Pay per click, aka PPC, is one of the most effective ways to reach an audience that is looking for products or services offered by a business. PPC ads are basically the ones that you pay for to appear on top of Google search results.
Most marketers and businessmen are familiar with pay per click marketing. If you are not, take a look at this quick 9 step guideline describing pay per click marketing.
PPC is about paying for each click a visitor makes to your website. In PPC, you pay a fee each time a visitor clicks on your ad, thus the name “Pay Per Click”. It is considered one of the best ways of promoting a business online. But before you dive right into it and initiate a pay per click campaign for your business, take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of ppc.
Advantages of PPC
Set your own budget
As a business you can set your own budget depending on the amount that you are willing to spend. This means that if a small business is willing to invest less money, it is possible through PPC! PPC is all about how much you are willing to spend and it is completely up to you.
Measurable results
The results and performance of a PPC campaign is easily measurable. PPC networks such as Google Adwords provide different forms of metrics, making it possible for website owners to see if at all their ads are converting or not.
This provides you with the clear number of how many visitors clicked on your ad and how many of them actually converted.
Track ROI
As a marketer, if you are able to track the source of your audience, it is something your business can benefit from.
You are able to track the performance of your PPC ads in real time. It shows the actual demographics and data along with the keywords and landing pages are getting the most visitors.
Instant results
Unlike SEO, PPC gives instant results. All you have to do is create an account, create ads, bid on relevant keywords and direct them to a relevant landing page. Then you have to wait for a visitor to click on your ad. However, there is no certainty that the user will buy your products or services.
Local and global exposure
PPC advertising lets you control where and to whom your ad is visible. This is the reason why PPC is ideal for both local and international brands. This works best if you have a localized product or service, since you can easily restrict your ad to be displayed only in certain areas.
Complicated process
The notion that often goes with PPC is that you just have to pay for the ads that are visible to the online users and you are done for the day. However, there’s more to it. You will be witnessing a war with your competitors for the keywords that are suitable to you as well as your competitors. And this often requires a higher bid for the keywords, which becomes difficult for businesses and marketers to afford.
Paid service
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of PPC is that it is a paid service and not a free one. This is the main reason that some businesses are apprehensive about using this service. Additionally, if you are not able to figure out whether your business will actually benefit from PPC, then you are wasting your money and efforts.
Existence of ads
PPC ads are directly proportional to the investment. The moment you stop paying for your ads, your business ads will be no longer visible. This is a major crisis that small businesses face. Due to shortage of funds, even if they have a successful campaign, they are unable to pay for it. This also leads to losing out on precious sales or conversions.
No certainty of consumer
There is no guarantee that the consumer who clicked on your business ad will buy your service or product. This means your business still has to pay for their click, whether or not they purchase your business service/product.
Time consuming process
PPC is a time consuming process, not when it comes to results, but when it comes to setting up your entire campaign. Creating effective ads requires time and effort because a lot goes into it. The process begins with market research, understanding your audience and shortlisting appropriate keywords based on your campaign, audience and location. It also takes time to create meaningful campaigns that convert easily.
To conclude, almost all digital activities have pros and cons to them. We hope you’re a little more familiar with pay per click marketing, the advantages and disadvantages of pay per click advertising. This will help you decide whether to initiate one for your business or not.
If you think we missed out on something, let us know in the comments below!
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