The pros and cons of PPC advertising
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
PPC advertising is one of the most common types of online advertising. PPC stands for ‘pay per click’ – you pay an advert to run until a certain number of people click on it.
Google, Bing and Amazon each use a PPC advertising model. Adverts can include search engine ads, image ads or video ads.
PPC advertising can benefit many businesses, however there are certain instances where it is likely to be more effective. By understanding the pros and cons of PPC advertising, you can get a better idea of when exactly to use it. This post delves into some of the main pros and cons.
The pros:
PPC ads are immediate
If you’re advertising an event that is taking place in one week, PPC ads are a great option as they display immediately. This is unlike marketing strategies such as SEO, which may require you to wait several weeks for results to take effect.
They can build brand awareness
PPC advertising is ideal for building brand awareness. Even if people do not click on your ads, they are likely to see them and may subliminally take note of your company name and product/service. Brand awareness helps to build trust and may lead to future conversions.
You can handle campaigns yourself
While you can hire companies to handle PPC ad campaigns for you, it isn’t essential. Launching a PPC ad campaign is fairly straightforward, allowing anyone to do it. Of course, when it comes to display ads like image ads and video ads, you may still want to hire a graphic designer or video production company to create the ad so that it looks professional.
If your ads go ignored you won’t waste money
The likes of Google allow you to run an advert for a certain amount of time. Payment is determined by how many people click on your advert during that time. If no-one clicks on your advert during your campaign, no money will come out of your account. In other words, if your ad gets ignored, you won’t lose money. This isn’t the case with other forms of marketing such as billboards or posters.
The cons:
PPC ads are temporary
PPC ads only run for a short period. Once your campaign is over, they disappear. Unless you’re willing to splash out on continuous PPC ad campaigns (which could get expensive), they are not a continuous long-term strategy. Marketing strategies like SEO tend to be better for gaining long term results.
Some clicks may be accidental clicks
Not everyone who clicks on your adverts is going to convert into a customer. In fact, there may be a few accidental clicks.
PPC advertising is very competitive
A lot of companies are going to be running PPC ads alongside yours. In order for your ad to stand out, it needs to be well designed and carefully planned out using the right keywords and parameters. Other types of advertising may be less competitive.
Ads aren’t effective against everyone
Many people have learnt to tune out online ads. Some people may even have extensions in place like Ad Blocker to remove ads from their browser. PPC ads will work against some people, but not everyone – so it’s important to have other marketing strategies on the go.
