Being a marketer, you take it as your solemn duty to grow your brand. When you hear PPC ads have an average of 200% return on investment, you can’t help but consider them for your strategy. At the same time, you hold off on your decisions until you’ve cleared up the basics of PPC advertising. We can help you with that.
PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is a type of advertising where you must bid to have your ad appear on a virtual billboard, such as the Sponsored area of the Google SERP. Unlike traditional advertising, where you pay for exposure, PPC charges you only when a viewer clicks on your ad.
In this article, we’ll break down the basics of PPC advertising, explore its different types, and show why investing in it can be a game changer.
What Is the Basic Concept of PPC Marketing?
It’s called pay-per-click advertising for a reason—you pay for clicks on your ads. The cost of these clicks varies based on the platform, keyword search volume, and competition. Taking these factors into account, advertisers place bids, with the highest bid securing the top position on the search engine results page.
For any click on that advertisement by customers, you need to pay. It gets them to a place, whether that’s your webpage (a landing page or an online shop, for example) or mobile application. Thus, you reach more people and prompt them toward the action in which they were interested: to be part of a newsletter or buy goods.
To jumpstart your PPC journey, you’ll require an ad platform to create and manage your campaigns. Google Ads, Meta Ads, Bing Ads, and Amazon Ads are some widely used advertising platforms. They let you run ads on their respective network of websites and apps.
Read More: Understanding Keyword Match Types in AdWords
Why Add PPC Advertising to Your Marketing Playbook?
PPC ads get you in front of potential customers when they are actually interested in buying a product. Suppose you sell Sneakers. What is the best time to pitch your products? It’s when someone searches for a “high-top sneaker” or “red Jordans.” Such queries show a high intent to purchase, and sale is only a matter of a click if you just can get that top spot in SERP.
Let’s understand in detail why advertisers turn to PPC ads to promote their brands:
1. Instant Results
Unlike SEO and other organic means, PPC ads are essentially you paying your way to the top. These campaigns appear above the organic search results and across digital platforms. As a result, your brand gets quicker visibility, and your website gets immediate traffic.
2. Focus on Marketing Goals
Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Or generate leads and sales? You can run PPC campaigns to tick all your marketing goals. You just need to pick the right kind of ad for each goal. For instance, when looking to increase traffic to your website, utilize text ads. However, if you aim to boost sales, use display or video ads to showcase your products.
3. Advanced Audience Targeting
Marketers prefer PPC advertising because of how precise it can get when targeting audiences. First of all, you have keywords to decide whom you want to reach through your campaigns. Second, you can narrow down your audiences by categorizing them based on location, interests, behaviors, etc. Lastly, it’s also possible to specify negative keywords or keywords you do not want to target.
Each step is like a filter, removing residuals until only the best of your produce remains. Therefore, None of your ads get unnecessary clicks from people who wouldn’t purchase your products no matter how many times they see your ad.
4. Measurable Performance
No marketer wants their decision-making to be a guessing game. With PPC ads, you have numbers to guide you at every step of your campaign. Ad platforms offer up-to-the-minute stats on your ads’ clicks conversions, cost to acquire customers, and return on ad investment. This means you always know what’s happening and can fine-tune your bidding and overall plan to boost results.
Read More: How to Plan PPC for eCommerce Sales?
What Types of PPC Ads Can You Run?
Now, let’s explore various types of PPC ads:
1. Search Ads
Search ads are the most common type of PPC ads. Yes, you’ve guessed it right. They appear on top of the search results when customers search for a keyword and only contain text copy. These types of ads work best for driving traffic to your website and generating leads for your sales teams.
2. Display Ads
Unlike search ads, display ads are visual. They can carry an image, video, or even a banner. Advertisers usually rely on display ads to boost brand visibility. They target those who may not be looking for their product but fit in their target profile.
3. Shopping Ads
As the name suggests, shopping ads are all-guns-out PPC campaigns to increase sales. They carry product images, prices, store details, and other necessary information to facilitate the sale. They are ideal for E-commerce stores to exploit the potential of keywords that show a high intent to purchase.
4. Video Ads
We all use YouTube and frequently come across ads before, in between, or at the end of a video. These are your video ads. Since video format offers enough room for creativity, advertisers use it to tell their brand story, promote their product, and raise awareness.
5. Social Media Ads
These are sponsored posts, carousels, or video ads that you come across while scrolling through your Instagram or TikTok feed. These ads work simply because they appear as regular content, seamlessly blending with other posts on the platform or app.
6. Retargeting Ads
Think of users who visit your site but don’t convert or those who abandon the cart mid-way. Retargeting ads are for re-engaging such customers. These ads usually carry a hyper-personalized message or promotional offer to encourage people to not only return but complete a desired action.
Read More: A Marketer’s Guide to Types of Tools Used in PPC Advertising
Grow Your Brand With PPC Advertising
At a time when businesses of all sizes are advertising online, ignoring PPC equals leaving growth on the table. But with the basics of PPC out of the way, you’re ready to explore what it has in store for your brand. At CommerceV3, we specialize in PPC for ecommerce tailored for online stores and businesses. Our experts handle every essential step, from keyword research to bidding strategies, ensuring your ads reach the right audience at the right time.
