Paid Search Results and PPC | How Does it Work?

When you google anything results appear. Whether it’s technology news, home improvement contractors or cosmetic companies, Google will have an answer for you. It’s that simple. What you might not have known about search engines is that the results that appear at the top of the page are there because someone paid for that spot at the top of the page. The search results appear based on the amount paid for the result rank and the keyword search results that have been targeted. SearchEngine Watch posted a great article detailing how paid search can help your business. Some of the highlights are:

“You can use paid search to your advantage, especially if your site is new and struggling to achieve any presence on the SERPs with your current search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

And you don’t necessarily need to spend a small fortune to do so, as long as you carry out some thorough keyword research and employ some imaginative tactics, paid search can be an effective revenue stream for even the smallest niche website.“

Source: SearchEngine Watch

Paid Search Results

Using paid search is a great way to get more exposure after you have optimized your keyword search. Paid search guarantees that your website will be towards the top of search results which is where a majority of the clicks are. Naturally, people’s eyes are drawn toward the top of the screen, so if a business is paying to be towards the top of the results, then they can expect to see more traffic. All search engines have advertisements but Google is the most popular, so it’s best to understand how their advertisement system works and how you can make it work for you. Here’s a brief explanation of Google’s advertisement system called Adwords:

“The basic principle of AdWords (and indeed all other paid search tools) is as follows:

–You pick some terms that a searcher may use on Google

–Then create an advert that will appear on the SERP based on those search terms

Chances are you won’t be the only company wanting to serve ads based on your chosen search term. More often than not you’ll probably be jostling with Amazon for first position.

If you want to appear in this space, you’ll have to bid against other companies. The amount you spend will depend on how much you’re willing to pay Google AdWords every time a searcher clicks on your ad. The more you pay-per-click (PPC) the more likely your ad will appear in the search results.“

Source: SearchEngine Watch

Factors

So, the more you spend the more likely you are to show up right? Not entirely. While pay-per-click spending is a huge factor, there are others as well. Strong links, solid SEO, and an easy to navigate website can push you towards the top organically. Google rewards quality content and things that produce positive results for users. Paid search advertising and PPC are cost-effective strategies to generate traffic. They don’t need to be very expensive to work well. Next time your business is deciding what kind of advertising to dive into consider pay-per-click for an affordable way to grow your business online. 

Michael Delpierre
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