The Good and the Bad of PPC Advertising

PPC (Pay Per Click) advertisements are those ads that you see first on a search results page of Google. They’re labeled “Ad” and pop up before any other search results. In this blog post, we’ll cover both the good and the bad of PPC advertising. Read on for the four main benefits and the three main risks of PPC advertising.

The Good and the Bad of PPC Advertising

Benefits:

PPC ads have instant results.

The moment that someone searches for your keywords is the same moment that they’ll see your ad. This is a great quality of PPC advertising. With a link that leads to an applicable landing page on your site, PPC has a high conversion rate. PPC is effective in getting people to take action on your site.

PPC ads produce quality traffic.

The visitors that click on your PPC ad are visitors that are already interested in your site. They searched for the specific keyword that your ad is about so you know that they are interested and connected to your ad topic. This leads to quality traffic on your site. You don’t need to convince them to pay attention; they’re already invested (that’s why they’re searching Google). This takes out the first step of advertising—getting people to pay attention.

PPC ads are measurable.

PPC ads are also highly measurable. Their effect is clear. The amount of money you spend relates directly to the clicks you get. It’s easy to see what keywords and ad wording is working or not. These real time results are useful when launching your next advertising campaign.

PPC ads are controllable.

We all want control, right? Well, PPC ads are easy to control. You have the final say in what the ad copy is and you have control over how much to spend and when. This allows you to pull back on advertising costs if they’re not working. On the other hand, you can spend more if they are successful. This blog post about the cost of PPC ads is a helpful resource to look at when considering a Google ad campaign.

Risks:

PPC ads can be ignored.

Some people ignore sponsored ads and scroll down to the “organic” results. This is a risk you have to be willing to take when advertising. However, some people don’t notice the “Ad” label or don’t care that there is one. It’s a draw whether people are turned away by the overt advertisement or not. The hidden beauty of Google ads is that they do look like normal website links, except for the “Ad” label, so there’s a chance people might not even notice.

PPC ads can be expensive.

PPC ads can get really expensive for a few reasons. If the wrong keyword is being used, you’re paying for traffic that isn’t helpful for your company. In the same vein, if you’re not adjusting your ads you might waste money. Letting a PPC advertisement sit on the internet for a long time without monitoring it can be a money drain. Make sure to adjust and even take down ads if your promotion is outdated or over.

PPC ads can become time consuming.

PPC ads do take time to monitor. It’s necessary to keep an eye on them to not waste money and to get the best results. This means that someone has to keep tabs on them and tweak them. You can’t just post ’em up and leave them there, unfortunately. When considering PPC ads, keep in mind the time allotment necessary to use them successfully.

Consensus:

It comes down to the fact that PPC ads are a little tricky. They can help your company greatly but sometimes they can be a lot of work. Really, we just need to remember that . . .

PPC ad campaigns can be technical.

PPC ads need skill and oversight. If you don’t know how to find the applicable keywords or how to optimize your ad copy, you may need to consult an expert or an agency. Marketing and communications agencies can be a great asset in your PPC endeavors. Contact us if you have any questions or want to talk about working with us on your PPC advertising campaigns.