Have you heard of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) management? If so, do you know how it works? Did you know that PPC can help your company’s advertising initiatives?
In 2017, about 7 million advertisers invested in PPC management. The investment hit a staggering total of $10.1 billion. But these numbers should not be enough to entice.
You need to understand what PPC really is and how you benefit from it. Why should you invest in it, after all, instead of sticking solely to SEO?
Keep on reading below as we give a comprehensive rundown on PPC, and why your business needs it:
What Is PPC?
Before we discuss PPC management, let us first define what PPC is. PPC is a type of internet marketing model. It involves advertisers that pay a certain fee every time their ads get a click from online users.
In essence, PPC does not help companies earn organic visits. PPC buys those visits for your website.
One of the most popular forms of PPC is search engine advertising. Through this method, advertisers can bid for ad placements. These placements are in links that search engines sponsor.
For example, your company offers handbags; so you bid on the keywords “quality handbags.” Through PPC, your ad may show up on the top spot of Google’s results page.
Whenever a person clicks on your ad, PPC directs him to your website. In turn, you need to pay a minimal fee to the search engine.
If you are wondering if paying for $4 click is worth it, the answer really depends on the PPC campaign’s effectiveness. Even if a click costs you $4, it becomes insignificant once you sell a bag that’s worth $200.
PPC Management: How Does It Work?
Now that you have an idea on what PPC means, let’s discuss what PPC management is. It basically involves a team of marketers that will oversee your company’s PPC strategy. Their management team’s goal is to ensure an effective PPC strategy in relation to the budget that you have.
Now let’s take a look at the specific tasks of a PPC team:
Research Keywords
Expect the PPC team to conduct keyword research. They will identify the specific keywords that your target market will likely use.
Optimize the Campaign
Expect the management team to monitor the campaign structure. This means they will ensure the optimization of the campaign. They will use the top performing keywords to optimize the campaign.
They will identify the keywords that bring in the most number of sales or conversions. They will readjust your budget and channel more funds toward those keywords.
Target Channels
PPC experts should also target key media channels. These channels include social media, display networks, Bing Ads, and Google Ads.
Google Ads attracts the most number of traffic. This means it can deliver the most number of clicks for your ads.
Since the PPC team will likely use Google Ads, they need to focus on three things: keyword relevance, landing page quality, and quality score.
Keyword relevance refers to proper ad text, tight keyword groups, and lists. These should be relevant to your campaign.
Landing page quality refers to landing pages that are relevant and persuasive. These pages must have clear call-to-action.
Meanwhile, the quality score is Google’s rating of your campaign, landing pages, and keyword choices. The higher your score is, the more clicks you will get.
Conduct Split-Testing
They will perform regular A/B testing of your landing pages and new ads. They will conduct these experiments across your whole PPC funnel. This will help them arrive at more accurate results.
Analyze the Competition
Lastly, they analyze the competition. This involves identifying the keywords your competition uses. They also uncover the ad creative your rivals use.
In-House or External
Keep in mind that your team of in-house marketers can perform PPC management. You can also opt to hire an external provider. Let’s take a look at the benefits of hiring externally:
More Focus
External PPC managers offer a higher level of focus compared to their in-house counterparts. The latter may become too overloaded with other responsibilities. The external team, on the other hand, only has one task to focus on.
Professional Connections
These professionals already have existing relationships with various advertising platforms. They have knowledge of developing systems that your people do not possess.
They are the Experts
Simply put, they are the experts in the field. They know the ins and outs of the industry. They have a much broader view in terms of implementing the PPC project.
If you decide to hire a company that offers this service, pick one that offers exceptional results at affordable rates.
Launching a PPC Campaign
Let’s take a look at some important things to consider when launching a PPC campaign:
Proper Goal-Setting
Start with clear goals that are realistic. Data must also drive your goals. Use key metrics such as customer lifetime value, return on ad spend, and return on investment.
You also need to include customer acquisition costs, product margins, and average ideal size. Be realistic when it comes to your expectations. Aim high but do not be too unrealistic.
Be Ready to Spend Early
You should prepare to shell out some cash early in the game. At first, you need to see what works best for your company. Give yourself a month where you will spend for tweaks that will refine your campaign.
Be mindful of new keyword ideas. Take note of the negative keywords that do not give you much value. Identify your best keywords and channel more funds toward them.
Keep on Measuring and Optimizing
Lastly, you need to push forward in optimizing your campaigns. Measure your results consistently. Weed out the moves that do not work well for you.
If you decide to launch a PPC campaign, make sure to align it with your social media marketing campaign.
Through PPC and Beyond
PPC management is an effective tool that can help take your business to the next level. But it is not the only tool you should consider.
