One of the most popular forms of PPC is search engine advertising, which allows advertisers to pay for ad placement in a search engine results page (SERP). This works when someone searches for a keyword related to their business offering. For example, if we bid on the keyword ‘Google Shopping Management’ our ad might show up at the top of the Google results page.
The benefits of using PPC
PPC has many advantages that will benefit your business, including the following:
- Optimized PPC is cost-effective
- Your ad will be displayed on the first results page when someone searches for a related term
- More exposure and brand visibility as targeted traffic is directed to your site
- You can run multiple ad campaigns for each keyword
- It results in higher click-through rates (CTR), more conversions, and increased sales revenue
- Provides instant traffic
If PPC is working as it should, the return on ad spend (ROAS) should be high, as a visit to your site is worth more than what you pay for it. However, it’s not as simple as just paying for the clicks and gaining traffic, a lot goes into putting together a strong PPC campaign. It consists of choosing the right keywords, arranging those keywords into well-organized campaigns and ad groups, and setting up PPC landing pages that are optimized for conversions.
It’s important to learn the best ways to conduct a PPC campaign, as the more relevant, well-targeted PPC campaigns will be rewarded by search engines with lower-costing ad clicks. Google will reduce your cost per click if your ads are satisfying and useful to users, ultimately, earning you a higher profit.
Who should use PPC?
PPC advertising is ideal for small businesses as you get to decide how much you’re willing to spend on each keyword, so you can manage how much you will be spending when your ads are displayed. In essence, this ensures that the money you spend on ads isn't wasted, as you’re more likely to attract more people who are interested in your product.
Google Ads
Google Ads is the most commonly used PPC advertising network. The platform enables you to create campaigns that will appear on all Google services. Choosing the right ad format and keywords is important, as Google Ads ranks potential advertisers based on their ad quality, relevancy, size, as well as the price of the bid.
Since Google is the most used search engine, using Google Ads will get you the most impressions, so take into consideration the following factors when creating your PPC campaign through Google Ads:
- Ensure your keywords are relevant, popular, and likely to be searched
- Have a high-quality landing page that looks appealing and has a clear message
- Better quality scores get more ad clicks at lower costs
In summary, PPC advertising is a great marketing option for your business. It’s a simple yet effective digital marketing technique to promote your products, drive traffic to your website, and ultimately, increase your sales.
Google Shopping
Google Shopping is another excellent example of a PPC channel. It runs through Google Ads and can be used by retailers to get their products in front of interested shoppers. Since Google is the most used search engine, having your products shown as part of the SERPs can hugely increase visibility, impressions, and help drive traffic to your website.
On Google Shopping, advertisers place bids to secure the best possible spot on the Shopping carousel, with the first spot being the most highly sought-after. The reason is that 65% of shoppers click the first ad on the Google Shopping carousel regardless of price, perhaps due to beliefs it’s from the highest quality retailer or sold at the best price available.
Google Shopping management can be a complex beast to tame. From different automation options to manual management or third-party agencies, retailers have different methods of making the channel profitable.
Everything you need to know about Google Shopping
