Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising refers to paying for ad clicks on advertising platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads. You get charged when users take specific actions on an ad, even though some platforms will charge you for impressions and on-site engagements. PPC is one of the fastest ways to get new customers for your business and it guarantees a massive return on investment if done well.

What does PPC involve?

It may be true that SEO accounts for up to 70% of sales compared to other marketing strategies. However, you need to compliment it as it takes time to get to the top of search engine results, especially if your business is still growing. PPC will give you the kind of exposure that you won’t be able to get from SEO alone. In 2018, according to Statista, Google earned $116.32 billion from Google Ads alone. That is how seriously businesses take PPC. PPC management usually involves the following:

• Identifying and researching keywords that are relevant to your audience.
• Deciding which channels to use for your PPC advertising.
• Monitoring and measuring a campaign to gauge its effectiveness.
• Analysing competitors’ PPC campaigns to learn how effective they are and identifying the gaps you can take advantage of.
• Optimising the campaign for a positive return on investment.
• Split testing the PPC funnels to identify how effective they are and what adjustments are necessary.

Effective PPC management

For your campaign to be successful, your PPC management should be clearly defined and effective. The best PPC management focuses on the following 4 areas that hold the key to a successful PPC campaign:

1. Setting realistic goals that are data-driven

Your PPC campaign will only be successful if you have a clear roadmap of what you are seeking to achieve. Have key business metrics such as customer acquisition costs, product margins and return on Ad spend among others at hand. They will be the benchmark of your PPC management. While it is good to be optimistic, you should be equally realistic about your expectations. Clearly define the goals you are looking to achieve, whether it is to generate more leads, increase the number of purchases or create brand awareness.

2. Structuring your PPC campaign

The structure of your PPC campaign is just as important. While Google and other PPC platforms will provide you with great insights into planning your PPC ads, you should not follow them blindly. They won’t cater to your specific business needs. They are more concerned about their interests than yours. For maximum effectiveness, keep the following elements in mind after campaign set-up:

• Optimising the keywords.
• Creating a campaign that focuses on the specific areas of your products.
• Leveraging Ad groups.
• Optimising the ad copy for your audience.
• Making use of Ad extensions.
• Optimising the landing page.
• Using analytics to measure every stage of the PPC funnel.

3. Making use of the budget

If you are afraid of spending money, PPC is not for you. PPC is a risk that is worth taking because the return on investment is massive if it is done right. At the beginning of the campaign, you might need to have a broad campaign to gauge what works for you. This helps with long-term budget allocation. The data will help you to optimise your long-term PPC management strategy.

4. Continuous measurement and optimisation of the campaign

PPC advertising is not a one-off thing. You have to measure and optimise the campaign to realise long-term success. Split testing helps in boosting the performance of the campaign. Always define the metric you are seeking to optimise before doing the split test. You can also expand the campaign with new ad groups and target keywords.

PPC isn’t a bag of tricks that anyone can pull out of their hats. It is a strategic initiative that involves using data to grow a business. If you want to get going with profitable PPC management, you need to hire the PPC services in Ireland. We are a top PPC agency in Dublin that guarantees an ROI for your PPC campaign.