Digital marketing is a vital component of a successful marketing plan in 2019. One common digital marketing tactic is pay-per-click, known as PPC, where advertisers are charged a fee by a third-party company whenever their ads are clicked on. We like this infographic by Serpwatch, which provides 89 statistics about PPC. Some of the highlights are covered below.
PPC first appeared on the market 23 years ago in 1996, powered through Plant Oasis and Google. By 2009, Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all considered leaders in PPC advertising. Today, PPC helps businesses by boosting brand awareness by 80%. Google Search Network boasts more than 1.2 million businesses and 1 million websites, with Google claiming more than 73% of the search engine market. Companies who utilize Google Ads receive $3 in revenue for every $1.60 spent on the platform (on average). In addition, 73% of marketing professionals utilize Google Ads to publicize their product or service. PPC ads are among the top three performing tactics to generate on-page conversions, illustrated by the fact that 65% of consumers will click on a link to purchase a product or service.
Search engine optimization, known as SEO, is also another vital component of a successful marketing plan. Data reveals that it is essential for businesses to appear at the top of organic (non-sponsored) search results, with only 4% of consumers paying attention past the top five results. Nearly 100% of consumers will select a company that appears on page 1 of their search results. When compared to SEO, PPC provides several benefits, including 1.5x better conversion rates and consumers who are 50% more apt to purchase a product or service than organic consumers. In addition, it is estimated that 36%-50% of consumers cannot tell the difference between paid ads and organic search results in their Google searches. An example of where PPC has advantages over SEO was further underscored by a study of a cleaning products company. This study revealed that the conversion rate with SEO results was only 1.6% – compared to 8.9% for the PPC conversion rate.
At 49%, consumers are most likely to click on ads with text, followed by 31% for shopping ads, 26% for branded ads, and 16% for video ads. When it comes to local searches, 8 out of 10 people with a smartphone actively search for businesses near them. Business operating hours are most often searched by smartphone users, with a business’s location and directions also often searched.
The keys to having a successful PPC campaign are ensuring your Google Ad campaign stays fresh, optimizing your ads, and including negative keywords. This is increasingly challenging and competitive as more companies battle for digital attention among potential customers and patients. Make sure you are working with a company or resource who has formal training and experience with PPC advertising campaigns – it can be extremely expensive and painful if you have someone try to learn on the job.
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