Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search engine advertising involves placing text ads in search engines that display when certain keywords or keyword phrases are searched for. This is not the only kind of PPC advertising, but it is one of the most trafficked areas of the Internet marketing landscape. PPC ads can also be placed on social networks or directly on websites, and typically these types of ads are more image-oriented and more dynamic than a standard text ad. A great digital marketing strategy aims for a diverse approach to PPC advertising, implementing ad campaigns across multiple platforms in order to ensure that your ads reach your target audience.
How does PPC advertising work? In short, the advertiser agrees to pay a certain amount for every click that occurs on their ad. As with organic search results, which are determined by the search engine algorithms (see our Search Engine Optimization section), positions higher up on the page result in more clicks and thus are more valuable. Therefore, advertisers typically have to pay more money per-click to get their ad placed higher on the page for certain keyword searches. With the pay-per-click model, advertisers place a bid for how much they are willing to pay per click on their ad for a certain keyword search. It is a dynamic bidding marketplace where you are constantly competing with other advertisers for the premium positions on the page.
It’s important to differentiate between the organic or natural search results that are listed for a search engine query versus the paid results that are listed. The natural search results are typically in the center of the search engine results page, and the paid or sponsored ads are usually the first couple of listings at the top, and the listings in a column on the right side of the page.
Google is the most popular search engine in the world and thus it is the most competitive PPC market. When you need to meet your customers where they are, PPC advertising on Google is a great start.
Bing is a popular search engine competitor to Google, and can be an important part of a comprehensive pay-per-click advertising program. Advertising through Bing also enables you to reach Yahoo! search engine users.
With over 1.3 billion active users worldwide, Facebook is one of the most powerful advertising platforms available. For certain businesses, a Facebook advertising campaign can present a huge value that cannot be matched by other PPC advertising platforms.
LinkedIn is the largest professional social network available and their PPC advertising platform allows targeting of users by unique traits such as industry, company, and even job title. If your PPC advertising campaign needs to target professionals, LinkedIn could be your best bet.
Pay-per-click advertising seems relatively simple on the surface, but with increased bid competition across the board and frequent policy changes by Google, Bing, Facebook, and LinkedIn, it is critical to get guidance or assistance from someone who has implemented a wide variety of successful pay-per-click programs in the past. Chair 10 Marketing can provide the trusted advice and implementation expertise that will help ensure you run the most effective PPC campaign possible.