Understanding Paid Search

Understanding Paid Search

When it comes to digital marketing, there are numerous tools at your disposal. One of the most important is paid search. Approximately 4 out of 5 marketers state that paid search is extremely beneficial to their businesses. 

By leveraging paid search campaigns, you can connect with a wider audience and give your site traffic a rapid boost.

Whether you have relied on digital marketing for a while or have just begun to advertise online, it is important that you have a good understanding of paid search. 

With this in mind, the strategic marketers at Insights ABM have created this simple guide. We offer PPC campaign management services and have extensive experience in what it takes to improve ROI through paid search.

What is Paid Search?

Paid search falls under the umbrella of digital marketing. It allows you to display your ads on the results pages of Google and other search engines. 

Paid search works on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis, which means that you do not pay for the ad unless someone interacts with your content. Paid search gives you total control over your advertising budget and allows you to track key metrics.

Perfecting the art of paid search takes time. That is why many businesses seek out PPC campaign management services. This allows them to get measurable results fast.

How It Works

Paid search utilizes advanced bidding software to determine which ads will earn a spot at the top of the search engine results pages. These auctions occur instantly as a user searches keywords. The winner is chosen based on a variety of factors, which include ad quality and bid amount. This behind-the-scenes bidding process occurs every single time that a search results page is generated.

Marketers are responsible for setting bid amounts. For instance, let’s say that you want to rank for the key phrase “drain cleaning.” In the plumbing industry, this phrase is highly sought after. As a result, you may have to bid more in order to win advertising space.

In order to save money and win bids, many business owners will target long-tail keyword phrases. These phrases actually have a higher click-through rate than generic phrases. An example of a long tail phrase is “drain cleaning near Atlanta, GA.”

Benefits of Paid Search

Paid search allows you to rise above your competitors and reach page one of the search results. Since many consumers never make it to the second page of the search results, paid search ads can provide some huge benefits for your company. 

The top perks of paid search include:

Visibility

Building brand awareness is essential if you hope to grow your company. Unfortunately, your brand can easily get lost in the crowd due to all of the competition in the online marketplace.

Paid search allows you to set yourself apart and get noticed. When you win a bid, your ads will be displayed at the very top of a user’s search results. This means that you can start generating leads and create some buzz among consumers right away.

Quality Leads

Users that interact with your paid search ads are poised to make a purchase. Think about what led them to visit your website in the first place. They had to search for a specific phrase related to your services. Then they had to click on your site, which is clearly identified as sponsored marketing material.

Paid search is great for generating high-quality leads. It sets your marketing team up for success so that they can close the deal. The end result is better conversion rates and a higher ROI.

Launching a Paid Search Campaign

Now that you know how beneficial paid search can be, you may be ready to launch a campaign of your own. If so, make sure to do your research and develop a plan. Take the time to produce engaging content. By doing so, you can ensure that your paid search efforts are a big hit with consumers.

Joe Cantu

Joe is a digital marketing strategist and media buying/planning leader with 13+ years of expertise in marketing strategy and program management, omnichannel campaign delivery, brand building, data analytics, and customer experience/UX optimization. He has helped drive growth for industry-leading clients, including F500/F100 firms.