How to Start Pay Per Click Advertising?

PPC vs SEM

It's not uncommon for people to confuse PPC and SEM. Pay per click advertising actually falls under the umbrella term of SEM (Search Engine Marketing), though they are not the same. PPC is paid traffic, while SEM covers numerous strategies, including PPC, SEO, and content marketing.

Is Pay Per Click Advertising Worth it?

Pay per Click advertising is a very popular advertising opportunity for businesses of all sizes. It is a cost effective advertising strategy that does not require a large investment. It is also measurable, so you can see what is working and what is not.

The benefits of Pay per Click advertising includes:

• Cost effective – you set your daily budget and you remain in control of how much you spend 
• Trackable – you can track your results, providing you with details of real time clicks, impressions, and conversions
• Targeting – you can target your audience based on their browsing history, demographics, geographical location, search behaviour, and more

Getting Started

There is four basic components of pay per click advertising that you need to know, they include:

• Keyword research – many PPC platforms rely on keywords, such as Google. Keywords are triggers to display relevant adverts. Choose keywords that have a high click through rate and a low cost cost per click rate.
• Ad Groups – Your ads are not always going to be the ideal match for the keyword being targeted, which is where ad groups come in. For best results, ads within a group should have a consistent message, ensuring the copy aligns with users search intent
• Auctions – Google will hold an auction each time a user does a search for a specific keyword, this is how they determine which adverts are relevant and which should be displayed. Google takes three factors into consideration when running an action, they include your maximum bid, advert quality, and whether you have ad extensions and formats. Extensions can include NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number), or promotions
• Quality Score – this is what Google gives to your adverts based on the quality and relevance of your adverts. You get a rating from one to ten. The higher your score, the more likely you increase your advert ranking, while reducing your cost per click. 

Managing Your Pay Per Click Advertising Campaign 

Once you have launched your advert, you cannot leave it, forget about it, and expect it to produce results. PPC advertising requires frequent monitoring, analysing each of your adverts performance. Continue trying different keywords, experimenting with them to find those that drive the results you are looking to achieve. 

Conclusion

You can easily launch a Pay per Click advert by conducting keyword research, writing enticing advertising copy, and creating a realistic maximum bid. All campaigns can start small and slowly be built up as you achieve results. Remember to regularly  monitor your campaign to ensure it is producing results.