Pay-per-click (PPC) is an incredibly important part of digital marketing.

As time goes on, digital marketers notice more and more success with PPC advertising methods. No wonder it’s made such a mark in the digital world. Not only are they effective, but they’re also very affordable. This makes them a great option for businesses both big and small. Pay-per-click ads could make all the difference in the success of your advertising campaigns…but only if they’re right for your company. We’re here today to give you the information on everything PPC! You will be able to make the decision to get started on creating and running successful campaigns.

What is Pay-Per-Click Advertising?

Let’s start with the basics and understand what PPC advertising really is. A pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an ad that shows up on various websites. They could be at the top of a Google search, on a social media feed page, or on the side of your screen as you browse through different websites. There are plenty of options for where PPC ads can show up for users. When you create your PPC ads, you receive a major benefit as you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. This makes PPC ads a great choice for those on a specific budget. You can make sure you are only spending money on those who are actually interested in what you have to offer.

It’s important to know there is no cost to place your ad. Rather, the cost is only incurred with users who actually engage with the ad. Once they click, the determined cost is added to what you are charged. Your budget can be set to a specific number so that it stays within your limit. PPC ads rely greatly on your choice of keywords as your ad will only appear when someone specifically searches for that specific keyword. This means you need to be extra considerate of your keyword strategy. Always make sure your ad aligns with the user’s search intent. The popularity of your chosen keyword then helps to determine what you will pay each time someone clicks on your ad.

What is the Most Popular PPC Platform?

PPC ads can be broken down into two categories: search advertising and display advertising. Search advertisements are ads that appear as search results on search engine results pages (SERPs). Display advertisements, on the other hand, are ads that appear as videos, graphics, or paid posts. They are most commonly found on social media feeds or third-party websites. There are many platforms to utilize for your pay-per-click marketing needs. But many marketers will use Google ads as a part of their campaigns. This is because Google is the most commonly used search engine. In addition to search ads on Google, other popular search engines and social media sites Ads for advertising include Facebook ads, Twitter ads, Bing ads, Pinterest promos, LinkedIn ads, and Quora ads.

How does Pay-Per-Click Advertising work?

Let’s take your understanding of PPC ads a little bit further by doing a deeper dive into how search ads work. When you run a digital marketing campaign, it’s likely you will have several different ads groups. These can be used to highlight certain products or services offerings from your business. Within each of your ad groups, you will want to take advantage of many keywords. This helps interested customers see those products or services. Depending on your chosen keywords, you will make bids for each through a keyword auction. Once you have successfully won the bid, every time someone searches for that keyword, your PPC ad will appear.

PPC search ads generally don’t include a ton of text or information. This means it will be up to the landing page that you direct them towards to give them more information. You can learn more about landing page optimization here. Your PPC ad could be seen by thousands of users, but it is only when they actually click on the ad that you are charged. Display ads are also an important type of PPC ad to consider. Ads that you see displayed on the top, side, or middle of website content are considered to display ads. These types of ads are incredibly effective as they properly relate to your target audience and entice them to click to make a purchase of your products or services. Now that you understand how PPC ads work in terms of search ads and display ads, let’s look a little more closely at PPC social ads.