Designing a Pay Per Click Advertising Campaign

Pay per click advertising, or PPC, is undoubtedly familiar to internet users. It is the “sponsored links” you see at the top and on the right of a Google search, the advertisements you see on the right when you log onto Facebook, and the banner ads you see on the content websites you visit, just to name a few. Pay per click advertising, or PPC, is a system in which an advertiser pays for the clicks on their advert. A PPC ad can be text, images, images and text or video. Where your ad appears can be based on keyword searches, demographics, behavior patterns or interests. This level of control over what customers view your ad, and where they view it presents a clear advantage over other forms of advertising. For example, purchasing ad space on a billboard is only catering to one criteria of your target market: location. On the other hand, utilizing PPC allows an advertiser to reach a much more specific target audience. Additionally, the cost of the campaign is much more efficiently used because the advertiser is able to directly reach their target. For these reasons, pay Per Click advertising can be a powerful tool and understanding how to effectively run a PPC campaign is fundamental to digital marketing. Outlined below are some tips for creating your own PPC advertising campaign.

1. Make a plan

Like any marketing campaign, it is important to outline a plan when launching a PPC campaign. This includes knowing your target market, your product, your industry and your competitors. It is also crucial to develop clear goals for your campaign. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness or drive sales? Outlining this will help you create an effective campaign.

2. Know your budget

Decide to cost limitations to your campaign. This will determine your bid price. Additionally, having a budget will help ensure that you work within your limitations.

3. Keywords are Key

Keywords are critical to an effective PPC campaign. Having a good grasp of the keywords that your customers are likely to use will ensure that you are targeting the correct audience and reaching your target market. It is also important to consider common misspellings of your keywords, or what keywords are not compatible with your campaign, such as “free” or “cheap”.

4. Design and Implement

Now you can design the copy for your ad. This part should be simple as you have done your research to determine who your target market is, what your goals are and what your keywords are. Make sure to write a compelling ad, use an appropriate URL for your landing page, and follow the rules set out by the hosting site. Based on your budget, decide the maximum bids for your keywords. Finding a balance between a high placement and cost efficiency can be difficult, but your budget will help with this decision making.

5. Evaluate

Your campaign is not over after you have implemented your PPC ad. It is critical to check back in and determine ROI, the effectiveness of your keywords, experimenting with your text and checking in on your networks.