Why Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing Works

Pay-per click marketing, commonly shortened to just PPC, is one of the most popular methods of advertising on the Internet. While it may seem simple at first glance, it takes a lot of hard work and experience to get the most out of a PPC marketing campaign.

How PPC Works

Pay-per-click advertising is pretty simple at face-value. The small business creates an ad with keywords targeted for the ad in combination with setting various targeting metrics that allow you to finetune your target audience.  A budget is allocated on a daily basis on what you are willing to spend in total in clicks that given day. Once the campaign gets started, every time someone runs a search, or potentially visits a webpage, with your keywords, your ad is eligible to appear. When searchers click your ad, they're taken to your website and you are charged a small fee based upon your campaign settings.

Why PPC Works

Does PPC marketing actually do what it's supposed to do, though? The simple answer is yes.  With traditional marketing methods like TV and radio, you are paying when you purchase the ad space, and you don’t know how many people will actually see, and more importantly, take action upon your ad.  Usually this means you are spending big dollars with only a guess on what results you might get, if any.  With PPC ads, it doesn’t matter how many people see your ad; you only pay when they click on your ad.  Furthermore, you have granular control over how much you are willing to spend for every individual click, and what daily budget you are comfortable with.  However, that doesn't mean you can just start any generic PPC ad campaign and wait for the sales to roll in.

Nuances of PPC Advertising

PPC ad dollars can easily be misspent as well.  For example, if you are a cupcake bakery, and target the keyword of “cupcakes,” you may get some individuals who want to find a “cupcake bakery near me” to purchase their delicious cupcakes.  However, you may also find individuals who are looking up “cupcake recipes” which will also trigger your ad and potentially lead to an undesired click.

This is where the experts are here to maximize the impact of every dollar spent.  Our PPC experts know how to properly set the targeting and truly hone in on both keywords you want to rank for as well as how to avoid getting undesired visitors who are looking for related keywords but don’t intend on buying your specific product. 

To recap, PPC marketing has certain advantages.

1. It starts working immediately, which will jump your traffic up as soon as you start.
2. Your ads are targeted, which means they show up only when people are already looking for the product or service you're offering. That makes them more likely to click, and more likely to make a purchase once they've clicked.
3. PPC marketing is relatively cheap, and that makes it an option for businesses of all shapes, sizes, and budgets.

With that said, though, PPC marketing is also fiercely competitive. Success is a matter of ad design, ad placement, audience targeting, proper bid optimization, and in choosing the proper keywords. These factors impact how many people see your ad and where it falls in the ad results. If a business isn't experienced in designing, planning, and continually optimizing a PPC ad campaign, then it can be an uphill battle.

At Igniting Business, we help setup PPC campaigns for our clients.  We also help manage ongoing campaigns to ensure your campaign continues to be effective and grows in its overall success.  Sadly, it’s rarely a “set it and forget it” strategy.  If you need expert help to ensure your marketing efforts get the results you need, simply contact us today!