{"id":17630,"date":"2020-06-18T20:39:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T03:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.primeview.com\/?p=17630"},"modified":"2024-08-30T13:20:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T20:20:36","slug":"guide-to-ppc-marketing-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.primeview.com\/blog\/guide-to-ppc-marketing-for-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introductory Guide to PPC Marketing for Small Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business owners, can we be honest with each other for a quick second? On a scale of 1-10, how much do you understand <\/span>pay-per-click marketing<\/span><\/a> or PPC?<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the fact that <\/span>45 percent of small businesses use pay-per-click ads<\/span><\/a>, it continues to be a perplexing concept that eludes many business owners in the United States. However, if almost half of small businesses \u2014 which likely includes your direct competitors \u2014 are incorporating PPC into their marketing strategy, then you can’t afford to disregard this channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paid ads can have a significant and positive impact on your business, including putting your business on the map and increasing your financial gains. Consequently, if you are not using PPC to your advantage, then you may be losing valuable traffic and revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n

For all entrepreneurs managing small businesses or even Fortune 500 companies, it’s important for visionaries like you to have a basic understanding of PPC at the very least. Therefore, as a leading digital marketing<\/a> company in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, our goal is to help you grasp the topic in its entirety through this comprehensive guide to PPC marketing. After all, when done right, PPC can earn you quality leads (a lead that can convert into an actual sale of your service or product) and a huge ROI (return on investment).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Pay<\/h2>\n

What is PPC and why does my business need it?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Never again will your recent Google search history include the following keywords: “What is PPC?”, “What is paid search?”, and “What is PPC in marketing?”. Today, you are finally getting the straightforward and non-highfalutin explanation you seek.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing or paid search is an online advertising model in which advertisers \u2014 in this case, you as the business owner \u2014 pay a certain fee for each time an internet user clicks on one of your ads on search engines like Google or Bing. In simpler terms, it is a way of buying visits to your website, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits through organic traffic (refers to users who land on your website as a result of “unpaid” search results).<\/span><\/p>\n

Search advertising is one of the most popular forms of PPC, which allows you to bid for ad placement in a search engine’s sponsored links. With the help of PPC advertising, you can target your ads to users searching for specific terms (keywords) related to your products and services. For example, if an internet user searches for the keywords “vintage sports cars for sale,” then your ad about “vintage sports cars for sale” might show up in the top spot of the search engine page results (SERPs). Paid ads help improve your online presence and allow people to find or rediscover your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Google<\/h3>\n

Wait, what\u2019s the point of PPC when organic traffic is free?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Good question. Why should you pay for ads when you can reach your audience organically?<\/span><\/p>\n

Going back to being honest with each other, in all truthfulness, organic traffic has a tendency to be on a slow and steady downward slope, especially if your business is a startup and regardless if you offer high-quality content with strategically-placed keywords (otherwise known as <\/span>search engine optimization or SEO<\/span><\/a>). Furthermore, due to the constant advancements in search engine algorithms, <\/span>keywords have become increasingly competitive<\/b>. This makes it challenging for small businesses that don’t have a good domain authority (online relevance for a specific industry or subject matter) to get into the top rankings on Google or Bing, as well as in front of their target market on social media platforms (Social PPC).<\/span><\/p>\n

The above statement, however, doesn’t mean you should forgo your search engine optimization efforts. Rather, your paid advertising campaigns should complement your SEO<\/a> strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

How PPC Benefits Your Business: The Highs and More Highs<\/b><\/h3>\n

From national banks looking for people in need of financial services to bakeries targeting local residents to try their new pastries, online paid advertising will help businesses rise to the top in a competitive market.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how pay-per-click marketing will help you stand out, improve your brand awareness, and overall help in achieving the success your business deserves.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. \n

    Easy Creation and Management<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Google Ads<\/span><\/a> is a leading example of a PPC advertising platform that offers an abundance of features, making the process of online advertising less intimidating. From account creation to ad management, the summarized and well-expounded steps along the way make Google Ads a relatively user-friendly platform\u2014even for beginners. Just imagine what a trained PPC marketing professional in Phoenix, AZ can bring to the table when they use this tool to raise your brand awareness.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Saving<\/p>\n

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    1. \n

      Save Time and Money on Your Advertising Efforts<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      PPC can help your business make money and do it quickly. Unlike billboards and other outdoor marketing strategies, which may take weeks or months to launch, PPC gives you the ability to set up your campaign and launch it on the same day. If the users who click on your ad decide to convert their site visit into sales, you can even make money within the first 24 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

      On top of having a timely advertisement, PPC is also budget friendly. As discussed before, PPC stands for pay-per-click, which means you only pay when people interact with your ad through clicks or impressions. Google Ads, for instance, will not charge you for appearing in search engine results pages. If users don’t click, you don’t pay. Simple as that.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Moreover, if you are concerned about overspending or underspending on your PPC campaigns, there are features that will help you set daily budgets and a maximum dollar figure to spend per click. Truly, gone are the days when you had to pay thousands of dollars each month on outdoor promoting media to become visible to your customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. \n

        Stay Ahead of Your Competitors in Business<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Here’s a true-to-life example of the competitive advantage of PPC for businesses: <\/span>PrimeView<\/span><\/a> is a full-service internet marketing and web design<\/a> company. Keyword research tools suggest that “PPC specialist,” “SEO services,” and “website designer” are among the most popular Google searches of our potential clients. Using PPC advertising allows us to bid for such competitive keywords. If we win the bidding auction, Google will display our ads when users search for those particular keywords, regardless of what the intent was. And, as a result, the users looking for PPC experts, SEO professionals, or website designers are more likely to click on our ads placed strategically on top of the Google SERP, rather than our competitors at the bottom \u2014 if they’re even on the first page.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Taking your competition head on using this method is a bold move. We recommend working with digital marketing professionals when choosing to tackle this more advanced PPC technique for small businesses, as haste and heedless PPC campaigns can backfire by exceeding budgets and returning negative ROI.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Exploring<\/p>\n

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        1. \n

          Explore Deeper Targeting Options<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Pay-per-click advertising offers deep targeting options, which means business owners can now target specific demographics, locations, and keywords. For example, if you are a dentist offering dentures and partials (your keywords) in Oregon, then you most likely wouldn’t want teenagers with perfect teeth (wrong demographic) from a different state or country (wrong location) to see your online ad.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Through keyword and audience targeting, PPC gives you the option to show your ads based on your selected keywords and only to interested individuals. At long last, you can say goodbye to mass advertising with generic options that generate less than average results.<\/span><\/p>\n

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          1. \n

            Automate Yourself to Success in Pay-Per-Click<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Google and a handful of small business PPC providers have a convenient feature that allows advertisers to automate some of their most basic functions, such as setting budgets, pausing campaigns after reaching the daily spend, and even blocking certain words from showing in PPC online ads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            Yes, there are some tasks in PPC for small businesses that necessitate a keen eye for detail and require constant monitoring to achieve the best results. However, this “set and forget” feature for some tasks can save busy and hands-on business owners plenty of time, allowing them to focus on their products and services instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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            1. \n

              Enjoy a Significant Return on Investment<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Need proof? Below is the perfect example of a small business that gained more customers and increased their revenue through paid search.<\/span><\/p>\n

              The first Roy’s Restaurant opened in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1988. Today, the successful chain has 31 locations in different U.S. states, including in Arizona, California, Florida, and Maryland. The business owners experimented with mobile-only search early on, which is an option now simple to enact with Google Ads. In 2010, Roy\u2019s restaurants used pay-per-click ads to boost customer calls for information by 40 percent, and it resulted in an<\/span> ROI of 800 percent<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

              If you manage your Google Ads and other PPC campaigns wisely, then yes, you can experience a healthy ROI. Done incorrectly, however, you can still lose money on PPC campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n

              \"Planning<\/h2>\n

              How to Launch a PPC Campaign for the First Time<\/b><\/h2>\n

              Now that you understand the lucrative benefits of pay-per-click advertising for small businesses, let’s move on to the fundamentals of planning a successful PPC campaign in five steps.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Step 1: Identify Your Goals and Budget<\/b><\/h3>\n

              Setting goals and determining your budget should be your first two tasks, as they can prevent you from having an untargeted and ineffective PPC campaign. Consider the context of your business objectives and how your paid campaigns will contribute to those goals. After which, think about what you want to accomplish with your paid ads \u2014 whether that be increased brand awareness, visits, sales, or perhaps all of the above \u2014 and how much money you are willing to spend to accomplish your goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Step 2: Choose Your Campaign Type<\/b><\/h3>\n

              PrimeView offers five different types of pay-per-click advertising in Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ, and the one you choose depends on where you want to reach your target market:<\/span><\/p>\n