advertising.
Whether you are looking for more customers or trying to get lost clients to return, we can help you get it with ads done right.
FAQs
Are traditional advertising methods still helpful?
Yes. As long as mainstream media is relevant, traditional advertising like TV commercials can still make an impact on your business.
But most businesses cannot afford the high premiums that TV commercials and billboards cost. So traditional advertising is usually seen as suitable only for bigger brands.
Organic traffic vs paid traffic – what’s the difference?
Organic traffic comes from organic marketing like email, SEO, content marketing, and others. On the other hand, paid traffic comes from paid advertising.
What is PPC best used for?
PPC is best used if you are looking for a fast way to get plenty of traffic in a short period.
For example, if you have a limited sale, PPC can bring you plenty of prospects that you can potentially convert. Or, if you have a new business, you can introduce your brand and products to the market with ads.
