A Beginner’s Guide To Paid Search Marketing

by Kaitlynn Tovar |

November 22, 2022

Paid search marketing is a model of internet marketing used to drive traffic to websites. Businesses who invest in paid search are looking to optimize their advertising, reach their target audience, and increase conversions by ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs). Needless to say, paid search marketing is a marketing 𝐝𝐨 if you want to increase revenue, sales and leads for your business. Let’s dive in to all you need to know about paid search marketing, shall we?

What Is Paid Search Marketing?

Paid search marketing is a strategy that allows businesses to pay search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo to place their ads high on search engine results pages. You may have also heard of the terms PPC or pay-per-click, which is the most popular form of paid search marketing. Advertisers pay a fee for every time one of their ads is clicked on. Instead of trying to achieve organic results, businesses who use paid search marketing are essentially buying visits to their website.

Why Is Paid Search Important?

Paid search is important for businesses, big or small, for a multitude of reasons. For one, it helps drive immediate (and consistent) traffic to certain pages that you are promoting. An increase of traffic means more potential customers who will do business with you. According to Search Engine Land, 75% of online shoppers say they prefer search ads because it makes it easier to find the information they are looking for. Secondly, it’s one of the quickest ways you can help people discover your brand and all you have to offer. When time is of the essence and you need to get your message out there (and fast), paid search will help you deliver results quicker than organic search will. Lastly, you have the opportunity to experiment. With the tracking capabilities offered by paid search, you can know what parts of your campaigns are working well and what parts need improvement. You can also know what keywords are performing the best, and which ones are not. This allows you the opportunity to change your ad as you see fit so you can get the most for your money, and higher conversion rates.

Benefits Of Paid Search Marketing

Paid search marketing offers many benefits for small and big businesses alike.

  • Deliver Immediate Results: Your ad can start reaching people immediately after it goes live.
  • Generate Highly-Targeted Traffic: You can target your ad towards a specific demographic so it reaches the right people.
  • Promote Time-Sensitive Offers: Have an offer that’s set to expire soon? Because paid search marketing delivers immediate results, you can promote the offer as soon as possible.
  • Dominate Search Engine Results: Your ad will use a specific set of keywords that’s used to dominate the online space for your campaign.
  • Cost-Effective Marketing Tool: You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, so you’re not wasting money on impressions for people who won’t even engage with your ad.
  • Offers Measurable Results: You can measure the results of each ad and each keyword in your campaign to determine what’s working and what’s not.

Myths About Paid Search Marketing

If you’ve been curious about paid search and have started to do your research on this topic, you may have come across some of these myths. We are here to set the facts straight so you can be more informed and educated on paid search marketing.

1. Myth: You Can Just Set It and Forget It

In order for PPC marketing to be effective, you need to monitor your campaigns and be ready to make adjustments based on seasonal trends, economic events, and shifts in your industry and the needs of your customer. If you don’t monitor and fine-tune your strategy, you can end up wasting money. There is no “set it and forget it” in PPC marketing.

2. Myth: It’s Too Expensive

Paid search marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, you can often see results with paid search at any level of budgeting. If you’ve put off starting a campaign for budgeting reasons, this is your sign to get started.

3. Myth: All Clicks Are Good Clicks

Sure, the goal is to get as many clicks as you can to your paid search ad. However, you don’t want the wrong people to click on your ads. The “wrong people” are those that never intend to do business with you. Keep in mind you’re still paying for those clicks. You want to narrow down your prospects and set your ads to reach a specific target demographic.

4. Myth: It’s A Short-Term Strategy

Many businesses owners believe they only need paid search marketing to promote an offer or a sale. However, just using the campaigns as a short-term strategy can actually harm it’s overall effectiveness. The longer you keep your ads running, the higher your ROI (return-on-investment) will be.

5. Myth: You Can Improve Your Rankings By Increasing Your Budget

It makes sense that the more you spend, the better you’ll rank on search engines, right? While having a good budget is beneficial, it’s not the only thing that determines your rankings. Other things, like your ad copy and your quality score, are just as important.

6. Myth: The #1 Spot Is The Best Place To Be

A lot of businesses believe the #1 spot on Google search results is the most profitable. However, being in that top spot doesn’t always mean more profit for you. You could actually find yourself spending more money than you’re getting because people who click on that top spot are usually still in the early phases of shopping.

How Do You Get Started With Paid Search Marketing?

By hiring a company to manage your paid search marketing, you can focus on what’s important – your business. You have enough on your plate already without having to worry about your marketing. Paid search marketing is only effective if you know exactly how to manage it. By hiring a digital marketing agency, you can rest assured you’re getting the most out of your paid search campaign. Interested in learning more about how this may benefit your business? Contact VitalStorm today.