If you’re part of the vast majority of internet users (around 98%) relying on search engines every day, you’ve likely come across the sponsored results prominently displayed at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). It’s no secret that these prime positions are paid for, but what might surprise you is how accessible they can be.
If you’re a small business owner eager to uncover the secrets of securing that coveted online real estate, you’re in for a treat. In this blog, we will unveil the power of PPC marketing and how it can become your ultimate ally in reaching new heights. Get ready to explore the fascinating world of paid search advertising, understand the remarkable benefits it offers, and discover why partnering with a trusted PPC agency can be the game-changer your business needs.
So, buckle up and join us on this enlightening journey to unleash the full potential of PPC marketing. Prepare to be amazed by the facts, figures, and strategies that will empower you to seize success in the digital landscape.
What Is Pay-Per-Plick (or PPC) Marketing?
The name kind of says it all. Paid search advertising, also known as pay-per-click or PPC marketing is a form of marketing that involves the advertiser (i.e. the business owner who took out the ad) paying a fee each time someone clicks on their advertisement. This type of advertising helps small businesses immediately reach more people, target the audiences they want and save money in the process.
Like other forms of search engine advertising, PPC uses keywords and simple ads to target anyone who searches a term that the advertiser selects. If you’re just starting out in business and you need to increase your brand awareness and quickly attract new customers to your website in a cost-effective way, PPC is a fantastic resource.The benefits of paid search advertising are endless, especially when your business is partnered with the right PPC Agency.
But how does PPC work?
The ‘How’ of PPC Marketing
Not to alarm you, but PPC ads are everywhere; they live on websites, emails and almost every social media platform you can think of. But the Big Boy in PPC marketing lies in search engine marketing (SEM), and his name is Google Ads. As of 2021, Google owns 92% of the global search market share. So running paid ads on Google is a no-brainer,
To advertise on Google is simple; businesses set up an account to bid on the keywords that their target audience is searching and the higher the bid, the better the search results ranking. This is why there are sometimes three or four sponsored ads appearing for highly lucrative keywords in a location (Google ‘diamonds Perth’ to discover this for yourself). Businesses get charged a predetermined fee – but only when someone actually clicks on their ad and visits their website.
This predetermined fee is called the cost-per-click (CPC) and it’s the amount the advertiser (i.e the business) pays each time a clicker clicks. According to Google, the formula to your actual cost “is calculated by dividing the total cost of your clicks by the total number of clicks.”
On average, CPC ranges anywhere from cents to tens of dollars, with the most expensive keywords even reaching up to $50 per click depending on teh industry. Wordstream.com explains that these higher costs are usually in industries with high customer lifetime values, so unless your business lies in law or insurance, it’s unlikely you’ll need to fork out this much.
PPC For Small Businesses: Does It Work?
You’ve wrapped your head around the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of PPC advertising, and you probably want to know if it’s all worth it.
To judge pay-per-click benefits for yourself, weigh up the following:
Building brand awareness in your niche: With PPC, you’re able to target beyond keywords and interests and really hone in on what defines your audience, like age, gender, location and even their chosen device type.
Precision targeting: The average global ecommerce conversion rate is somewhere between 4-5%, meaning that about 96% of website visitors never actually make a purchase. With PPC, you’re able to target lurkers who’ve visited your site before but left empty-handed.
Higher visibility than organic rankings: PPC ads show up above organic rankings – as they should, you paid for them – so you’re at a searcher’s eye-level on search engine results.
Easy testability: Google makes it easy to track and monitor your campaigns so that you can get an understanding of which ads are converting (and which aren’t), and make tweaks to optimise them.
Flexibility & adaptability: Did your store just flood and you’re now operating out of temporary premises? Have your products been selling like hotcakes and you need to alert customers you’re out of stock? You can update your PPC campaign to reflect such changes, rather than having to wait like you would in more traditional mediums.
“I want it now”: Not only can PPC be set up incredibly fast (Google’s approval takes a mere few hours), but you can start seeing results within hours of your campaign going live.
The Pitfalls of Pay-Per-Click
No strategy is perfect and while benefits of paid search advertising far outweigh their disadvantages, there are of course a few worth mentioning.
Conversion challenges: Yes, people are clicking on your ad and visiting your website, but how long are they staying and are they actually converting to customers?
Competitive and costly: Depending on the industry, small businesses may find it too expensive to compete with larger competitors for popular keywords.
Ad blindness: Most people are aware of the difference between an organic search result and a paid one, and the Sponsored label may cause some potential customers to avoid clicking on what they know is an ad.
It’s up to business owners to decide whether the few pitfalls are worth the many advantages of pay-per-click marketing. But if you fall into the category of savvy optimists, then you’ll need a solid strategy for managing your PPC campaign.
Top 6 PPC Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Here are your six best bets for winning the game of PPC marketing.
1. Competitor keyword research
Use tools to like SEMRush to find the keywords your top competitors are bidding for. If they’re a larger company, they likely have professionals running their campaigns who have already done the research to identify these keywords. Use the time they’ve put in to your own advantage and select the keywords that apply to your business.
2. Captivate with your copy
While you’re paying to be there, Google always factors high-quality content and ranks accordingly. Address pain points through relevant copy that connects to search queries.
First, charm Google. Then, charm your audience. BONUS TIP: do it in 60 characters so that your message comes across entirely without being cut off.
3. Consider your Quality Score
Quality Score is a search engine metric used to determine ranking and the CPC of your ads. To get a higher return on your ad spend, you’ll need to improve your relevance and click-through-rates. The higher your Quality Score, the less your pay per click, and optimising your campaign for user experience is the best way to do this.
4. Convert with a stellar landing page
To increase the likelihood of a user actually purchasing something on your website, you need to make the journey as direct and straightforward as possible. Rather than just linking to your homepage, direct clickers to landing pages that contain the product or service they’re searching for and a clear call to action of how to get it.
5. Combat click fraud
Not everyone in the world is made of sunshine and rainbows. To protect yourself from malicious sources (think spiteful competitors) who click on your ads with the intent of exhausting your budget, invest in click fraud detection software to ensure that your ads are only seen by legitimate eyes.
6. Consider a professional PPC agency
PPC can be a lot to handle and, like SEO, requires effective management, constant optimisation and time-intensive keyword research to stay up to date. If you don’t have time for that as a business owner, then putting your PPC campaigns in experienced hands is a worthwhile investment.
PPC and SEO: The Best of Both Worlds
If you can’t decide between one or the other, why not consider an integrated approach! Many business owners use a combination of pay-per-click marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) to cover them in the short and long term.
PPC is fantastic for drawing new customers in, while SEO will maintain their brand awareness and increase the chances of repeat business. Since SEO is very much considered the long game of a search engine marketing strategy, PPC campaigns can make things happen in the interim as your SEO simmers away in the background.
There’s a lot for small business owners to chew on when it comes to search engine marketing and the world of pay-per-click. With so many technical terms (and acronyms) to remember, it can easily become a bit overwhelming.
So if you’d prefer to have it all taken off your hands by a reliable search marketing agency you can trust, apply to work with us.
