Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) can generate new website traffic and grow your customer base, often resulting in an excellent return on investment.
In 2017, PPC marketing generated an enormous £9.2 billion in revenue for businesses. With PPC being so versatile across all industries, it’s no wonder this figure rises year on year.
When choosing how to reach your audience, it is important to consider all possible avenues. We have explored some of the top ad platforms you can use for your next PPC campaign.
Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is one of the most obvious choices for paid advertising. It is great for visibility and is flexible, allowing your business’s website to show up for specific search terms. It is estimated that four times as many people will click on a paid search ad on Google (63%) than any other search engine – Amazon (15%), YouTube (9%), and Bing (6%).
Your cost-per-click will be determined by two factors: your keyword bid, and your quality score. Your quality score is determined by the quality of your ads, keywords, and relevant content on landing pages. When executed well, the visibility is unmatched by any other platform.
Google Shopping
If you are an online retailer, Google shopping ads can be great for promoting your products and encouraging visitors to your website. They work in the same way as normal Google Ads in terms of cost-per-click, but they will appear slightly differently. Your ads may appear in the Shopping Tab on Google Search, next to normal search results, as well as on the Google Display Network (this includes YouTube, Gmail and Google Discover).
Bing Ads (Microsoft)
The search engine powered by Microsoft, Bing, can also be a good option for paid adverts. More than 113 million people use the Bing network for searches, with many of the users being older than the typical Google user.
Since Bing Ads are displayed on three search engines instead of just one, you can get a lot more reach. These adverts are shown on the Bing, Yahoo, and AOL search engines, and will look and operate in the exact same way they do on your Google Ads account.
Amazon
Amazon is a great platform for PPC. Amazon offers a variety of ad formats with different targeting options: Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Product Display Ads (PDAs). Amazon PPC can also have a direct influence on a product’s organic ranking on the platform, which is especially good for products with no sales history, since sales have a direct influence on a product’s organic ranking. Therefore, more sales generated via PPC ads will have a positive effect on a product’s organic ranking.
Mobile In-App
In-app adverts are often overlooked when planning a PPC strategy. Thanks to the wide variety of creative options available on mobile, these ads can be made really interactive (think playable ads or 360-degree videos). This results in very high click-through rates. A good provider of in-app advertising is Google’s very own Admob.
There are great benefits to in-app advertising. Mobile users spend an average of 2.5 hours more per day on apps than mobile websites. This is a daily habit for most, meaning ads are more likely to reach and engage an already-invested audience.
Social Media
The popularity and revenue from social media ads have both skyrocketed over the past few years. Ads can be used across a variety of social media platforms, with the most popular being Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter ads. Although social media ads can have a lower click-through rate than other methods, the average user still clicks on 11 Facebook ads per month (website builder).
Audiences on these platforms are easily turned off by traditional sales tactics, so engage them by using attractive imagery and genuinely useful content. When targeting a smaller user base, switch up your ad content often to avoid ad fatigue.
Keep in mind that different target audiences will be on different platforms. For example, LinkedIn ads are effective if you target B2B. It allows you to directly target decision-makers in specific industries.
Overview
There are many other PPC advertising options in addition to the ones mentioned here. When considering which is the right platform for your advertising campaign, there are a few important factors you need to take into account.
First, considering your business type (B2B/B2C) and industry can give you an insight into the platforms your target audience may use most. Next, consider your budget - how many platforms can you afford to use? Which platforms will provide the best ROI? The last thing to consider is your organic presence and web traffic volume: your search engine rankings may already be high, but PPC can help you dominate the results page – meaning more website visits for you in comparison with your competitors. (It’s important to note here that the Search Engine Results Page on mobile devices shows ads up at the top so there is less need to scroll).
When implementing your PPC strategy, it is important to analyse any data you currently have and make decisions based on the findings. Taking this approach will help get your ads off to the best start.
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