Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is the practice of utilizing PPC advertisements to reach customers. It seems pretty straightforward until you realize that there are different ways to do it. In fact, there are two types of PPC marketing. Both have their idiosyncrasies and challenges.
PPC marketing is one of the many services we offer here at Webtek. We utilize both types, custom tailored to each client’s unique needs. Do you know what the two types of PPC marketing are and how they can be best utilized to increase sales?
PPC Type #1: Search Ads
The first type of PPC marketing is paying for search ads. This is where it all started, by the way. Advertisers purchase ads that appear on search engine result pages (SERPs) during organic searches. We usually associate this type of PPC advertising with Google. But there are other venues that utilize it.
You can advertise on other search engines like Bing and Yahoo. If you are an ecommerce operator who sells on Amazon, you can pay for advertising via the on-site search engine. Most venues that offer search engines can also offer paid advertisement opportunities.
Start With Google
Any organization planning to get into search ads for the first time would be wise to start on Google. It is simple math. Google is the undisputed leader of online search. The site is also responsible for a sizable portion of all internet traffic. If you are going to reach an audience with paid search ads, there is no better search engine than Google.
PPC Type #2: Web Ads
The second type of PPC marketing covers everything else: web ads. And because the web is now such a vast global enterprise, the sheer volume of advertising opportunities is nearly impossible to quantify. Web ads can be placed on or in:
- social media platforms.
- video streaming sites.
- audio and video streaming platforms.
- cloud-based applications.
- mobile apps.
- email services.
Unfortunately, there is a downside to web ads. They can be rather intrusive depending on the chosen platform and how they are displayed. They can be so intrusive that web users take steps to block them. What cannot be blocked can be ignored.
PPC and Short-Term Gain
Now that you know the two types of PPC marketing, the question becomes why an organization would utilize it. PPC advertising has some unique advantages over standard SEO and content marketing, social media marketing, etc. Its biggest advantage is its ability to produce considerable short-term gains.
A typical SEO campaign generally takes three months or so to start producing measurable results. Needless to say that SEO is more of a slow and steady process. Its focus is long term gain. By contrast, PPC marketing is focused on the short term.
A strong PPC campaign can generate immediate results. Rather than waiting months, you are getting clicks the very same day your ads go live. That makes PPC marketing a good way to jump-start a brand-new campaign that includes a variety of strategies for both short- and long-term results.
Not an Exact Science
One last thing to know in closing is that PPC marketing is not an exact science. Getting it right requires knowledge, skill, experience, and a bit of luck. But nailing it could mean big things for sales.
PPC marketing is among the services we offer at Webtek. We would be happy to discuss your marketing plans and help you understand how PPC advertising might fit in. If PPC marketing is right for your company, we can help you take advantage of it.
