Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising lists your site in the promoted section of searches that contain matching keywords. Similar to SEO, the ultimate goal is to gain the exposure which accompanies the first results on Google. The difference? Your site will appear as “promoted” above the organic listings. As the name implies, Pay-Per-Click advertisements charge a small fee every time someone enters through the sponsored listing.
Why is PPC important?
Pay-Per-Click can bring instant exposure to any business. For companies small and large, it’s a marketing strategy that pays—showing off your services in the right places, listed alongside your biggest competition. This, for small companies, gives an edge against local and corporate competitors alike.
Findings suggest:
- Brand awareness can increase by 80% due to PPC advertisements.
- For every $1 spent in AdWords (one of the largest PPC systems) businesses make an average $2 income.
- Clicks originating from PPC ads are 50% more likely to result in a purchase than organic clicks.
PPC utilizes keywords and negative keywords, only showing up for relevant searches—and thus—promoting your company to potential customers as they search for your services! While you won’t be an organic listing, studies show that people are willing to click ads/promoted sites so long as they’re relevant to their search. If someone is searching for what you’re offering, then they’ll click your website, regardless of how you got there.
Perks of PPC
There are some upsides to Pay-Per-Click advertising that SEO (its close cousin) lacks. First, a PPC campaign’s effectiveness is testable and can be measured over time. When the numbers fail to impress—don’t fret—your PPC campaign can be changed based on real results, rather than mere speculation. You can see which strategies bring in the most traffic and act accordingly.
Next, Pay-Per-Click is instant compared to SEO. Where you can wait months or even years for your complicated optimization strategies to work, PPC will put you in the top rungs of search results the second your ad is launched!
But in the end, everything comes down to cash—and PPC is cost effective. It grants you exposure, but you’ll only pay for the traffic that actually comes from it. You have control over how much the ad can charge, so you won’t go over budget if an influx of traffic comes in. Once your funds run out, the listing will disappear. As long as a customer spends more than you paid for their click, you’re in clear water!
So, Pay-Per-Click advertising can be a great way for your business to grow! However, it can turn into a nightmarish waste of funds when done incorrectly. Here at Creosphere, we offer a custom marketing plan to make sure your PPC efforts are not in vain! Contact us at ppc@creosphere.net for more information on our Pay-Per-Click advertising services.
Written by KeeAnna Streight
