What Is Google PPC?
PPC is an abbreviation for pay-per-click advertising, a system that allows you to advertise on Google, reaching a large audience of people who are looking for products, services, or information that you can provide.
Google PPC is used by millions of websites and businesses worldwide: it’s a powerful, cost-effective way to increase brand awareness and drive qualified traffic to your site, increasing sales and other conversions.
So, how exactly does Google PPC advertising work? In this quick primer, you’ll learn the fundamentals.
What Exactly Is Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC)?
PPC stands for pay-per-click advertising, a system that allows you to advertise on Google to a large audience of people who are looking for products, services, or information that you can provide.
Google PPC is used by millions of websites and businesses around the world: it’s a powerful, cost-effective way to increase brand awareness and drive qualified traffic to your site, resulting in increased sales and other conversions.
So, how does Google PPC advertising work exactly? You’ll learn the fundamentals in this quick primer.
Going the PPC route is often faster, and it also gives you more control over how your listing appears in search results. For example, if you’re selling birdhouses, if you also use PPC, you’ll have a significant advantage over your competition who is only using SEO. Take a look at these outcomes:
Someone looking for birdhouses will be drawn to the PPC ads on the right-hand side of the screen because they contain images and other enticing, relevant information such as price, shipping information, and star ratings.
This is why paid search is so effective for commercial searches. People who are ready to buy want all of the commercial information that a PPC ad can provide. Furthermore, clicking on those PPC ads will direct them to a landing page where they can complete their purchase.
Google PPC works because when you make a sale, your company makes a profit that exceeds the cost of the ad. It’s a win-win situation.
How to Begin with Google PPC
AdWords is Google’s primary revenue generator and PPC advertising platform. PPC advertisers typically use AdWords to bid on the keywords that will trigger their sponsored ads. Google determines which ads to display and the position of each ad based on a variety of factors, including the ad’s Quality Score (a measure of the ad’s relevance, primarily determined by click-through rate) and the advertiser’s bid, or how much they’re willing to pay for each ad click. This entire system operates in a manner similar to an auction.
So, how do you participate in the auction? You’ll need to compile a list of keywords for which you want to bid based on their relevance to your company’s offerings. This is accomplished through PPC keyword research or the use of keyword tools to discover what terms people search for when looking for products or services similar to yours.
Once you’ve compiled a list of keywords, organize them into ad groups and campaigns, and then write relevant PPC ads to entice Google users to click. PPC campaigns that are well-organized are critical to your success:
Remember that a high click-through rate improves your Quality Score, which raises your ad rankings and lowers your advertising costs, so it’s worthwhile to invest time in writing effective ad copy.
Test your ad creative to see what your target audience responds to the most: Benefits vs. features? Emotions that are positive or negative? What is your one-of-a-kind value proposition?
Check out PPC University for more information on getting started with Google advertising. It’s a free resource that will teach you the fundamentals of PPC.
Using rankzoid to Improve PPC Results
rankzoid Advisor is a PPC management platform that can help you maximize the effectiveness of your online advertising campaigns in as little as 20 minutes per week.
Rather than replacing AdWords, rankzoid integrates with your Google AdWords PPC account, making smart, customized recommendations to help you optimize your campaigns in the shortest amount of time. When it’s time to: you’ll get friendly reminders and tips.
Stop using a low-performing keyword.
Make changes to your PPC bids.
Try out new PPC ads.
Boost your click-through rate.
Include new negative keywords.
Optimize your mobile ads and landing pages, among other things.
