It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. You’ve now clicked into page 72 of your latest Google search, still looking for the answers you so desperately require. It appears you’ve found a wasteland of sites that never gained their footing or have reached the end of their cycle in the late 90s. Every so often you scroll by a site that was updated within the last few years...however, your search goes on. This is what life is like beyond page 1.
Luckily for searchers, Google has almost mastered an algorithm to give you the answer to your search query within the first 15 results. This is why most people never click past the first page of a Google search. While this is an ideal situation for searchers, it presents a steep, uphill challenge for businesses.
For a website to be considered an effective result for someone’s search, it must offer the best solution, in Google’s eyes. This is done through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It includes factors that should be included from your web design to your brand’s content strategy. Optimizing for search is an essential part of any digital strategy, but it can take years to see ideal results and first-page placement. However, most of us don’t have years to wait to see an increase in business. Don’t worry though, there is another way to reach the first page!
Rather than play the waiting game, Google provides businesses a chance to buy their way into the first-page club. PPC, meaning pay-per-click, is a form of online advertising and is the key to getting page-one status. As the overall goal for PPC is to increase web traffic, you only pay when someone clicks your ad and goes to your website. Believe it or not, this paid traffic actually yields 50% more conversions than organic traffic, so the additional traffic brings additional profits.
Besides gaining traffic, your ad will also draw tons of impressions and increase your brand awareness by as much as 80%. The benefits of first-page rank!
Google Search Ads are the most popular form of PPC advertising and primarily what we've been referring to thus far. Thanks to the brillant design from Google, you’re required to build your PPC search ads to make it flow naturally so it looks like you’re organically on the first page. This is one of the reasons why 41% of clicks in Google searches go to the top three sponsored ads! It also helps that the ads get placed almost exactly where you want them to show up based on the audience and the keyword searches that you target.
Pay-per-click marketing is great for search but that’s just scratching the surface.
Next to search, display ads are another popular form of PPC advertising. They give businesses the opportunity to draw clicks and impressions from people who aren’t actively looking for their product or services as display ads show up across the web as well as mobile apps. Display ads offer a low cost way to be viewed by thousands of people.
As online shopping began to increase, Google shifted their focus to their shopping tab. As a result, shopping ads are the fastest growing form of PPC with 31% of people saying they would click on a shop ad to purchase or to help make a decision. As mobile and online shopping continue to grow, so will the importance of shopping ads.
One of the hottest trends in the digital world is video. From streaming services, social media, and YouTube, it's no surprise that video marketing in the form of PPC ads has caught the wave too. With video ads’ unique advantage of visuals and audio along with a 91% viewing completion rate, it is a great way to inform and showcase customers your brand’s message.
Advertising on Google is crucial for any business’s success. Google is very detailed in how your ad looks and where your ad goes to make sure you’re reaching the right audience with the right content. Unfortunately, this makes the process of advertising on Google a bit of a challenge to do on your own. If you’re looking to either join the page-one club or gain clicks through other forms of PPC Advertising, contact Vibe Creative Marketing or learn more about Online Advertising.
