PPC 101: Your Basic Guide to Pay-per-Click Strategy

Search engine optimization or SEO is an online marketing strategy that yields organic results. The goal is to keep publishing content that will boost the website’s rankings on Google. Then, when people look for information using keywords, the website will appear as one of the top choices. While it’s a proven technique, it takes time. It also gets dominated by more prominent companies. The best alternative is to use the pay-per-click or PPC campaign. Instead of waiting to reach the top, the company can buy an ad and appear on the top spot right away. It might seem easy, but it also requires strategic planning as a reputable Chicago PPC agency can attest based on their experience. Here’s a basic guide for companies that want to use this tactic. 

Find the right keywords

The first step is to use the right keywords. Not all of them are appropriate. Some keywords are too short and competitive. On the other hand, they’re more expensive due to the number of companies vying for them. Longer keywords are cheaper, but not many people use them to search for information. Finding the right balance is critical since it determines how much the company will spend for this marketing campaign. Use the right keyword search tools to spot the best keyword. 

Identify negative keywords

Not all keywords that seem relevant to what the company offers are helpful. Some of them are negative keywords and will confuse potential buyers. For example, if the company sells “men’s sneakers,” the negative keywords include “women’s sneakers” and “men’s office shoes.” Therefore, when people type these keywords, the company’s ad shouldn’t appear. 

Set a budget

Since this marketing strategy requires payments, the company should set a budget. It’s a risk to take since there’s no assurance that it will yield results. The good thing is that there’s no need to pay unless someone clicks on the ad. If it only appeared on the top page, but the visitors didn’t click it, there will be no fees. Hence, it makes sense to remove negative keywords to prevent people who don’t intend to buy the products from clicking the website. They might accidentally open the page before realizing it’s not what they’re looking for.

Create the best PPC campaign

After identifying the best keyword to use, the next step is to have the best ad. Even if the website is on the first page, it won’t matter if the ad isn’t enticing enough. People will skip it and proceed to the next website on the list. The message must be easy to understand. It should also contain everything people need to know. By looking at the ads alone, they will feel the urge to click the website and know more. 

Constantly analyze the results 

Many companies believe in the power of this campaign to attract more attention. They’re willing to spend money than wait for the organic SEO services and tactics to show results. First, determine if the efforts are heading in a positive direction. Check if the website received more traffic or boosted its conversion rate since the campaign started. 

Hopefully, your PPC campaign yields excellent results. Analyze the metrics and see if they’re good enough. Consider changes on the campaign or target different keywords if the metrics fall flat. Again, this approach comes with a hefty price tag. Nevertheless, your business should get something significant out of it.