Understanding the Pros and Cons of PPC

If you are considering a pay per click campaign to drive traffic to your site, PPC is a viable method that can be used for this purpose. But like with many ways of doings things, it does have its drawbacks. This weeks blog discusses some of the pros and cons of a using PPC before you embark on launching a campaign.

What is PPC?
PPC has been present in our lives for some time now, even if it’s something that you may not have noticed before. on search engines at the top and bottom of pages. On search engines, such as Google or Bing results page (SERP), the search results for the item searched will be displayed, but at the very top of the page on Google and the top and bottom of Bing, PPC adverts appear. Say you search for "summer sandals" you will probably see ads for shops that sells summer sandals. Those ads were placed in those positions where you would see them through a bidding process. The entire concept is an auction system; the highest bidder wins. With that fact plainly in view, let's take a look at the pros and cons of PPC.

The Pros of PPC

It gives swift results
If your inbound marketing needs a quick lift; using PPC ads are the fastest way to achieve your goal. SEO often takes months to yield any results. By contrast, PPC starts working as soon as the ad is posted.

It informs you of what works and what does not
The analytics you receive with your PPC ads let you gauge your strategy and make adjustments as needed. It allows you to make adjustments to improve your next campaign. It also tells you who your core customers are so that you can re-target them in future ads.

It reaches your customers specifically
Clearly, when a person enters a goods or service your company offers, they are a potential customer. Just by virtue of searching for what your business does the user is in your target demographic.

It brings customers who are ready to make a purchase
It only makes sense that a customer who has clicked on a PPC ad has a greater interest in a product than those brought randomly through an organic search.

You control the budget
PPC lets you set the price per click on your ad and set a total daily cost you don't want to exceed. In this way, it gives you significantly more control than SEO or other marketing sources. You only have to pay for the customer's your reach, which is enough of a benefit in itself.

Cons of PPC

You can drain your budget in an instant
One of the true dangers of using PPC is that you can set a bid price that is too high. If you own a high street shop, you may believe you have to spend £20 a click to compete with a massive company such as Tesco, but you will quickly run out of money if that is your strategy. Many a company has fallen into financial trouble because of overbidding; it remains the chief pitfall of using PPC.

A click may not mean a conversion
Another obvious issue with PPC is that when a user clicks on your ad, they don't always convert to a paying customer. Some may be curious about your product and then decide they don't need it. Some may click on your ad accidentally. Some may even click on your ad with malicious intent such as a competitor hoping to run up your costs. Be aware that every click does not equate with a sale.

If you would like help improving your inbound traffic, contact us today!
​

01708 578 015