SEO involves doing everything organically from earning search ranking to driving traffic to websites. Although Google does not allow buying traffic when implementing SEO, it is not averse to attracting traffic through advertising which forms the basis of Pay per Click or PPC marketing. You must have seen some advertisements appearing on the top of search results that show as sponsored links and are very prominent to draw attraction. These advertisements are what people post in Google Adwords or simply Google Ads which is the paid advertising online model of Google’s business. The ads that shine brightly above the search results may even seem to be more valuable than the first position of a search result in its ability to drive targeted traffic to websites.
The advertisements are immensely powerful in growing online sales rapidly by driving quality traffic to websites with high conversion potential. The traffic is pre-qualified because the visitors have a good idea about the site that they have studied in the advertisement. The attraction of the advertisement goes up many times because the advertiser has to pay only when someone clicks on it, and there is no upfront payment involved.
A different kind of advertising
PPC advertising is not only different from traditional advertising but special too, which only professional PPC agencies can handle with ease. Unless you know what to expect from PPC and how it can work in conjunction with SEO, you will never be able to implement it correctly. It also requires a good understanding of the framework of digital advertising and its powers in driving traffic that ensures that the campaign moves in the right direction. Familiarization with the basics of PPC and knowing exactly how it serves the cause of marketing is very important to keep track of the activities of the PPC agency engaged for implementing the campaign.
PPC is not cheap and at times can even be expensive due to intense competition, but the returns would justify the spending to the fullest.
The modalities of PPC advertising
Besides being digital, PPC advertising is grossly different from traditional advertising in that there is no upfront payment involved. No fees are necessary to publish the advertisement that appears on the search engine results page above the search results, but whenever someone clicks on it, the advertiser has to make payment. That is the reason the method of advertising derives its name Pay per click advertising. Several digital platforms from Google and Bing to Facebook are hot choices for marketers for publishing digital ads that constitute PPC campaigns.
The cost of an advertisement does not have any fixed rates nor based on slabs but determined through a bidding process. The highest bidder wins the advertising rights that are keyword based on which the bidders have competed. Whenever someone clicks on the advertisement, it creates an opportunity of driving traffic to the website, and this is the time for making payment by the advertiser.
Create an account in Google Adwords
For launching a PPC campaign, first, you have to set up an account with Google Adwords. By visiting the Google Adwords site, it is easy to set up an account by using your existing Gmail account. For those who do not have Gmail account, they have to create one first and then set up the Adwords account. If you are using G-suite, the same e-mail address is suitable for setting up the Adwords account.
Google will ask for all kinds of information from currency to time zone and account preferences as well as particulars related to billing information. You have to give your preference for automatic payments or monthly payments. If you opt for manual payments, you have to make payment after each click on the advertisement but choosing automatic payments will entail making payments whenever the value of clicks touch the set thresh hold level or after 30 days, whichever you prefer. Paying through bank accounts or credit card is also acceptable.
PPC is economical
As clicks generate business opportunities, advertisers pay only when they are sure that there is some opportunity of business created. It is entirely different from traditional advertising where you have to put in your money first and wait indefinitely for business opportunities to come your way. Paying against clicks gives you the satisfaction that you pay for some potential chance of generating revenue. The method of advertising in PPC is also economical because you do not need the services of advertising agencies to create ads but can do it on your own in a few clicks by using the Google Adwords platform.
Bid based and keyword targeted advertising
Some of the concepts of SEO apply to PPC advertising that also uses keywords. Placing keywords in the advertisements increase its ability to drive traffic to websites because the keywords act as links between the searchers, search engines and the ad. The keywords also help search engines to select the advertisement for display on the relevant search results page.
The cost of advertising is determined through a bidding process with advertisers bidding for specific keywords. Therefore, keyword research should be a part of the advertising process to choose the most effective keywords that can be competitive at low cost. Targeting long tail keywords can help to contain cost as these are often less competitive but provide good returns.
PPC is fast acting
Marketers who want quick results rely on PPC that generate targeted traffic very quickly with high chances of conversion. When someone clicks on an advertisement that Google has shortlisted against a search query, it gives more confidence to the searcher of having reached the right website, and the advertiser too gets qualified visitors ready to take some positive action.
It is easy to garner qualified leads with high chances of conversion by setting up a PPC campaign implemented by professionals. The prospect of faster ROI is much higher for which marketers do not mind to spend on PPC.
Using PPC alongside SEO is an accepted practice because of the complementary quality of PPC marketing that ably supports SEO.