Is Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising Worth It?

If you’ve been in business for a while and just aren’t seeing the growth you want, you may have thought of turning to pay-per-click or PPC advertising to reach your audience. But is it worth the money?

Well, while it can push organic traffic forward and bring in leads faster, you’ll still need an SEO strategy so you aren’t paying too much to reach your prospects.  

Let’s dive into the basics of PPC to see if it’s worth it for your company!  

Key Considerations:

• Online ads only appear to your audience when they search for a keyword related to your product or service.
• PPC advertising rates are determined using a flat-rate or bid-based model.
• Keywords are crucial to the success of your PPC campaign
• PPC is not a once-and-done strategy, it takes time to see results.

What is PPC?

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an online advertising tool in which you will pay a publisher every time your advertisement is clicked on. This model is primarily offered by search engines like Google or social networks like Facebook.  

The most popular platforms that use PPC advertising are Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Twitter Ads.

Price per click varies and depends on several factors including:

• The ad platform (Google, Bing, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)
• Competitors bidding on the same keywords
• The value of a new customer  

Now, let’s discuss how PPC works!

How Does PPC Work?

The pay-per-click model is based on keywords. Online ads, also called sponsored links, only appear on search engines when someone searches a keyword related to the product or service you are advertising.  

Companies that rely on PPC research and analyze the keywords that are most relevant to their products and services.

Investing in relevant keywords can result in a higher number of clicks and therefore, higher profits.  

Pay-Per-Click Models

Commonly, PPC advertising rates are determined using a flat-rate or bid-based model.  

• Flat-rate model: You will pay the publisher a fixed fee for each click.  
• Bid-based model: You will make a bid with the maximum amount of money that you are willing to pay for an advertising spot. Then, the publisher will use automated tools to undertake an auction. An auction runs whenever a visitor triggers the ad spot.  

The Importance of Keywords in a PPC Campaign

Keywords are so crucial to a PPC campaign that the success of the campaign is often determined by how effective the keywords used are at attracting viewers and increasing clicks and conversions.  

With the use of correct keywords, your website will be delivered to the viewer in the form of a top-ranking search result ad, since the viewer searches for something related to your website’s content.  

Keywords are also an important aspect of your ad’s quality score and can either decrease or increase the bid necessary to gain a position or a click.  

When considering which keywords to use for your PPC campaign, be specific to stand out.  

• Use branded keywords with your company name
• Use generic keywords like “Tampa plumbers” or “Tampa DUI Attorney”
• Use words like “top-rated” or “reviews”
• Consider  long-tail search terms like “plumbers near me” versus “plumbers near me that fix water heaters.”

Budgeting for PPC

The most important thing to consider when planning a PPC strategy is your budget. Does your business have the budget to run a campaign that will push boundaries and give you time to figure out the best call-to-actions and winning keywords?  

While there are several tools that you can use to identify the best keywords for your budget, only a user-friendly landing page will convert visitors into quality leads. Read that again.

Like SEO, PPC is NOT a once-and-done marketing strategy. It takes time, analysis, and implementation to yield results.

If you decide to invest in a PPC campaign, give yourself room in the budget to design a stellar landing page, tracking, and follow-up.  

Is PPC Worth It?

The answer to this question is not simple and can depend on many variables including:

• Your industry
• Seasonality
• The economy
• Competitors
• Your budget
• And more

The most important thing to consider before investing in PPC is to scrutinize each of these factors and weigh the pros and cons with your marketing team.  

Ready to Conquer PPC?

If you are ready to boost your SEO efforts and gain conversions for your website, you may want to consider pay-per-click advertising. We can start small and ramp up your PPC strategy based on the results, but the bottom line, it could be beneficial to step up your marketing efforts for your small business!

Ready to get started with PPC? Contact our marketing pros at Charisma for a PPC consultation today.

‍