Pay Per Click Marketing Definition

If you've been marketing online for a while, you know that it can be frustrating. There are millions of other similar websites out there and you have to compete with them to get noticed by your target audience. It can be difficult getting an edge over the rest.

Pay-per-click gives you the opportunity to get an edge for a fraction of what it would cost you to use other channels for online marketing.

What PPC is all about?
Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is a type of online advertising. It allows you to place your ads on other websites and platforms including search engines and social media platforms. If a web user clicks on your ad, you pay the host of the ad, hence the term ‘pay-per-click’.

Pay-per-click therefore ensures that you’re paying only for those times or ads that are drawing potential customers to your website. You don’t pay the website if your ad has not been clicked on.

PPC, Keywords and Search Results
The entrance of search engines into the PPC arena has been a big game changer for the online advertising landscape. Search engines allow you to place ads on their platforms and other websites that they include in their network. This has given advertisers access to millions of websites, apps and videos. Basically, search engines have done the leg work for you.

Ads appear based on the keywords chosen by the advertiser. Your ads will therefore appear for searches related to the keyword you choose only. However, because there is a lot of competition for any particular keyword, search engines apply various factors and calculations to determine which ads appear on search results pages and in which order.

The ads are ranked based on the amount that the advertiser is willing to pay per click on the ad. This is decided in an auction where advertisers place bids for the keyword. The ranking is also based on the quality score of the ad. This is influenced by the quality of the website’s landing page and the ad’s relevance to the user.

The ads are listed alongside search results. The two top ads are included at the top of the search results page while others are placed on the right side of the page. An ‘ad’ sticker is placed before the ads to differentiate them from organic search results.

PPC is beneficial not only for advertisers but also for web users. Advertisers get the attention they want from their target audience. Users get to find out about sites where they can get what they need without having to deal with irritating banner or pop up ads.