Google Search Engine Marketing – Pay Per Click Explained

Part Two of Our Demystifying Google Series

PPCMost people have heard of Pay Per Click, or PPC, but not everyone knows how to make it work for their ad campaign. If done incorrectly, PPC campaigns can cost you a lot of money and still produce minimal results.

Pay Per Click Strategy – What is PPC?

PPC is how Google charges you for the ads you purchase. As an advertiser, you “bid” on what you want to pay for a click on your ad. If a search term is a popular and profitable one, then Google will most likely ask for higher bids (some terms can cost as much as $22/click). If you bid the highest, you have a better chance of ranking number 1 in the sponsored results column where the ads appear. When your ad appears and someone clicks on it, you are charged what you bid. It’s kind of like the online version of a silent auction.

PPC Campaigns – How can you make the most of your PPC campaign?

It’s important to be strategic in your PPC campaigns. To keep costs low and results high, make sure to avoid broad search terms. Google’s Adword Keyword Tool tells you how competitive a search term is. Competitiveness is based on how many people search globally (around the world) and locally (in the U.S.) as well as how many other people are trying to optimize for that term. A highly competitive search term is harder to rank within, while a medium or low competitive search term makes it easier for your ad to rank.

It might seem counterintuitive to target a more obscure search term with less searches per month, but targeting lower competitive search terms increases the chances that the right people will see your ad and click on it. While the ad may not reach as many people, the people it does reach are more likely to find your ad relevant. So, before investing in a PPC campaign, it’s important to do keyword research to see what relevant terms are low to medium competitiveness so that you can structure your strategy.

Pay Per Click Campaigns – How you can beat out the competition

Beating out the competition is all about creativity. For example, the search term “t-shirt printing” is highly competitive, with 450,000 global searches and 201,000 local searches per month. But, the search term “t-shirt printing store” only has 1,600 global searches and 590 local searches a month. So, investing in a pay per click campaign for “t-shirt printing store” would improve the chances that your ad is seen by the right people while decreasing your costs. Because the term is less competitive, you will pay less per click while increasing your chances of converting customers.

Stay tuned for more articles in our Demystifying Google series.

Want to make the most of your online marketing efforts? Contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online marketing jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.

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