What is Google paid search or PPC?
First things first! What is PPC? Well PPC stands for Pay Per Click. It's Google's paid search environment and if managed correctly can be a very effective method of directing traffic, sales and enquiries to your website. This works on a CPC (Cost Per Click) bidding strategy.
Firstly it's important to know that Google has two main methods of delivering results to its users. Let's start with a seasonal keyword: "festive Christmas jumpers".
So starting at the top, the first set of results you'll see are the paid ads. You'll know that these ads are paid, when you see the little bold Ad * prefixing the URL. For me, this first set of results are in the form of Google's shopping campaign (another paid channel). Next down you will probably see some more sponsored Ads * returned, maybe two or three. Then, a little further down you will start to see the Google organic (free) search results appear.
So, the key difference in the different results is that the Ads * are served from Google's paid channel and the organic listings further down are the 'free' listings, the results of which, are based on the content and merit of the website being indexed.
So how does PPC work then?
I like to use this analogy. Imagine having a half-page advert on the centre pages of the Telegraph ... for free. You only start to pay for that ad if someone picks up the phone and rings the sales number or physically takes an action to contact you as a result of that ad. If it's irrelevant to them, and of no interest, then you pay nothing.
Sounds good right? It is. It does work (for most), but I can't stress enough, be sure to work with the right partner as sometimes the DIY approach or making the wrong choice can be incredibly costly. Work with an agency that takes the time to understand your business, your products or service, and have the skills and expertise to generate quality, relevant traffic to the key areas of your website.
Here are some classics do's and don'ts when advertising with Google Ads:
- Do structure your campaign(s) well & serve relevant ads and ad groups within specific campaigns
- Do have a budget & impose strict daily campaign budgets, don't necessarily use the recommended amounts
- Do start small, try to target specific areas with specific terms. Be specific!
- Do start by using ad scheduling so you're not serving outside working hours (if this was of relevance to your business)
- Don't listen to your mate down the pub that tells you to put up a simple campaign and send traffic to your website, Google will do the rest!
- Don't be fooled into thinking that just because your Google Ad campaign is sending traffic to your website, that it's working for you (generating ROI)
- Don't run just one ad in one Ad Group, use Ad rotation trialling different terms and key USP's
- Don't jump straight into display or re-marketing campaigns. Focus on making search generate ROI first.
We have helped many businesses over the years run successful PPC campaigns. We are honest, trustworthy and completely transparent with everything we do. By working (in correlation [correl8 tion] .... get it!) with our customers, ensures the best possible success for any marketing campaign. Please contact us for a friendly chat to see if we can help.
