Question 1

What does the acronym PPC mean?

Accepted Answer

PPC stands for "pay-per-click." and it is a type of ad. For this ad format, an advertiser only pays when an ad is clicked. The ad may lead to a web page, dial a phone number, or take some other specified programmed route. Under the most common settings, advertisers do not pay every time their ads are shown (even if it’s in the millions) - only when clicked.

Question 2

Where do PPC ads appear?

Accepted Answer

PPC is a broad term for a wide category of ads that can appear on social media, maps, streaming sites like Spotify, as well as on search engine results pages (SERPs) – in which case they are called search ads. They can be displayed on both desktop and mobile devices.

Question 3

Are PPC ads better than social media postings?

Accepted Answer

Maybe - maybe not. Even though the press and online portal make it sound like social media is mandatory for all businesses, it isn’t.   The deciding factor for investing time and money into day-to-day social media (SM) postings on your business pages should be directly correlated to where your audience is. If your prospects aren't on SM, spend your resources where you’re more likely to gain leads.

Question 4

How expensive is it to run paid ads on Google or Microsoft (AOL, Bing, and Edge browsers)?"

Accepted Answer

It doesn’t have to be! However, “expensive” is a subjective term – what’s costly to some is affordable to others. 
For example – a daily budget of just $5 is a great starting point for many small businesses, for other companies, that won’t even get their ads to show. Few advertising firms work with smaller budgets like that, but we do! On the flip side, as a Google Partners Agency, we’ve successfully managed millions in PPC advertising budgets; we can help you budget for your marketing spend.   A pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign, by definition, means you only pay for advertising leads when someone clicks on your ad. Working with a firm that understands how to properly set up a local, regional, national, and international marketing campaign is vital. The settings alone on the campaigns can make or break a budget.   Whether you're flushing money down the drain on PPC or enjoying a positive ROI determines whether you look at advertising as an expense or an investment. Experience pays dividends here, and with 24+ years under our belt, we’ve got more of it than most local firms.

Question 5

What makes for a successful ad campaign?

Accepted Answer

We chat with many businesses who keep adding money into their Google Ads account with little to show for a return. How to make a Google Ads campaign (or any other type of pay-per-click campaign) generate leads is a frequent conversation for us. A successful Google Ads campaign requires three things to make it all work: Geographically targeted keyword research Keywordrich ad copy (the actual ad text) Contextual/synergistic relevance between these two things on the actual website page the ads are pointing to Therefore, we often recommend making changes to your website page to complement the focus of your PPC campaign. If your PPC manager isn’t referring back to your website, you need to start asking questions. Beyond those basics, there are hundreds of settings that need to be considered. A Google Ads audit can show you where you're doing well and where you would benefit from changes. Call to schedule one today.

Question 6

Can you see what Ads and Keywords are working for my competitors?

Accepted Answer

You bet! Auditing your competitors is one of the most effective strategies in any digital marketing and advertising strategy. We use software that allows us to analyze competitors' websites, keywords, and the performance of their ads. Because PPC involves "bidding" on keywords, we'll talk about setting your budget and how creating high-quality, relevant ads and accompanying landing pages can beat out your competitors for the same keywords.

Question 7

How do you set a PPC budget?

Accepted Answer

Many factors go into setting a PPC budget. As discussed earlier, what's costly for one business is affordable for another. We work with $5 budgets and multi-million-dollar budgets. Your cost-per-click (CPC) is what you pay every time someone clicks your ad. Ideally, they're then going to your website and converting - completing some action, making a purchase, signing up for a demo, making a dinner reservation, or some other measurable action that you can assign a dollar value to. This way, you know whether your PPC campaign is generating a positive ROI or not. Remember, too, that every time someone enters a search query for a keyword you've bid on, an "ad auction" occurs among all the bidders for that keyword. The highest bidder isn't always the winner, as there is also a "quality score" associated with each ad and accompanying landing page (where it points to). The bidder who wins the placement is based on a combination of the bid and quality score. By creating relevant, high-quality ads and landing pages, you can actually set a lower PPC budget and still be successful. A lot of thought and strategy goes into a successful PPC campaign budget. If you're not sure where to start, we can help! Many factors go into setting a PPC budget. As discussed earlier, what's costly for one business is affordable for another. We work with $5 budgets and multi-million-dollar budgets. Your cost-per-click (CPC) is what you pay every time someone clicks your ad. Ideally, they're then going to your website and converting - completing some action, making a purchase, signing up for a demo, making a dinner reservation, or some other measurable action that you can assign a dollar value to. This way, you know whether your PPC campaign is generating a positive ROI or not. Remember, too, that every time someone enters a search query for a keyword you've bid on, an "ad auction" occurs among all the bidders for that keyword. The highest bidder isn't always the winner, as there is also a "quality score" associated with each ad and accompanying landing page (where it points to). The bidder who wins the placement is based on a combination of the bid and quality score. By creating relevant, high-quality ads and landing pages, you can actually set a lower PPC budget and still be successful. A lot of thought and strategy goes into a successful PPC campaign budget. If you're not sure where to start, we can help!

Question 8

How do I measure PPC campaign success?

Accepted Answer

Analytics, analytics, analytics! We offer a custom dashboard that can be accessed 24/7 that integrates Google Analytics & Webmaster Tools (aka Search Console), Google AdWords, Bing Ads & Webmaster Tools, and Social Media reporting on one screen. At a glance and with easy-to-understand images and graphs, it will tell you whether your PPC campaigns are successful. The goal is for positive ROI and measurable increases in leads and revenue as a direct result of your PPC campaigns.

Digital Advertising & PPC FAQs

(C) & (SM) Sidewalk Branding Co. - a Brave River Solutions company

A Certified Google Ads Partner, and Partner-Agency for: BigCommerce • BrightLocal • SEMrush • Shopify • Squarespace • Wix