The Value of PPC

by
Sam MacKew
on
May 1, 2023

What is PPC?

PPC stands for pay-per-click, a type of marketing in which businesses pay each time one of their ads is clicked. Essentially, it's a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically. It helps you get seen on search engines for queries related to business in your area  so you can drive visitors to your website, book appointments, generate leads, and stand out in a competitive market.


When we talk about PPC, we’re referring to ads that are displayed at the top of search engine results. You can find PPC ads on all search engines, but Google is by far the most popular.


To show up at the top of the search results, you bid on keyword phrases that your target audience is searching – for example, “hair salons near me”. Every time a potential customer clicks one of your ads and goes to your website, you’ll pay around $0.50-2.40 (with the average cost per click in AdWords across all industries at $2.69). 


These types of ads allow businesses to display ads relevant to what potential customers are searching for. For example, Jane decides she needs to find a landscaper so she starts looking online to find some local landscaping businesses. She searches “professional landscaping company” and thousands of page results show up. Because you’re running PPC ads using Jane’s keyword, your ad is shown on the first page of google and above all the organic search results, making it easy for Jane to find your website.


Why should you run PPC ads?

PPC ads can be one of the most cost effective ways to drive traffic to your website and generate high-quality leads.


Why is it so valuable?


  1. Attract Qualified and High-Intent Leads

When leads come through a Facebook or Instagram ad, they are quite often “window shopping.” 

They have seen a product or service that they like the look of and have clicked through to your website to browse and look around. 


With PPC, you’re targeting people in the exact moment they’re searching for your product or service, and these leads are generally further down the funnel than any other platform. When someone searches “chiropractors in Vancouver” you know that their goal is to find a chiropractor in Vancouver. Your ad will appear and direct them to your website which will give them exactly what they’re searching for. That makes them a pretty good candidate to become a real client!

  1. Be Seen

While organic marketing efforts are focused on getting your content on the first page of Google, PPC advertising slots are already there – so why not take advantage of them and start generating business?


Google's algorithm changes over the last couple of years have pretty much filled the first page search results with the big players – outranking small business websites every time.


Climbing the organic search rankings for keywords can take years and thousands of dollars, but sometimes there is a need for more instant results. Now, you can skip to the front of the queue and generate more leads simply by running PPC ads.

  1. Superior Return On Investment

Everything that can be measured, can be improved.


Unlike many other advertising options, PPC campaigns are easy to measure, which means that you can improve your ads until they are fully optimized and generating results. In a market that moves so fast, you want to make sure your ads remain relevant and are always attracting your target audience.


At Avenue, our Realtor clients attract new leads at an average cost of $12 per lead!

While cost per lead is based on factors like your local competition and market, our realtors can expect to spend $7-14 per lead. If they're able to convert even 2% into clients, a cost per lead between $7-14 means they're only paying between $250-1,000 in PPC ads per home close.


This type of ROI has huge potential in helping you attract more potential clients, which is why we recommend PPC to all of our clients looking to generate high-quality leads.




Where do small business PPC ads appear & what do they look like?


PPC search ads can appear at the top and bottom of the organic search results on both desktop and mobile. While we often think of ads as visually distinct elements, paid search ads look very similar to the organic search results, but are labeled with “Ad” to distinguish them.





How do Google Ads work?

Google Ads is one of the most popular PPC platforms. It works as an auction, where people bid money for clicks. Google doesn’t just want to show people the ads from the highest bidder – they could be horrible ads – they’d rather show them a more relevant and better ad by someone who pays less, because that keeps users coming back to Google. 


This is where Quality Score comes into play. Your quality score is determined by each ad’s click-through rate, relevance of each keyword to your ad, and the landing page quality. When more people click your ad, that’s a strong indication that your ads are relevant and helpful to users, so Google rewards you with higher ad rankings and lower costs. 




How does Avenue use PPC?


Effective PPC campaigns need a strong lead-capture system on your website, otherwise you’re missing out on potential leads. When a potential lead clicks one of your ads and goes to your website, a prompted lead capture form will be triggered where they will have to submit their contact information before continuing to browse your website. 


PPC represents huge potential for companies to grow their business, but it can be overwhelming with how much time goes into improving your quality score and overall campaign performance. 


At Avenue, we take the guesswork out of managing your campaigns, so you can focus and dedicate your time on what you do best: managing your business. We create a compelling and consistent message that combines the right keywords, ad messaging, and site experience to generate leads for your business. We don’t stop there, though. We regularly test and analyze every aspect of your campaign and rigorously optimize it so you can truly get the most out of your ad spend.

Next up: Read our article on “Online Leads: 4 Things You Need To Know”!