PPC, or pay-per-click, is an online advertising option whereby businesses can create bespoke ads and pay on a cost-per-click basis. Google Adwords is probably the most widely recognised PPC ad option and more and more businesses are including this type into their marketing strategies. But is PPC right for your business? The team over a Whitefish Marketing had a quick review…
Short answer…Yes! PPC works for all types of online businesses across different industries, however it’s important to understand the potential ROI this channel is likely to generate and whether you feel it’s worth the outlay.
In doing this, you need to ask what your goals are? By goals, we mean desired actions on your site by your targeted visitors from your ad campaign. If you are an ecommerce site, you may want users to purchase a product from your website. If you offer a service that can’t be paid for online, you might want a submission of a contact us form. These are conversion-type goals.
If your goal is simply to ‘get more sales’ but you don’t have an ecommerce site, then the return on investment is going to be lower than that of an ecommerce site where visitors can buy a product at the click of a button on the page they land on.
Your goal might simply be brand awareness – making sure your product or service gains exposure in high performing ads.
Whatever your goal, PPC will work, but sales conversions may vary.
Creating your PPC ad
Before you start your PPC campaign, you need to decide what PPC ad to create, based on your goals. There are many different paid search networks to choose from, from search engine ads like Google AdWords and Bing Ads, to social advertising channels such as Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads.
If you’re an online shop retailer, Google AdWords might be your preferred PPC option. Within this channel, you can choose from different Google Ads such as text ads, image ads, shopping ads and video ads, to name but a few. A clothing shop might benefit from a shopping ad, whereas sites offering a unique service might get a better goal conversion on a video ad. You can also decide whether you want your ads to appear solely at the top of search engine results or be included on websites that are relevant to your product or service.
Some tips on getting the best from your PPC ad for your business
When deciding where to advertise, think about where your target audience might ‘hang out’ online and what keywords they might search on. Research estimated monthly search volume for your keywords, so you have an idea of potential ROI if your ad position is good.
Your ad position will be determined by the relevance between your keyword, your ad copy and your landing page content so getting this right early on is important. Your cost-per-click (CPC) bid price for your chosen keyword will also be a factor. If you get relevance wrong from the start, your ad position may be low and the CPC price will increase, making it harder for your ad to rank.
So, to summarise, PPC is a viable venture for all types of businesses. You just need to choose the right paid search network, select the most relevant ad, understand your goals and be realistic about your expectations.
To learn more about PPC advertising for your business, contact Google Approved Partner – Whitefish Marketing – on 01303 720 288. Also now with a great offer on PPC services for “Supply My Business” members.