Top 5 Reasons You Need PPC

Top 5 Reasons You Need PPC

October 17, 2016 by Holly Rollins

Untitled designFor the uninitiated, PPC isn’t an acronym of a toxic chemical. But if you don’t know about it, your company could be missing out on a lot of conversions and business. Success with Pay-Per-Click (PPC) doesn’t happen overnight since digital ad campaigns require constant monitoring and adjustments. This poses a huge challenge for marketers who wear multiple hats; especially those who don’t have experience in executing PPC campaigns.

Effective digital marketing strategies typically integrate Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content marketing and PPC. Some companies prefer to rely solely on content marketing and SEO to reach their audience(s) and many others have just begun to test PPC campaigns. While the natural exposure and credibility that comes along with good SEO is important, there are five reasons your business also needs PPC:

1. First Page Search Results

In short, PPC is about paying for advertising space for specific target keywords on the first page of Google’s search results. You’re charged a certain fee only when someone clicks on the link that directs him to your site. As PPC campaigns are set up, ads appear on the top of search results immediately.

Adam Thompson, 10x digital’s Director of Digital, explains, “Google Adwords uses a complex bidding algorithm that controls the cost and success of your ad campaigns. It’s critical to understand and optimize all the relevant factors (such as Quality Score, click through rate, device bid adjustments, ad extensions, etc.) to minimize cost while maximizing the sales achieved by your campaign.”

It can be difficult in a competitive market but with the right PPC budget and campaign, it’s definitely possible to get a new small business on the first page of Google.

2. Increased Traffic

PPC campaigns that are implemented successfully provide instant traffic to your website because you are listed on the first page for those keywords. In addition, you are in complete control of the ad—from copy to keyword—and it can be continuously updated and adjusted for success. Especially critical for new businesses, PPC campaigns using Google Adwords can help drive traffic until organic results are built up.

3. Targeting

Google Adwords allows you to build PPC ad groups around targeted, specific keyword groups. Keyword groups are the vital component of successful PPC and by grouping keywords effectively, you increase relevance and improve PPC return on investment (ROI). PPC takes a lot of practice, ongoing testing and constant optimization. This is why many companies seek out PPC professionals versus managing campaigns themselves. In addition, it can be very expensive if the campaigns are not set up correctly.

4. Relevant Geo (Local) Targeting

In addition to targeting for specific keywords, you can laser target your audience and ideal customers by controlling which geographical locations will see your ads. While city-specific campaigns don’t make sense for all businesses, many can benefit from a location-tailored approach. There are many reasons why your PPC campaigns should be geo-targeted:

  • The cost to advertise in certain locations is not profitable;
  • Your account services vary by location;
  • Budget can be allocated to the best performing locations;
  • Keywords are controlled at the location level;
  • Better control generally equals better performance;
  • Receive more knowledge about competitors.

5. Branding

PPC advertising can give you complete brand dominance. If your brand is showing up in both the natural results—because of good SEO—and the paid search results (PPC), you’ve got prime real estate on Google’s first page. Organic listings have certain guidelines that need to be followed to keep in best practices with SEO trends and algorithms. PPC allows you to control your brand messaging, however, grabbing the attention of searches and driving them to your site.

Even if you’re already a successful business and you don’t take advantage of first page real estate now—you can bet your competition will in a matter of months or days to come. Efficient PPC can put you in the driver’s seat (more than any other form of digital marketing depending on your goal). Although this form of marketing is time intensive, when it’s done right the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.