Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is a hugely popular and still widely used method of getting a website indexed and ranked on Google, second to search engine optimization (SEO). Having a website organically indexed on Google can take a lot of time and requires a lot of specialist knowledge around how websites work and are built.

For those not expert in this field, then PPC marketing could be the right solution. It is a relatively easy way to bring new traffic over to a website, but how does it work?

With PPC, pay Google a price to have them list an advertisement at the top or to the side of Google search listings. When somebody clicks on the advertisement, they are sent to the website paying the cost-per-click price agreed with Google. When the budget runs out, the ad no longer runs. It is a very simple system – review more on this page.

It is not as simple as just running an ad, though, and there are some basics to keep in mind –

#1: Create Clear Goals

To achieve the best result, first decide on the overall goal. Who are the targets for the PPC marketing campaign, what is the outcome and how can this be achieved.

Identifying the desired actions for the end-user to do when they click on the advertisement, determines how to set up the website for success. Enable URL tracking and analyse the PPC marketing campaign as it is running allows tracking to see exactly how everything begins to stack up.

#2: Fine-Tune The PPC Settings in Google AdWords

As its default setting, Google AdWords will opt all of the marketing campaign into the full Google (or ABC Inc) network, a network which does not just include Google, but sites such as AOL and Ask.

Although this does mean extra exposure, this can very quickly deplete the AdWords budget. As a starting point, it is recommended to opt out of Google’s default settings and only enable ads to be displayed on Google itself until comfortable with how PPC works, have seen an impact, and have the budget to run it across the entire Google network.

#3: Ensure The Campaign is Simple

Every advertisement should be tightly themed, well-worded and use a very small number of keywords and emotive language.

Ensuring that the PPC marketing campaign is as simple and as manageable as it can be, makes it easier to monitor and adjust. New advertisers shouldn’t be diving in at the deep end; digital marketing does not work well like this.

Second to SEO, PPC is one of the internet’s most popular forms of marketing and is a great way to improve a site’s Google rank. It is very easy to do, with only a few minor details to keep in mind when deciding to invest in pay per click marketing with Google AdWords.