What is PPC ?
PPC or Pay-Per-Click advertising allows marketers to pay only when their ad is clicked by an online user. This online advertising model enables marketers to display ads in the sponsored results section of the search engine’s results page.
To appear when the right keywords and audience criteria are met, advertisers bid on the perceived value of a click. The ad is displayed in the sponsored links on the results page and a small fee is charged when the ad is clicked. Hence, the term Pay-Per-Click. The most popular PPC advertising programs are provided by Google, Bing, Facebook and Yahoo Search Marketing.
Is SEM the Same as PPC?
Since the two SEM and PPC are both concerned with promotion via search engines, there’s a tendency to use them interchangeably. While PPC advertising tends to specifically relate to the type of adverts you see at the top of a search results page, SEM is a broader umbrella term covering many different types of promotion through search engines.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) includes both paid and organic digital marketing strategies. The ultimate goal of search engine marketing is to increase the visibility of the business on major search engines. It includes search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising.
PPC, on the other hand, refers to paid online advertising where you don’t pay for displaying the ad on the search results page. Instead, you pay each time someone clicks on that ad to get to your website or landing page.
Why Should You Use Pay-Per-Click?
There are many compelling benefits of pay-per-click advertising:
- PPC is measurable and trackable. You can see how your campaigns are performing, including impressions, clicks, and conversions, the traffic you’re receiving and how the results correlate to your budget
- It provides a better understanding of the behavior and search patterns of the customers
- Unlike SEO, PPC allows you to quickly set up campaigns, create ads and find new customers and prospects
- You get budget flexibility. You can set up your ad budget and choose how much you want to spend. For example, if you see positive results, you can scale up quickly
- You get a wealth of targeting options, whether you want to target keywords through search ads or focus on a specific demographic on the display network
- Your ads work on all platforms, including mobile and desktop devices
Types of Pay – Per – Click
- Paid Search Marketing
- Display Advertising
- Social Media Advertising
- Retargeting PPC Advertising
- Price Comparison Website Advertising
- Affiliate Marketing