What Is Pay-Per-Click (PPC)?

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of advertising where you show ads on a website or search engine, such as Facebook or Google, and you pay for the advertising based on the number of times people click on your link. The main benefit of pay-per-click is that you only pay for qualified leads—people who are likely to have an interest in purchasing your product. You don’t have to pay for the ads shown to people who scrolled past without noticing them. 

Pay-per-click is part of digital marketing strategies used with search engine optimisation (SEO), content marketing, and other marketing channels like email, social media, and affiliate marketing. Targeted ads and carefully selected keywords help pay-per-click advertising reach customers who are interested in purchasing your product or receptive to your message. 

How to create a successful pay-per-click campaign 

Successful marketing campaigns require goal setting, planning, executing, and analyzing your results. To get the most out of your next pay-per-click campaign, consider following these steps: 

1. Set your company goals.

The first step in a pay-per-click campaign is understanding what you want to happen. For example, you may want to drive sales or increase brand awareness. Defining goals first helps you stay focused on what matters most while you plan the rest of your campaign. 

 2. Plan your ad campaign. 

When planning your ad campaign, you will need to determine your target audience, where your ads will appear, which keywords you will use, and the overall budget of the advertising campaign. These planning components rely on one another. For example, the better you understand your audience, the easier it is to select keywords that will appeal to them and drive traffic. 

3. Write your ad copy.

In this step, you'll create your advertising content. You will need ad copy that uses your selected keywords, but you will also need a compelling landing page for customers to visit after they click your link. The landing page will need a call to action that drives the result you set as your goal. For example, if your goal is to get people to sign up for your newsletter, you will need to invite them to do so on the landing page. 

4. Analyse the results. 

Once you have the ad copy you need, it’s time to launch your pay-per-click ads and analyse the results. Be sure to have all your tracking metrics in place to collect data about how users interact with your ad and website. 

Related terms

• Search engine optimisation 

• Target market

• Display advertising

• Click-through rate (CTR)

Learn digital marketing with Google. 

Learn more about how pay-per-click and digital advertising can help you grow your business with the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate on Coursera. This beginner-level certificate features seven courses, and you can likely complete it in as little as six months. Learn new skills in marketing, e-commerce, display advertising, email marketing, and search engine optimisation from the experts at Google.