What Is PPC & How Does Paid Search Work?

What Is PPC & How Does Paid Search Work?

Pay-per-click, also known as PPC, is a way to market online where advertisers pay each time one of their adverts is clicked. Essentially, PPC boils down to a strategy of purchasing visits to your website rather than attempting to “earn” those views organically.

A super popular type of PPC is search engine advertising, which enables marketers to bid for ad placement in a search engine’s sponsored links when people search for a term related to their product or service.

WHAT IS PPC?

The goal of every ad is to direct potential customers to the advertiser’s website or app, where the user can complete a value action, such as purchasing a product. 

Search engines allow marketers to display ads relevant to what visitors are specifically looking for. RTB (or real-time bidding) is used by advertising platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. It is an automated private auction that uses real-time data to sell advertising space.

HOW PAID SEARCH WORKS

A real-time auction for the keyword takes place when an ad space shows up on a search engine results page (SERP).

The winner displayed in the top position is decided by several things, such as how much they bid and the quality of their ad. 

The whole PPC machine works because of these auctions. They kick off when someone searches for something on a search engine. If advertisers are interested in presenting advertising connected to a user’s search query, an auction is initiated based on keywords that marketers bid on.

The search engine’s results page then displays the ads that won the auction.

Advertisers participate in these auctions by creating accounts on platforms like Google Ads and selecting when and where they would like their ads to appear.

Accounts are broken up into campaigns to make managing and reporting on different regions, product types, or other user groups easier.

Ad groups are smaller components of campaigns and include keywords and relevant ads.

For more information on how to manage a PPC Campaign, check out our article on 

PPC CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT

PLATFORMS FOR PPC ADVERTISING

GOOGLE ADS (FORMERLY KNOWN AS GOOGLE ADWORDS)

Google Ads is the largest pay-per-click platform, running on Google, Search Partner sites, and Display Network sites. Google Ads is aimed at businesses of all sizes, from tiny enterprises to Fortune 500 corporations. Google Ads was first introduced in October 2000 and has undergone various changes in the following years.

Google Ads has become a cost-effective tool for many organizations to reach target audiences through paid marketing as the largest and most popular PPC platform utilized today. With online markets growing increasingly crowded, many digital marketers are turning to Google Ads to cut through the clutter and increase brand exposure.

If there’s one thing you can bet on from the world’s most popular search engine, it’s an enormous reach. No search engine or platform can deliver the audience potential that Google Ads does, with over 40 thousand search requests per second and 1.2 trillion per year.

MICROSOFT ADS

Did you know that in the US alone, over 35% of desktop searches are done via the Microsoft Search Network? Microsoft Ads has established itself as a solid rival to Google Ads in sponsored search.

Marketers can access over 20 million unique monthly searches through the platform’s network. Microsoft ads are comparable to Google Ads in structure and function, as the platform likewise depends largely on search queries to target consumers. As a result, you’ll need to employ a bidding mechanism for certain keywords to establish your ad’s position.

WHAT IS SOCIAL PAY-PER-CLICK?

Social PPC (also known as paid media) is a popular type of pay-per-click advertising. These are advertisements that appear on social networking platforms.

The beautiful thing about social PPC advertisements is that they frequently allow you to target certain groups. This is determined by demography, interests, and other variables.

Marketers may better target their target audience by selecting these choices. They can ensure that only relevant users view their adverts.

On the various social media sites, there are several choices for selecting certain advertisements and targeting them. You may reach a considerable audience while gaining insights into who has seen or interacted with your ad.

Social advertisements can appear on a user’s newsfeed, search results page, or at the top, side, or bottom of their feed. It is up to you and your needs to decide which choice is best for your company.

HOW DOES SOCIAL PPC WORK?

In the world of social media marketing, no two platforms are the same. However, there are certain standard practices to be aware of that will assist you along the road.

When running social PPC ads, the first thing you should do is research your target demographic. No doubt…your target audience is almost guaranteed to be on social media.

So, how can you ensure that your ads reach them and only them?

You can make your target choices once you have a strong knowledge of what your audience is looking for and what is essential to them. Following that, you can choose where you want your ad to display on the specified social media network.

Social PPC advertisements are ideal for increasing brand exposure while keeping paid ad spending to a minimum. Essentially, it’s up to you as a marketer and your plan to decide whether to employ social advertisements or search ads.

Consider what’s important to your target audience and where they stand in online use. While some audiences are ardent search engine users, others are completely obsessed with everything social. 

Think about your choices carefully and ensure you use testing to make an informed decision.

YOUTUBE ADS

About one-third of Internet users use YouTube, the world’s second-most popular search engine. It is the ideal PPC platform for advertising through excellent video content, such as high-quality explainer films.

 On average, YouTube receives 14 billion views per month, more than Instagram and Facebook combined. With such a large number of frequent visitors, the platform provides businesses with the opportunity to reach 2.56 billion users.

FACEBOOK ADS

Approximately 77% of internet users use at least one Meta platform, with Facebook being the most popular. Social media automation is moving to the top of most marketing plans, with social advertisements replacing paid search ads as the best thing since sliced bread. 

Marketers utilize Facebook advertisements not just for their low cost but also to precisely position their ads in front of specific target demographics.

According to Hootsuite, Facebook has 2.91 billion monthly users. Meta also claims its total advertising audience is 2.11 billion people, or 72.5% of its total 2.91 billion monthly active users! Check out Facebook ad stats on Hubspot

INSTAGRAM ADS

What is one fact about Instagram that every marketer is aware of? Visuals, visuals, and more visuals! Instagram ads are the ideal PPC platform for attracting new viewers with eye-catching images and short, inventive, visually appealing videos. 

Instagram is the second-fastest-growing social media network, with about one billion monthly active users and the potential to reach 1.2 billion users.

TWITTER ADS

While Twitter advertising may not dominate the PPC market, it does provide some distinct advantages, such as the ability to easily contact specific audiences and generate greater click-through rates. 

It is an essential advertising tool if your target demographic is mostly on Twitter. The site boasts 330 million active users, with 145 million reachable through ads.

TIKTOK ADS

Tiktok has three kinds of ads: brand takeovers, in-feed ads, and hashtag challenges. Brand Takeovers are advertisements that display right as you open the app and have the benefit of believing that the audience is most focused exactly when they begin interacting with the app.

In-feed ads are organic ads at the bottom of a video or in the center of a user’s organic feed as they scroll through the video. These will deliver extensive exposure. 

However, they will function similarly to most social media advertising in which you attempt to halt your audience, similar to the bumper ads on YouTube.

Hashtag Challenges are unique to TikTok and appear to be the best area for a brand to get traction. Hashtag Challenges are ads where you collaborate with TikTok’s marketing team to develop a challenge to get users to connect with and share your content with other users.

By encouraging users to share and participate in your challenge, you may go viral and spread your brand across the site.

RUN A SUCCESSFUL PPC CAMPAIGN WITH KADIMA DIGITAL

It is obvious that running pay-per-click advertising will help you market your company. It can also help you get the traffic and conversions you want.

But we know it can be hard to put together ads and make sure they work the best they can. The Kadima Digital Marketing team is here to assist you in setting up and running a successful PPC campaign.

Contact us immediately to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, click here to check out more information about PPC and the PPC packages we offer.

Now, hurry up already… 

Let’s get those clicks!

Johannesburg

Located in the heart of Johannesburg, our office sits in the affluent area of this metropolitan city. Sandton has been developed into one of the top financial districts in the country. All of the nation’s top investment banks and financial consultants have chosen Sandton as the head office. Some notable companies include Massmart and Nedbank. You can also find one of the biggest convention centres of the African continent in Sandton. The Sandton Convention Centre is a twelve storey building built to accommodate up to 10,000 people at any one time. Some of the most prolific annual events are held at this convention centre.

Johannesburg has now transitioned from being a gold mining city to becoming one of the most multicultural and vibrant cities in the continent. Home to one of the world’s largest urban forest and art gallery, this is a progressive city that Kadima Digital is proud to call one of our homes.

Lisbon

Located in southern Europe, a part of our team resides in Lisbon, the capital of PortugalLisbon boasts breathtaking scenery and a rich culture, and has become a hotspot for startups and other successful businesses. Companies such as Volkswagen, Tyson and Capgemini are examples of major international businesses established here. With Portugal being ranked 7th in the world for English proficiency, as well as being relatively cost-friendly, it’s no wonder so many entrepreneurs and CEOs are venturing towards its capital. Lisbon offers some of the most beautiful views in the world, and is a definite contender for the next big tech and business hub. With its world-class infrastructure, incredible culture, and high standard of living, there is no shortage of  experiences to be had.

Tel Aviv

Located in the heart of the middle east, our head office sits in Tel Aviv, Israel. This little country is home to more startups per capita and some very well known tech companies, including Payoneer, Walkme and Riskified. In the most recent years, the thriving tech scene has drawn many venture capitalists and startup founders to the city.

Besides its mature business ecosystem, Tel Aviv is also known to be one of the best cities for nightlife and international cuisine. The cultural heritage combined with its modern sensibilities makes it the ideal environment for Kadima Digital to connect with forward-thinking brands and business leaders. It is our pride and honor to call the world’s most innovative tech hub our home.