Everything You Need To Know on How a PPC Company Works

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is a form of digital marketing that strategically places adverts on search engines and social media. Advertisers bid for certain placements and then pay for each online user that clicks on the ad. These ads often appear on top of organic results on search engines. Businesses can use PPC marketing to improve their bottom line and outperform competition.

How does a PPC Agency help with this process? Here’s what you should know about the role they play.

If you want to learn how Digital Authority Partners can increase your PPC effectiveness, watch this video!

Quick Overview for the Role of a PPC Agency

PPC agencies work with clients in all sorts of industries. An agency’s job is to create a plan for each PPC campaign and identify strategies that will work within the allocated budget. A different approach is required for every campaign. 

There are also different types of PPC ads:

     1. PPC Ads on Search Engines (Google etc)

When online users perform a search on search engines, a results page outlines options they can choose to click. PPC ads with specific keywords get highlighted at the top of organic results, which really makes a business stand out.

     2. Pay-per-click Ads for Products

If online users search for a specific product, search engines present a list of products for specific keywords at the top of the results page. These products are there because advertisers have used a PPC campaign that targets these same keywords.

     3. Remarketing Ads

PPC agencies collect data and build lists to re-target previous visitors to their clients' websites. This is called remarketing, and it’s a powerful strategy for increasing traffic and sales in both the short and long term. Another way to think about this type of ad is as an effort to potentially turn lost traffic into sales by sending a reminder to users who previously expressed interest.

What Does a PPC Agency Do?

     1. Keyword Research

Keyword research is perhaps the most important factor of pay-per-click advertising and demands a lot of research to get right. This research enables agencies to identify high-traffic queries that get conversions and the right amount to bid for these keywords. But that’s just part of the story. For instance, agencies also identify negative keywords that are much less likely to lead to conversions. PPC agencies use negative keywords to make sure the campaign isn’t wasting clicks and money.

     2. Competitor Analysis

You must know the competition before you get started to see what works for other businesses in your industry. Some agencies use a cheeky tactic called competitive poaching where they try to hijack certain keywords in an attempt to steal customers from a competitor. While it’s not illegal, agencies are more interested in using this analysis to see what works and what they can do better.

     3. Creating Content

PPC agencies know how to create content that converts. They use experienced talent to write ads and design elements that look most appealing to target audiences. Agencies usually work with other aspects of marketing, and content is at the heart of every type of marketing.

     4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO improves the quantity and quality of traffic. Experience in this area is necessary to choose the right keywords and place advertising products in the right places. Search engine algorithms are also changing all the time, and agencies stay on top of these marketing trends.

     5. A/B Testing

Also known as split testing, A/B testing is a process agencies use to refine a campaign and make sure they are using the right PPC ads. A/B testing is done by first testing several versions of the same ad and then using performance data to identify the exact ad they should be used for the campaign.

     6. Tracking Progress

Tracking progress is crucial for success and as reported in Entrepreneur, unless you track your progress as you go, setting goals is a waste of time. The same is true for PPC ads, which is why agencies spend a lot of time tracking various metrics when the ad is running. The best PPC agencies use data tracking to change and improve the performance of your PPC ads.

     7. Monthly Reporting

You should expect to be kept up to date by your PPC agency. Agencies are always tracking progress and metrics and should provide access to this data through monthly reports.

Why Work With a PPC Agency?

Why do most businesses choose to work with a PPC agency? Let’s look at some of the benefits of working with an agency as opposed to tackling the process in-house.

• Taking out the guesswork – Anyone can deploy a PPC ad, but there is a steep learning curve to mastering the process. Agencies know exactly how to take the guesswork out of PPC marketing for businesses.
• The Experience – Agencies know the ins and outs of every platform and the type of ads most likely to work. Their prior experience helps them avoid pitfalls and focus on refining/improving what actually works well.
• Brand awareness – PPC ads help build brand awareness, another area in which agencies excel. Agencies are often tasked with building the image of a brand from scratch, which means they can apply the same skills and methods to PPC ads.
• Faster Results – PPC ads are known for producing results quickly, certainly more so than traditional advertising. Agencies can expedite every part of the process to ensure your PPC ads produce immediate results that you can see in reports.
• Better Conversion Rates – Agencies are known to produce better results than most in-house marketing teams or freelance consultants, often thanks to their having a dedicated team of talented specialists that know how to get big results right from the beginning.

Final Thoughts

PPC agencies have a lot of experience that can help businesses excel using PPC ads. They take an intricate approach to research before building a campaign that will actually succeed. This is important, because many businesses fail at the initial hurdle and waste their marketing budget on wrong keywords or substandard ads before they even have a chance to put any strategies in place.   

Get in touch with one of our team at Digital Authority Partners to learn more about how we approach PPC campaigns and get started today.