New to PPC? PPC (Pay-per-click) is growing in popularity for marketers and businesses as the go-to digital marketing campaign.

For those of you out there who are not sure what PPC is and how it works, we thought it would be interesting to sit down with one of our PPC Managers, Stefan.

PPC is an internet advertising model which is primarily used to drive traffic through to a website. If you have searched for a product on Google before, you will have noticed that at the top of each page, certain results from key brands will be displayed first. By investing in money into PPC you are competing with other brands to be higher on that page and you only pay for each click, ‘Pay Per Click’.

How have you had to adapt your customers’ PPC campaigns through the pandemic?

Yes we have, is the short answer. The adaption was mainly in the keywords and search queries. With the sudden increase in more searches on Google, we have seen more new keyword terms, more keyword combinations, long tail keywords and many new themes/attributes. That's a blessing really, as more data equals in better campaign optimisation and performances. In the case, the disruption the pandemic has caused, has also given is more data, and actually led to better PPC campaigns on the whole.

What advice would you give to companies thinking about investing in PPC but feeling nervous given the pandemic end is still not in sight?

If anything, the need for PPC is increased more than ever due to the pandemic. The DTC movement (Direct-To-Consumer), has been brought forward by 5-7 years, simply because more businesses had to move their operations online, all within 2020, as lookdown and travel restrictions put a temporary hold to footfall. And with that, the need to be seen, and found, and selling, has never been higher. PPC in general has been a big part of this, with advertising spend across many industries globally expected to by 7.6% in 2021 to $612 billion total.

What new PPC trends should marketers keep an eye on for 2021?

2021 is all about smart features and automation. For us online marketers, this poses some challenges, as we have less and less control over PPC campaigns as it stands. This is a move by Google that's going to happen, if we like it or not. It's important to remain on top of everything being released and testing the waters of new campaign types and other features that will inevitably emerge as a consequence. With all of Google recent changes (i.e. match type updates, new campaign structures best practices, updated bidding strategies, prioritising responsive search ads over expanded text ads), it's an exciting space to work within.

What is your top piece of advice in general for companies running PPC campaigns?

Every PPC campaign set-up is unique, given that everyone's business is different. Even though automation is catching up with us, there is still plenty of control to have. But it's important to determine if PPC is adding value to the business itself, as often enough user journeys cover multiple channels before completing a lead or purchase. It is crucial to know the user journey's touchpoints, and how much credit PPC is attributing to them. We no longer assess performances on a Last Click basis, but more on a Linear Attribution basis. And with that, it's looking at the bigger picture, the brand awareness, the uplift in leads or sales that that can be attributed to paid marketing efforts.

If you are looking to integrate PPC campaigns into your existing marketing plan or find out if it can work for you, get in touch with a member of the team today! Or simply learn more about PPC with UNBXD