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Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising helps companies attract new customers, draw more website traffic, improve their visibility and grow their businesses. It can also be an element of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategies, delivering quick and visible results and providing companies with a competitive advantage. In this article, we explore building and managing successful Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.
What is PPC?
Pay-per-click (or PPC advertising) is paid digital marketing where advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks their ads. PPC refers to paid ads on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
The idea of a PPC advertising model belongs to Planet Oasis, a company that in 1996 was the predecessor to the Google search engine.
Understanding the basic terms used in PPC helps you navigate advertising’s challenging waters:
- Cost-per-click (CPC): The money you pay each time somebody clicks on your ad.
- Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on your ad when they see it.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of people who purchase, fill out a form or conduct any other action you want them to after they click your ad.
- Keyword match: Keyword matching splits into several forms: exact match: when the search conducted by Internet users matches exactly your keywords’ meaning; broad match: when the searching queries are related to your keywords; phrase match: when the searches include the meaning of your keywords.
- Quality Score: Search engines use this metric to establish the relevance and quality of the text in your ads and keywords. A high-quality score means you can bid smaller amounts for higher ad positions.
How to Build a Successful Pay-per-click (PPC) campaign
This process includes the following steps:
1
Optimisation of the landing pages
Landing pages are the pages users are directed to on your website after clicking on your ad. It is essential that these pages are optimised to provide the information required for users to make a buying decision.
When people click on a PPC ad, they are interested in learning more about the product or service advertised by the ad. That is why the click must take the users to a page that coincides with the ad’s text and not a generic page (like Homepage).
The optimisation of the landing pages involves improving their performance. If they don’t load quickly, are difficult to navigate or have technical issues, the users that click on the ad will bounce. Ensure these pages work flawlessly to encourage the visitors to return and make a purchase.
Optimisation of the landing pages is part of the improvement process of your website that can maximise your conversions. To this end, you can:
- write catchy and compelling text in all the sections of the website;
- include images and videos that create a lasting impression;
- use a simple, standout design;
- include convincing Calls to Action;
- use bullets to make the information ea
2
Choose the right bidding strategy
Choosing the right bidding strategy depends on your campaign goals, budget and experience managing Pay-per-click advertising.
Manual bidding fits best if you are new to PPC or your budget is tight because this type of bidding allows you to set a limit for cost per click. The disadvantage of this strategy is that you cannot optimise your bid.
Automated bidding reduces the time you need to allocate to managing a campaign, but it might cost you more than manual bidding.
3
Define your budget
The budget is a vital element of a PPC campaign. The more generous it is, the more you can obtain from PPC advertising. However, even with a low budget, you can build a campaign since you control how much you spend. If you have just started using PPC or want to test how it works and what results it offers, a small budget is the way to go.
4
Research and choose your keyword carefully
Keyword research is the backbone of the entire process of building a Pay-per-click campaign. Keywords instruct the search engines when to display your ads, and choosing the right keywords can guarantee the success of your campaign by bringing in the most views, click-throughs, traffic, and conversions.
To choose the right keywords, you can:
- use Google’s keyword search or other search engine to identify relevant keywords for your campaign;
- check what keywords use your competitors;
- select specific and not generic keywords;
- imagine what terms you would use if you were a customer searching for products or services like yours.
The more relevant the keywords, the higher the chance of more hits and reaching a higher quality score and, therefore, a lower cost per click.
5
Create a stunning ad
Your ad needs to be short and relevant to instantly capture the interest of prospects who see your ad. You can opt for a unique value proposition to differentiate your offer from others and express in a sentence how it will benefit prospects.
6
Choose a compelling Call to Action
A Call to Action (CTA) instructs interested prospects on what action to take next. It must be short, compelling and clear to prompt prospects to act. “Buy now” or “Offer available today” are some efficient CTAs.
7
Test, adjust and implement your campaign
One way to increase the chances of creating a successful Pay-per-click campaign is to run two ads simultaneously with identical elements and a single significant difference. Check which of these ads perform better, adjust whatever you think will improve the visibility, increase the click-through and conversion rates, and stay with it for the entire campaign. This will save you money and improve the results of your campaign.
What is the Most Used Pay-per-click Platform?
Not every platform fits all businesses because each platform has a different type of audience, and most companies do not advertise on all existing platforms simultaneously.
The most used Pay-per-click platform is Google Ads (formerly called Google AdWords). This platform suits both companies just entering the world of PPC advertising and experienced ones.
Google PPC is used globally by millions of websites and companies as it is a cost-effective way to attract traffic to your site, boost sales and conversion and raise brand awareness.
Google’s algorithms reward with organic rankings solely the highest-quality sites. Matching that performance by achieving organic rankings with the help of keywords can be difficult and require a lot of effort, time, and money.
What are the Two Disadvantages of Pay-per-click?
Is highly competitive
Due to its popularity, PPC advertising is highly competitive: everybody wants to use it, which makes it somewhat expensive. With all companies battling for popular keywords, the bidding costs increase, making it impossible for businesses with small budgets to access them. Without the opportunity to choose the keywords they want, small companies cannot have any guarantee that PPC advertising will work for them. But that should not prevent businesses from choosing whichever advertising methods they think will help them.
Requires time to find the success formula
Building and managing successful Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns requires time: to learn how it works, identify the right audience, find the relevant keywords, and monitor and adjust to achieve defined objectives. Even experienced users of this type of advertising do not always have the expected results, which entails adjusting and starting over. This can be frustrating for some businesses, but that should not discourage you from searching and implementing the strategy that works for your company.
How Do I Set Up Pay-per-click on Google?
One of the advantages of Pay-per-click campaigns on Google is the clarity of the setup process.
The main steps are:
Create a new campaign
Click on the “+ Campaign” button to create a new campaign. Choose the campaign type you want. You can opt for Search Network, Video, Display Network, Shopping, or App campaigns.
Select an advertising objective
Choose your most relevant campaign objective, whether driving sales, increasing website traffic or generating leads.
Define the campaign's parameters
Enter the parameters of your campaign, such as name, targeted locations, daily budget, bidding strategy, and languages. Define the start and end dates.
Research and enter relevant keywords
Use Google Keyword Planner to research and identify keywords matching what your audience is most likely to enter in the search engines. Ensure these keywords have sufficient search volume to achieve your campaign objectives.
Select ad extensions
Ad extensions provide additional information and Call to Action buttons. Extensions like Call Extensions, Sitelink Extensions, or Location Extensions increase the visibility and effectiveness of your ad.
Define the landing page
Enter the landing page URL, where people will be directed when they click your ad. Keep in mind to optimise this page for an enhanced customer experience and ensure it is consistent with the subject advertised by your ad.
Install conversion tracking
Enter your website’s Google Ads conversion tracking code to monitor conversions accurately. Define conversion goals like purchases, newsletter sign-ups or form submissions to measure the success of your campaign.
Make the final checks and launch your Google Pay-per-click campaign
Check all your campaign parameters, ad text, budget and targeting options. If everything is as intended, click the “Launch” button to activate your campaign.
PPC is an affordable, traffic and leads-generating online advertising tool. By following the instructions in this article, you will excel in building and managing successful Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns with superior and immediate results for your company.
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Janet Podham
Janet Podham is the owner of Openbox Marketing Limited. She has a post-graduate diploma from the University of Otago, majoring in Data Science. She has spent two years studying website design and SEO in the Champions Masters Program at the eBusiness Institute in Australia. She loves helping people and knits for local foster children in her spare time.