Your Competitors Are Using PPC Ads, Are You?

Have you noticed many ads in your Facebook News Feed lately? Scroll through, and you’ll see a sponsored post tucked between every four or so organic posts from your friends and family. More ads pop up when you search for things in Google, and if you click on a website, you’re likely to see some ads there too. Digital advertising makes it possible for businesses to reach new customers or reconnect with existing customers, and it can be surprisingly cost-effective. This explains why we see so many of these ads on a daily basis.

We can almost guarantee that your competitors are using pay-per-click (PPC) ads, so if your business is not, it’s time to consider a budget for it.

PPC Advertising Stats

In case you are unfamiliar, PPC is a marketing term that covers all paid digital campaigns where advertisers pay publishers and platforms to direct traffic back to their site. Here are some useful stats related to PPC ads:

• 85% of consumers use the internet to search for local businesses.
• Brand awareness can be increased by up to 80% through Google paid ads.
• In 2019, Facebook accounted for 11.3% of all U.S. ad spending.
• The average cost per click (CPC) for Facebook ads is $1.72.
• Traffic brought through PPC advertising yields 50% more conversions than organic advertising.

What Types of Businesses Do PPC Ads Work Best For?

While the right SEO strategy makes it easier for potential customers to find your business online, paid digital advertising offers additional opportunities to grow your customer base. As targeting methods have become more sophisticated, businesses of all sizes can benefit from digital campaigns.

Industries and businesses that PPC ads are most effective for include:

• Businesses with long-term customers: PPC ads are a great option for dentists, doctors, colleges and online programs, and cable and utility providers. These types of businesses can typically afford to spend more on PPC ads to acquire new leads because the lifetime value of a new client is more than worth the investment.
• Industries with high margins: Businesses that offer big-ticket items like lawsuits, repair jobs, home appliances, and vehicles are a great match for PPC ads because gaining just one sale often pays for the ad.
• Companies that sell hard-to-find products: If you sell a product that’s unique or hard to find, your business is a good candidate for PPC advertising. That’s because consumers turn to search engines like Google to find unique items that aren’t carried at their local brick and mortar stores.
• Brands that offer a diverse range of products or services: If you run an e-commerce business, PPC advertising is a no-brainer. Retailers can bid on long-tail keywords to keep CPC low.
• Seasonal businesses: When it comes to seasonal services, customers often look for a provider at the last minute. Launching your ads just before the season or event starts is a great way to attract new customers who are ready to buy.

Keep in mind, these are not the only types of businesses that can benefit from PPC. In fact, almost any kind of business can get value from paid ads. It all comes down to targeting the right audience, setting a budget that works for your business, and using relevant, high-intent keywords that drive affordable leads to your site.

Types of PPC Ads

Depending on your audience, goals, and budget, you may want to consider the following paid digital advertising options:

1. Search advertising: These are the ads you see in search results. They appear at the top and bottom of the search results on Google, with the word “ad” to indicate paid content.
2. Display advertising: With display advertising, your ads can appear on a wide variety of third-party websites, and you are able to choose from a selection of targeting options. Placing ads on specific sites about a topic related to your industry is a great way to reach potential new customers.
3. Social media advertising: Many of the social media platforms you use regularly offer advertising opportunities, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and Pinterest.
4. Remarketing ads: This is a type of ad you can run to reconnect with people who have already seen some of your ads or interacted with your brand in some way but haven’t converted. By adjusting your message in your remarketing ads, you get another opportunity to connect with people that have already shown a genuine interest in your brand.
5. Google shopping: If you have an e-commerce website, Google shopping ads can help customers find your products. These ads appear as a carousel above the main search results.
6. Local services ads: Local Services ads help you connect with people who search on Google for the services you offer. These ads are only available for certain types of businesses, including electricians, house cleaners, lawn care providers, painters, movers, plumbers, and more. You can check your business eligibility on the signup page.

Where Are Your Competitors Placing PPC Ads?

Checking out your competition online can help you create a solid PPC strategy. The goal isn’t to copy exactly what your competitors are doing, but rather to explore whether their methods are applicable to your company and inspire ideas about how you can do it better.

There are a variety of tools available to analyze your PPC competition, including:

1. Auction Insights via Google Ads Campaign: Log into Google Ads and review the Auction Insights to determine which competitors are competing with you for the same keywords. You can also view how often you outrank the competition when you appear in the same auction.
2. Spyfu: This site lets you download your competitor’s most profitable keywords and ads for paid and organic search.
3. SEMRush: Much like Spyfu, this is another site that provides information about your competitors. Type in a competitor’s website to view their biggest competitors and see if you are on the list. You can also view ad texts, the average position for the top keywords, and the percentage of their total budget and traffic that is allocated to those keywords.
4. iSpionage: In addition to showing keywords your competitors are bidding on and ads they are running with accompanying ranking information, this tool allows you to review the top keywords, ads, and landing pages.

Are you interested to learn more about how a digital advertising strategy can help you grow your business? Contact Triton Commerce today for your free Digital Marketing Plan. We’ll take a look at your current digital presence and provide you with detailed feedback to help you promote your business more effectively online.