Pay Per Click (PPC) is a marketing channel that allows businesses to drive traffic to their website and gain conversions from search engines. No matter whether you are looking at ways you can receive your first contact and possible sale, but perhaps you want to grow your existing online presence, PPC will be beneficial.

At greyzip, we understand it can be a little daunting if you don’t have the knowledge or experience with PPC. We have put together this guide to answer some of the most common questions.

What is PPC?

Pay Per Click is an online tool where you can advertise your product or service by running ads on platforms such as Google Ads. You would then pay a fee every time the ad is clicked on.

You can see how it works by running almost any search on Google or Bing. You will see ads are then displayed at the top of the results page.

There is also a product or service grid on the right-hand side of the screen. This is where other ads will appear.

Most businesses use PPC as an efficient way to drive traffic to their website, increase sales and gain enquiries. The majority of platforms allow you to target a particular audience and demographic.

Because search engines are the most popular way people find suppliers of products and services, by choosing to use PPC, you will have more chances of making a sale.

Not only does PPC give you the opportunity of targeting an active audience, but you will also be able to gain data insights which will help you improve the efficiency of your business and future marketing.

How Does PPC Advertising Work?

The most common PPC ad platforms are Google Ads and Bing Ads, each offering different formats. These include:

  • Search Ads
  • Display Ads
  • Video Ads
  • Gmail Ads
  • Shopping Ads

The most popular of the two is usually Google Ads. Google gives access to the largest target audience as well as several ways to run your campaigns.

Regardless of the PPC platform you decide on, they are all simple enough to use.

  • You will sign up for an advertising account with your chosen platform.
  • Start creating your ads by including keywords to target your desired audience.
  • Decide on the maximum cost you are prepared to pay for each click, and set that amount on your account.
  • The ad you have created is placed into an auction with other businesses that are using the same keywords.
  • The auction will then decide the order in which the ads are shown.
  • Every time a potential customer clicks on that ad, you will pay a fee.

How do PPC Ad Auctions Work?

Once your ad reaches auction, there are factors used to determine in which order your ad takes place. Some of those factors include the following:

  • The ad’s eligibility to enter into the auction
  • In what order the ads will appear in the space on the results page.
  • How much each click will cost for the individual advertisers.

One factor that is taken into consideration is a Quality Score (QS). It covers several factors. For example, the expected CTR (click-through-rate) of your ad, how relevant the ad is to the user's search and the general experience on the landing page that your ad is sending traffic to.

How Quickly Will You Start Receiving Clicks?

Once you have completed the entire process of setting up your Google ad, they will need to be approved. This is usually as quick as a few hours.

As soon as your ad goes live, and as long as you have been approved as being eligible in the auction, you can start to appear and receive clicks.

As long as the audience is there, you may start to see results very quickly.

Conclusion

PPC is an effective marketing tool, and although simple enough to set up, it can be time-consuming. At greyzip, we can have your ad up and running in no time at all.

Should you want to discuss your PPC requirements in more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and we will be happy to help.