Local Paid Search Services (PPC)

CREATING CONNECTIONS ONE CLICK AT A TIME

WHAT IS PAY PER CLICK ADVERTISING?

Pay-per-click (PPC), also known as cost per click (CPC), is an internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, in which an advertiser pays a publisher (typically a website owner or a network of websites) when the ad is clicked.

HOW DO PPC ADS WORK?

Pay-per-click is commonly associated with Google Ads and Microsoft (formerly Bing) Ads. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have also adopted pay-per-click as one of their advertising models.

Websites that utilize PPC ads will display an advertisement when a keyword query matches an advertiser’s keyword list that has been added in different ad groups, or when a content site displays relevant content. These types of ads appear on SERP in 2 places, a set of 3 – 4 ads at the top of the page as well as another set of 3 – 4 ads towards the bottom of the page. So for those interested in running PPC ads to drive traffic to their websites, there is plenty of opportunity to gain visibility among your target audience.

WHAT TYPES OF PPC ADS ARE THERE?

TEXT ADS

Text ads are typically the ones you interact or see the most, these show up in various locations on a SERP usually marked with an “AD” to denote the separation between PAID ADS & organic results.

DISPLAY ADS

These types of ads, also in the pay per click model, are typically represented by graphics put together by an advertiser. Display ads are great for creating awareness about your brand or something new you’re trying to create a buzz around. Display ads can also be used to “retarget” users that have been to your website.

REMARKETING ADS

Remarketing ads or “retargeting” ads are typically used to send a more detailed, highly targeted ad/messaging to a group of your website users. For example, say you promoted a new product on your website & for users that didn’t make a purchase, you could remarket a new message or promotion to lure them back to make a purchase.

CALL ONLY ADS

Call only ads are great for targeting mobile users. Let’s say you run a disaster or emergency recovery service, during certain times of the year where the weather is particularly brutal, you could run call only ads targeting users who need help with hail damage or flooding in their basements.

HOW MUCH DOES IS COST TO RUN A PPC CAMPAIGN?

That’s the beauty of PPC Advertising, you set your budget… you set your spending limit… you dictate how much you’re willing to pay to run ads!

There are two primary models for determining pay-per-click: flat-rate and bid-based. In both cases, the advertiser must consider the potential value of a click from a given source. This value is based on the type of individual the advertiser is expecting to receive as a visitor to his or her website, and what the advertiser can gain from that visit, usually revenue, both in the short term as well as in the long term. As with other forms of advertising targeting is key, and factors that often play into PPC campaigns include the target’s interest (often defined by a search term they have entered into a search engine, or the content of a page that they are browsing), intent (e.g., to purchase or not), location (for geo targeting), and the day and time that they are browsing.