PPC or Pay per click is an online advertising model intended to gain websites more traffic. If approached correctly, PPC can be a very cost effective way for websites to generate traffic. The essence of PPC is simple; the advertiser pays the website hosting their ad only when it is clicked by a user, hence the name Pay per click.

So how does it work?

The most common use of the PPC advertising model is on search engines. Advertisers place bids on specific keywords/phrases with a search engine. When a user queries the search engine for a corresponding search term, the relevant adverts are displayed alongside the ‘organic’ search results. However, only if the user decides to click the advert does the advertiser pay the search engine/host.

For example, a water-sports website could approach a search engine and bid £0.15 on the keyword ‘kayaking’. When users search for that term, the website’s ad will be displayed along with the search results. Upon the user clicking the advert, the website pays the search engine £0.15. So if 100 people click the advert, the search engine gets paid £15 in total.

Fast and efficient

A great advantage of PPC is that it is highly targeted. Only users searching for relevant terms will be shown the advert. Therefore there is more chance of that user being interested in the site in question. This makes PPC and incredibly effective method for websites to reach their target audience.

Another benefit of Pay per click is its speed. Keywords can be bid on, and adverts placed in a matter of minutes, so websites can start generating traffic (and potentially more revenue) in a very short space of time.

Adapt, stand out and sell

In a competitive and dynamic market, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. Nowhere is this more true than online. With innumerable websites all vying for consumer attention, it is crucial to gain good audience exposure in order to be successful. This is where the use of a good PPC strategy can be invaluable.

Due to the ease with which it is possible to manage PPC adverts, websites can have an unparalleled ability to adapt their marketing campaigns in almost real-time. This gives the ability to stay ahead of the competition and get noticed.

Options for PPC

The most well known PPC service is Google’s AdWords. Being the top-dog in the search engine world, Google is an essential arena for websites to stand out. Goggle offers a straight-forward and easy to use service that is ideal for both small websites and online conglomerates alike. The main difficulty with PPC is identifying the best keywords and phrases to bid on in order to reach a specific audience, but Google offers its users some really useful tools for identifying the best strategies for maximising their PPC campaigns, making it that much easier to succeed.

But Goggle isn’t the only search engine worth considering when it comes to Pay per click; Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft’s adCenter are also great services to use when it comes to PPC.

Conclusion  

In the world of online marketing, few options offer the flexibility and efficiency of Pay per click. Using this asset could mean the difference between getting lost in the crowd or soaring with the web-giants. All in all, PPC is essential for those looking to maximise site performance. For advice on PPC, talk to Distinctly.co and SEO Company Watford in England.

Image credits: Wikipedia

By Bradley Houston