The world of marketing is always changing and evolving, which means that the strategies used to work for marketing your business may not be as effective anymore. As a result, it’s important to always be on the lookout for new and innovative ways to market your business.
One of the most effective marketing strategies today is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. PPC is a type of online advertising that allows you to pay for each click on your ad, rather than paying for the ad itself.
PPC can be an extremely effective way to market your business, but it’s important to understand how it works before you jump in. This guide will give you everything you need to know about PPC so that you can make the most of this marketing strategy.
But before we dive into PPC strategy, do you know the fact that only 45% of businesses use PPC? For the rest of them, it’s still a complex topic to cover. To grow and thrive in this online marketing world, your business needs to be visible in front of your target audience.
The goal of any PPC campaign is to generate leads, sales, or both. However, before you can achieve this goal, you need to create ads that are relevant to your target audience and that will grab their attention.
In this guide, we will explore in detail everything that you need to know about PPC, from its definition and history to how it works and why you should use it.
What is PPC Advertising?
PPC stands for pay-per-click. It is a type of online advertising in which businesses pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. The amount that they pay is determined by how much they are willing to bid for the keyword that their ad appears for.
PPC allows you to specifically target your audience with ads that are relevant to them, which increases the chances that they will click on your ad.
PPC is a very effective way to drive traffic to your website and generate leads or sales. In fact, studies have shown that PPC can be up to five times more effective than other traditional marketing methods, such as print ads or television commercials.
How Does PPC Advertising Work?
PPC is an auction-based system, which means that businesses compete against each other to have their ad appear for a certain keyword. The business that is willing to pay the most for the keyword will have its ad appear first.
When a user searches for a keyword that is being auctioned, the ads will appear in a specific order on the search engine results page (SERP). The ad that appears first is known as the first-place ad, and the ad that appears last is known as the last-place ad.
The position of an ad on the SERP will have a direct impact on its click-through rate (CTR), which is the percentage of people who click on an ad. The higher up an ad is on the SERP, the more likely people are to click on it.
PPC terms and definitions
There are various terms and definitions that you need to know in order to understand how PPC marketing works.
- CPC (cost-per-click): This is the amount that you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
- CPM (cost-per-mille): This is the amount that you pay each time your ad is shown 1000 times.
- CTR (click-through rate): This is the percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it.
- PPC platform: This is the software that you use to manage your PPC campaigns, such as Google Ads or Bing Ads.
- Keyword: This is a word or phrase that people search for on a search engine, which triggers your ad to appear.
- Bid: This is the amount that you are willing to pay for a keyword.
- Ad group: This is a collection of keywords and ads that are related to each other.
- Ad rotation: This is the process of showing different ads to different people in order to test which ones are the most effective.
- Ad extensions: These are additional pieces of information that you can add to your ads, such as your phone number or website address.
- Quality score: This is a number that Google assigns to your ad, which is based on its relevance and CTR.
Best PPC Advertising Platforms
Many new marketers think PPC is only available on Google. However, there are actually many PPC platforms that you can use to advertise your business.
You should know about the top 3 pay per click advertising platforms:
- Google Ads.
- Bing Ads.
- Facebook Ads.
1. Google Ads:
This is the most popular PPC platform, and it is used by businesses of all sizes. Google Ads offers an intuitive interface and powerful features, such as ad extensions and quality scores.
The best part about Google Ads is that it allows you to specifically target your audience with laser precision.
On average, Google processes over 90,000 queries every second, which means that there is a huge potential for your ad to be seen by millions of people. Moreover, marketers get various advanced features, such as demographic targeting and remarketing.
2. Bing Ads:
This is a PPC platform that is offered by Microsoft and it is available in over 30 countries. Bing Ads has many of the same features as Google Ads, such as ad extensions and quality scores.
However, one of the advantages of Bing Ads is that it allows you to specifically target mobile users with your ads.
According to Microsoft, Bing Ads reach approximately 63 million unique searchers in the US every month.
Moreover, the average click-through rate on Bing Ads is higher than the average click-through rate on Google Ads.
3. Facebook Ads:
This is a PPC platform that allows you to specifically target your ads to people who use Facebook. Facebook has over 2 billion active users, which makes it one of the largest potential audiences for your ads.
One of the advantages of Facebook Ads is that you can target people based on their interests, which allows you to create very targeted campaigns.
For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you can target your ads to women who have expressed an interest in fashion.
Benefits of PPC Advertising
PPC offers various benefits to businesses that help them gain a competitive edge and drive more traction to their websites. On this note, let’s explore some transformational benefits of PPC that let you thrive on success:
Top 6 Advantages of PPC Advertising
- PPC ads are very cost-effective.
- PPC brings faster results.
- PPC helps you track your results.
- PPC is very flexible.
- PPC allows you to specifically target your audience.
- PPC can help you build brand awareness.
1. PPC Ads Are Very Cost-Effective:
One of the main benefits of PPC is that it is very cost-effective. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, which means that you can get a lot of exposure for your business without spending a lot of money.
Unlike other ads, such as print ads, you don’t have to pay for PPC ads unless they are clicked on.
2. PPC Brings Faster Results:
Another benefit of PPC is that it can bring faster results than other marketing methods. This is because you can immediately start driving traffic to your website as soon as your campaign goes live.
3. PPC Helps You Track Your Results:
PPC also helps you track your results so that you can see which keywords are performing the best and which ads are getting the most clicks. This information is very valuable and can help you optimize your campaign for better results.
4. PPC Is Very Flexible:
PPC is also very flexible, which means that you can adjust your campaign at any time to get the best results. For example, if you want to target a different keyword, you can simply add it to your campaign.
5. PPC Allows You To Specifically Target Your Audience:
Another great benefit of PPC is that it allows you to specifically target your audience with your ads. This means that you can show your ads to people who are more likely to be interested in your product or service.
6. PPC Can Help You Build Brand Awareness:
Finally, PPC can also help you build brand awareness for your business. When people see your ads, they will start to recognize your brand and this can help you attract more customers.
PPC is a very effective way to market your business and it can help you achieve your marketing goals. If you are looking for a way to drive more traffic to your website, then PPC is a great option.
Robust PPC Strategies that will bring success in 2023
There are several key unique and higher efficiency strategies that businesses can leverage to drive results. Let’s deep dive into some of the most impactful PPC strategies that you can use in your marketing mix.
11 Most Important PPC Strategies To Know In 2023
- Advertise on multiple platforms.
- Use negative keywords.
- Use relevant keywords.
- Use ad extensions.
- Launch remarketing campaigns.
- Design mobile-friendly landing pages.
- Try lookalike or similar audiences.
- Set a realistic budget for running ads.
- Write benefit-driven copy.
- Use responsive search and display ads.
- Dive into A/B testing.
1. Advertise On Multiple Platforms:
One of the best ways to drive more traffic to your website is to advertise on multiple platforms. This will allow you to reach a wider audience and get more exposure for your business.
You can advertise on Google, Bing, Facebook, and other platforms. Several big brands use this strategy and it has proven to be very effective.
Another less-known benefit of advertising on multiple platforms is that it can help you lower your costs. This is because you can bid on the same keywords on different platforms and this will help you get a lower cost-per-click (CPC).
2. Use Negative Keywords:
Negative keywords are a very important part of any PPC campaign. They help you filter out searches that are not relevant to your business and this can help you improve your click-through rate (CTR) and lower your costs.
For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you would want to use negative keywords such as “men’s”, “boy’s”, “girl’s”, etc. This will help you filter out searches that are not relevant to your business and this can help you improve your CTR and lower your costs.
3. Use Relevant Keywords:
Another important aspect of any PPC campaign is to use relevant keywords. These are keywords that are closely related to your product or service. Using relevant keywords can help you improve your CTR and get more leads.
For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you would want to use keywords such as “women’s clothing”, “dresses”, “skirts”, “tops”, etc. This will help you target searches that are more likely to convert into sales.
4. Use Ad Extensions:
Ad extensions are a great way to improve your CTR and get more leads. They are extra pieces of information that you can add to your ads, such as your phone number, address, website URL, etc.
Adding ad extensions can help you improve your CTR because they make your ads more relevant and informative. This can help you attract more clicks and get more leads.
Some of the popular ad extensions that you can use are call extensions, location extensions, site link extensions, etc. Along with this, if you run a local business then message extensions can also be very beneficial as people can easily contact you through your ads.
5. Launch Remarketing Campaigns:
Remarketing campaigns are a great way to get more leads from people who have already shown interest in your product or service. These are people who have visited your website but did not convert it into a sale.
With remarketing, you can show them targeted ads and this can help you get them to come back to your website and make a purchase. This is an excellent way to boost your business sales and get more leads.
Moreover, when you focus on remarketing, you can significantly lower your costs.
6. Design Mobile-Friendly Landing Pages:
Mobile-friendly landing pages are very important because a large majority of people use their smartphones to search for products and services. If your website is not mobile-friendly, then you will lose a lot of potential customers.
Make sure that your website is responsive and that your landing pages are designed for mobile devices. This will help you improve your CTR and get more leads.
Moreover, Google and other search engines are constantly working towards making mobile-friendly websites a ranking factor, so it is important to keep this in mind.
7. Try Lookalike Or Similar Audiences:
If you are struggling to get leads, then you can try lookalikes or similar audiences. These are people who have similar interests and demographics as your existing customers.
You can create a lookalike audience on Facebook and Google. This is a great way to reach more people who are likely to be interested in your product or service.
8. Set A Realistic Budget For Running Ads:
One of the most important aspects of any PPC campaign is to set a realistic budget. You need to understand how much you can afford to spend on your campaign and this will help you make better decisions.
Make sure that you track your results so that you can see if your campaign is successful.
If you are not seeing any results, then you need to re-evaluate your budget and make changes accordingly. PPC can be a very effective way to get more leads, but it is important to understand how much you can afford to spend before you start your campaign.
9. Write Benefit-Driven Copy:
When you are creating your ads, it is important to write benefit-driven copy. This means that you need to focus on the benefits that your product or service can offer. This will help you attract more clicks and get more leads.
For example, if you are selling a new type of toothbrush, then you would want to focus on the benefits that it offers, such as being more effective at cleaning teeth or being more comfortable to use.
You need to make sure that your ads are relevant and informative so that people will be interested in clicking on them.
10. Use The Responsive Search And Display Ads:
Responsive search and display ads are a great way to improve your CTR and get more leads. These are ads that adjust themselves according to the device that they are being viewed on.
So, if someone is viewing your ad on a mobile device, the ad will be different from the one that they would see on a desktop. This is a great way to improve your click-through rate because you are providing a better user experience.
11. Dive Into A/B Testing:
A/B testing is one of the most effective and result-driven ways to improve your PPC campaigns. This involves showing two different versions of your ad to two different groups of people. You can then track the results to see which version is more effective.
This is a great way to improve your campaigns and make sure that they are as effective as possible. A/B testing can help you make small changes that can have a big impact on your results.
Best Practices for a Quality PPC Advertising
In today’s time, PPC advertising is one of the most popular internet marketing models that allow businesses to execute paid promotions.
Back in 2023, about 65% of businesses used PPC campaigns in their digital marketing strategy.
With so much competition going around, you must stay competitive and ahead of the trends to generate the most competitive leads from your PPC campaigns.
You must stay updated with the latest trends and practices of PPC services.
In this way, your business would be witnessed by the right target audience.
Moreover, you would be generating great conversions for your ads.
So, in this blog, we would cover the PPC strategy & Trends to watch in 2023. Let us have a look:-
11 Powerful PPC strategy to Adopt in 2023
- Understanding the target audience.
- Leveraging different platforms.
- Ads Data Hub.
- Automation.
- Video Ads utilization.
- Voice Search.
- Remarketing.
- Mobile optimization.
- VR Ads.
- Smart Bidding.
- Dynamic search ads.
1. Understanding The Target Audience
If you want to develop an effective PPC campaign, you must understand your target audience.
To start, you can take some time to understand your audience. Knowing who your target customer is, and who’s buying from you is always an ideal approach.
Certainly, you will have a budget for your PPC campaign so you should know towards whom you are targeting your ads. You get more ROI from your ads when they are targeted and the audience is clearly defined.
For instance, the information they are searching for, the medium of interaction, buying factors, etc should be considered while targeting your ads to an audience. Google Analytics can provide you with ample information on who your target customer is.
Understanding your products and services can also give you an idea of who your target customer is.
Images & keywords can help you out in reaching out to the right audience.
Thus, it is essential to understand your audience if you are looking out for a result-driven PPC campaign.
2. Leveraging Different Platforms
If you are looking to improvise your PPC campaigns, then you should not completely rely upon Google Ads search.
Instead, you should try out different platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to get the best results.
With Youtube’s Masthead, it is now possible to place a digital ad or billboard on Youtube. The ad gets placed on the Youtube homepage to reach a wider audience and is available on all devices. The ad also auto-plays for a few seconds and is ideal for mass reach.
Some of the other platforms that are entering slowly into PPC are Quora, Amazon, and LinkedIn.
Thus, they are going to play a significant role in PPC marketing in the years to come, so you should be on the lookout for more platforms for paid ads instead of just relying on the search engines.
3. Ads Data Hub
To measure the impact of ads across mobile devices, Google banned all third party pixel tracking applications on Youtube in 2023 because of security concerns. Google introduced Ads Data Hub that will enable marketers to measure the effectiveness of their ads across screens.
With more personalized data, you can better direct your campaigns and make wise, informed decisions. Your ads can reach your ideal audience, the way they are intended to be.
4. Automation
One of the best PPC strategies in the current time is the use of automation. It can help PPC marketers in several ways such as:-
- Offering best bidding strategies for achieving different goals
- Creating various performance reports
- Creation of dynamic ads based on the content of the website
- Specifying the CTR or click through rate of upcoming ads
With PPC automation, marketers can get their campaigns running in less budget & time. These ads with the help of AI & ML, can be automated which helps marketers effectively run their ad campaigns.
The whole process of running an ad campaign can be automated and should be utilized by marketers this year.
5. Video Ads Utilization
The use of videos in digital marketing has undoubtedly hiked in the past few years.
By 2021, it is expected that 80% of the traffic is going to come via Video Ads.
Additionally, it is seen that people remember video messages in a much better way as compared to text.
Thus, Video Ads should be a part of your PPC strategy in 2023.
One of the prominent examples of Video Ads is Instagram stories which are going to grow in 2023.
Moreover, VR(Virtual Reality) seems to be playing a huge role in video ads. With the help of VR, marketers intend to provide users with a real experience. Many marketers are now using VR to promote their products and services.
Hence, video ads are going to be big in 2023 because of the increasing consumption and interest and if executed well, they can render positive results for any business.
6. Voice Search
You might not be aware, but many people are shifting from text to voice search.
As per reports, 50% of the search queries are going to be voice-based by 2021.
These days, most people own a mobile device, and voice search works in a very effective way with mobile phones.
Hence, there is an excellent possibility of getting connected to the larger target audience and appearing in voice search results, if optimized for it. Ads that are not optimized for voice search don’t appear in voice search results.
It’s also suggested to use call extensions on your ads to let the searchers directly call your business with a voice search.
Therefore, you should include Voice as a part of your PPC strategy in 2023.
7. Remarketing
Remarketing is a technique in which ads are displayed to users who have visited your website or mobile app.
It stimulates your past customers to come back and make a purchase for the ad that they had seen.
Moreover, it can certainly help you if you are looking to increase your sales conversions as it redirects old potential buyers into making a purchase.
It has become a trend now, as it helps marketers target specific individuals and convince them to make a purchase from you. Therefore, you should definitely include remarketing in your 2023 PPC campaign.
8. Mobile Optimization
In the current time, you would still find websites that are not optimized for mobile phones which hinders their performance.
Similarly, if you wish to have a successful PPC campaign, you must opt for mobile optimization.
With mobile optimization, ads are perfectly visible on mobile phones and carry your message to your target audience as expected. You can use expanded text ads, the right ad extensions for mobiles, and effective writing practices, to make your ads optimized for the phones.
9. VR Ads
VR ads make use of innovative ways to promote paid ads. One example is eye-tracking technology where the ads start after gazing at it for a few seconds. With such innovative technologies, marketers have a chance of putting their message out in an innovative way.
Moreover, VR ads are an effective way to target Millennials and Gen Z. With VR ads, paid campaigns can be innovatively directed at young individuals. Hence, focusing on VR ads for PPC campaigns is a move marketers should be making in 2023.
10. Smart Bidding
Smart bidding is a kind of advertising tool through which your ad campaigns can be improved.
Google Ads provides it, and it makes use of machine learning technology to optimize your ads.
Using this, you can select a bidding strategy to fulfill your business achievements & goals.
Some of the PPC goals that it can fulfill are:-
- Creation of new leads as per cost per Acquisition
- Generating better ROI for a particular strategy
- Boosting the conversion rate to a large scale
11. Dynamic Search Ads
Dynamic search ads are an effective PPC strategy that you can implement in 2023.
In this, the content of your website is used to target the ads. Additionally, it also helps out in filling up the gaps in keyword-based campaigns.
For generating dynamic search ads, you can choose the landing pages, web pages, etc. An ad description is what’s required from you while creating the ad.
You need to ensure that the pages that you select from your website are consistent & content-rich as the same data gets used in the ad.
Google does an incredible job in long-tail keyword generation on dynamic search ads and hence, dynamic search ads, undoubtedly, should be a part of any modern PPC campaign.
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Conclusion
In the current world, there is very stiff competition. Hence, you need to put in a lot of effort to stay ahead of the competition.
Above are some of the best PPC strategies & trends that businesses can apply in 2023 to promote services, or products through paid efforts.
We can assure you that you would get great results and all your marketing goals would be fulfilled if you carefully follow the measures that are explained in this blog.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Will My Target Audience Click On My Ads?
Ans: People who click on the ads are truly willing to buy a specific service or product. Thus, as long as ads are well targeted, optimized for search, and created, PPC should bring desired results.
Q2. How Much Does A PPC Campaign Cost?
Ans: There’s no fixed price and the PPC campaign cost relies on several factors. Business type and size are one. Most importantly, business goals and strategy also determine PPC pricing cost.
Then again, if you’re getting services from a professional PPC agency, that can also vary from agency to agency. Based on these factors, the cost gets decided for a PPC campaign.
Q3. How To Create A Perfect Ad Copy?
Ans: Follow these tips to create the perfect ad copy:
- Reflect the user’s intent.
- Your headline must contain some accurate numbers or statistics.
- Be of interest to the user’s sense of entitlement.
- Involve emotional triggers in your ads.
- URLs should be unique and keyword-rich.
- Make multiple copies but prioritize your best copy.
- Respond to common objections beforehand.
- Do highlight the benefits.
Q4. How Can I Budget My Campaigns?
Ans: PPC campaign cost must be decided on the bid, targeting, and ad quality. A bid is an amount you’re willing to pay for an ad click and it is with this price that you enter a PPC auction. A bidder always plays less than the actual bid amount. Keep in mind that higher bidding is one of the factors for a top ad rank.
Targeting includes ad demographics, the area, keywords, etc. The more aggressive and competitive the targeting is, the more the cost.
Ad quality is another parameter and if the ad quality is superior compared to other ads, the bidder can end up paying less and still win the top spot.
A bidder must understand all these factors before budgeting their campaigns.