When there are a variety of marketing channels your business could leverage, how do you decide which path is best for you? The truth is that PPC advertising isn’t right for every kind of business or every stage.
High advertising costs with little ROI to show for it is the downfall of many who dive into the world of ads with little to no experience. However, a specific type of advertising – Google advertising or PPC ads – can benefit small to medium businesses without breaking the bank.
The advantages are plentiful if you’re a Rochester business open to putting money behind Google advertising. Here are a few benchmarks to consider first to determine if PPC ads are right for your business.
A PPC Advertising Breakdown
PPC stands for pay-per-click. This type of advertising means it only costs your business money when someone clicks on your ad. It works great for small to medium businesses to elicit clicks, track your results, and make changes to the ads as needed.
Benefits of PPC Advertising
There are plenty of advantages for small to medium businesses that invest in PPC advertising.
Quickly end up at the top of search results
Organic marketing strategies like SEO (search engine optimization) can take months to bear the fruits of your labor. A PPC ad, however, brings you to the top of the results page immediately.
Higher CTR
According to a 2019 Backlinko study,[1] the first result in Google gets 31.7% of all clicks. Since paying for ads can land your business at the top of the search results, you could see an increase in traffic and conversions, significantly impacting revenue.
Highly targeted
Google advertising allows you to control who sees your ad, so you’re not wasting any of your budget targeting the wrong people. Segmenting and targeting specific audiences is also a great way to increase engagement and attract more traffic.
Easily track results
Google Analytics is a beast of a data collector. When you run PPC ads, you get instrumental data from Google, like key performance indicators (KPIs) and the ideal time of day to run the ads. The more data collected to show how the ads are doing, the more you can tweak and improve them to get even better results.
Flexible for any budget
PPC advertising is highly customizable. It’s not just for the major players in the marketplace. You can start small with a modest budget and still see results. You choose what you’ll spend with Google advertising by setting your ad budget and bid maximums.[2] This is a huge advantage for small to medium businesses that want to increase brand awareness or sales without overspending.
If Your Clients Bring A High-Ticket LCV
One benchmark that will help you determine if investing in PPC is right for you is whether or not your customers have a high lifetime value. This is determined by measuring the CPC (cost per click) with how much potential profit each customer can bring you down the line.
When it comes to digital marketing for small to medium businesses, where you allocate your time, energy, and money can mean the difference between reaching your business goals and not making ends meet. PPC is highly effective for services in the following industries:
- Real estate
- Cosmetic medical or dental services
- Insurance
- Colleges and universities
- Subscription services
- Education institutions
- Coaching services
- E-commerce
If Your Business Operates With High-Profit Margins
Your unique goals are a guide to help you choose the best marketing channels for your business. If you’re not as concerned with lifetime value as you are with high margins on a single purchase, PPC ads are still useful.
Here are a few examples of purchases with high-profit margins that benefit from Google advertising:
- Home services like a new roof or landscaping
- Appliance repair
- Attorneys
- Cars
- Tech services and computer equipment
If Your Business Is Primarily Local
Local businesses can benefit greatly from PPC advertising. Not only can it help increase website traffic, but it can also impact foot traffic.
The same goes for a Google My Business profile. Here, you can create and verify your local business on Google[3] so that when mobile or local searches are conducted, your business will appear on Google Maps in the local search results, also known as the Google 3-Pack feature.
The Google 3-Pack is how Google displays the top results for a local business search, including searches that include “near me” or “nearby.”
If You Sell Rare Or Highly-Niched Products
If you’re in the business of selling rare, highly-niched products, then PPC advertising is a great option. Your customer may be unable to find what they need in a brick-and-mortar store, so they’re likely to search the internet. That’s where your ads will be, waiting for them, begging to be clicked.
Google Shopping ads are especially useful for e-commerce brands selling highly-niched or rare products. You can list detailed information about the products you’re selling, including long-tail keywords your target audience is searching for.
If You Sell A Wide Variety of Products or Services
Long-tail keywords offer lower competition than PPC ads. If you sell a wide variety of products or services like Etsy, Mercari, Amazon, Walmart, or eBay, then Google advertising will be a profitable digital marketing channel for your business.
If Most of Your Business Is Seasonal or Based on Infrequent Events
Are you in the wedding, entertainment, or sporting events industry? Think holidays, conferences, and special occasions like a wedding, funerals, or anniversaries. Google ads could be exactly what you need because you only pay if an ad is clicked. People may not search for your product or service all year, but when the time is right, you want your ads at the top of the results.
Let The Experts Handle Rochester Google Advertising!
PPC advertising doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With our help, you’ll see just how useful PPC ads can be in bringing record sales to your business this year without the long lead time of organic SEO.
Contact us today to see how we can help you reach your business goals!
Sources:
[1]: https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats
[2]: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ppc-guide/ppc-advertising-benefits/#close
[3]: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2382892?hl=en
