What is Paid Search?
Paid search marketing refers to a pay-per-click (PPC) model in which brands only pay when consumers click their ads.
These ads appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) next to relevant organic results. This tactic is often called search engine marketing (SEM). The most popular platforms are Google Ads (formerly known as AdWords) and Bing Ads.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) and paid search marketing are differentiated by one thing: $.
SEO’s function is to increase organic website traffic and attract higher quality visitors to your content and social media feeds without spending as much. Paid search is still part of most effective PPC ad campaigns and further digital marketing strategies. Here’s why.
It’s likely you’ve seen paid search ads on almost every SERP. You may also hear marketers refer to this method simply as search marketing. PPC ads can appear above top-ranking organic results as well as along the side of the SERP.
Paid search ads are often considered separate from paid social ads, but the concepts are similar. PPC ads can enhance social media marketing strategies on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Most paid ads feature a header and short-form copy. They can also include a number of engaging elements like:
Site Links.
Phone Numbers.
Consumer Ratings.
Location Information.
Product Images and Videos.
Paid search is the fastest-growing ad format, with advertisers spending over $13 billion annually. With support from Brafton’s PPC experts, your next Google Ads campaign can drive more traffic to your site, augmenting the power of your organic strategy.
There are numerous approaches to paid search advertising. The right PPC platform or platforms for your brand may include:
Google Ads:
Formerly called Google Adwords, this includes Google Shopping ads, paid search listings and Google Display Network, which appear on websites, YouTube and other places around the web. Google search ads can be managed within your Google Ads account with hands-on advisory and management Brafton’s PPC advertising specialists.
Paid Social:
Engage your audience through a Facebook ad, LinkedIn sponsored post, Twitter ad or other form of paid social content. To ensure ad spend is properly calibrated across channels, Brafton’s social media and PPC campaign teams closely monitor ad performance holistically and can refine as needed.
Syndication:
Embed your branded content on media websites through platforms like Taboola and Outbrain.
Retargeting:
Tools like AdRoll show your ads on relevant websites and let you precisely target your audience.
75% of consumers say search
ads make it easier to find the
information they’re looking for.
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Why Paid Search Matters
Type a keyword into Google or Bing and the only thing you’ll see ranking above the top organic spot is a paid advertisement.
An effective paid search strategy places ads near highly relevant search results. This type of digital marketing uses a pay-per-click (PPC) model, which means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
Among surveyed consumers, 75% say search ads make it easier to find the information they’re looking for. In practice, 49% click on text ads, 31% on shopping ads and 16% on video ads. A PPC ad through either Google Ads or Bing Ads is one of the fastest ways to get in front of your next potential customer.
The success of each paid ad campaign relies on several factors:
- PPC bidding strategy.
- Search engine optimisation strategy.
- Analytics capabilities.
Each of these pieces must work in tandem to generate meaningful return on investment. Brafton’s expert paid search managers use advanced tools to assess keyword valuation, identify opportunities to leverage search volume and analytics reports to optimise conversions.
Our Paid Search Managers Are PPC Experts
PPC campaigns managed by Brafton support your search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing strategies by getting your messaging in front of relevant people immediately. As an established Google Ads agency with more than 10 years in the digital marketing space, we do all things online marketing, and can manage the full process from start to finish.
Ranking highly on a SERP organically takes an average 90 to 180 days, depending on the search volume for your keywords and the competitiveness of your vertical. And that’s assuming you have an awesome SEO strategy that you update periodically based on the findings of your analytics reports.
Data from Google and Ipsos shows that search ads can increase brand awareness by 80%. That can be a huge advantage if you’ve recently launched a new website or product page.
A search ad isn’t a magic bullet, however. Brafton’s experts make strategic decisions based on real data to help you outrank your competitors.
Although the average click-through rate for paid search ads is around 3%, ads in the first position can see rates as high as 7.94%. Our paid search managers possess deep knowledge of bidding strategies to help your ads reach the top spot.
A paid search campaign can increase brand awareness by 80%.
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How Does Ad Quality Impact Paid Search Ranking?
Brafton’s paid search strategists use enterprise software to optimise keywords, ad bids, call-to-action text and other important factors. In fact, brands that submit high-quality ads can actually end up paying less per click. Your dedicated PPC strategist will work to ensure you get the most value from your ad spend.
Here’s how Google determines the cost-per-click (CPC) of an ad:
1. The advertiser makes a bid. This is the maximum amount they’re willing to spend for a click.
2. Google determines the advertiser’s Quality Score based on their click-through rate, keyword relevancy, historical ad performance and landing page relevance.
3. Google calculates the advertiser’s Ad Rank by multiplying the Quality Score by the maximum bid.
4. Google compares the Ad Rank to the advertiser’s competitors and assigns a CPC based on the competitiveness and popularity of the ad’s keywords.
Generally, advertisers with a higher Quality Score are rewarded with lower CPC and higher rankings. While we create quality ads for you, you can focus on growing your business.
What Services Does Brafton’s Paid Search Management Include?
As a marketing strategy, paid search is highly flexible. Brafton’s PPC experts can set up search campaigns, analyse results and fine tune your strategy based on real-world data.
This flexibility is good for getting the most from your spend, but it also means active management is necessary to achieve optimal results.
Our paid search strategists work collaboratively with you to understand your company, its mission and its current objectives. Advanced analytics capabilities help them spot trends and make tactical adjustments.
Brafton’s experienced PPC strategists will help you:
Define Your Goals:
Whether you want to get more site visits, newsletter sign ups or store visits, your strategist will steer your search campaign toward maximum results.
Bid Management:
Hands-on strategists will work with you to optimise and diversify your ad spend across display networks, retargeting campaigns and syndication platforms.
Determine Your Ad Scale:
Should you target a local audience, or do your offerings have global appeal? Find the right location groups to magnify your exposure to the right customers. Your strategist can slice your messages into ad groups for more targeted search campaigns.
Analyse Performance:
Ongoing campaign analysis and conversion tracking helps you gain important market intelligence. Strategists periodically adjust tactics and spend based on performance reports. For instance, they can help you decide which ad extensions make sense for your digital marketing goals.
Identify Keywords:
Keyword strategy is the foundation of your PPC strategy. Knowledgeable PPC professionals use keyword research tools and strategies to find long-tail phrases, negative keywords, branded terms and other types of targeted phrases that balance value, volume and relevance to your campaign goals.
Test Landing Pages:
Beyond the search campaign itself, PPC managers can help you improve your Quality Score by testing landing page efficiency. This step is crucial to converting site visitors to customers. A poor landing page experience will discourage visitors and detract from your success.
Craft Engaging Copy:
You have a limited number of characters with which to grab attention and entice potential customers. Paid search management ensures your ad copy is always aligned with customer search intent to make your ads appealing.
Design Clickable Ads:
When using display ads, banner ads, video ads or any other visual-first format, it’s essential that your display is eye-catching and attractive. Each display ad our graphic designers create is tailored to that brand’s guidelines and designed to draw attention.
Retarget for Better Engagement:
Retargeting campaigns put your ads on relevant sites to remind your audience to come back to your site. Remarketing campaigns use email strategy to reconnect with site visitors. Using the right remarketing or retargeting strategy can increase engagement and conversions.
Improve Your SEO Strategy:
Brafton is an SEO company just as much as it is a PPC agency. Our experts know how to expertly weave PPC into organic search strategies. By optimising the content on your site, including landing pages, blog posts, product listings, case studies and more, our strategists can help improve organic traffic to your site.
Depending on your industry and target audience, your Brafton strategist can help you launch thoughtful paid search marketing on search engines like Google and Bing, as well as syndication platforms such as Taboola and Outbrain.
Launch Strategic Paid
Search Campaigns
Google Ads alone reaches more than 2 million websites and applications. Not many other forms of marketing can influence such a wide marketplace.
Brafton’s strategic paid search campaigns help you target potential customers who are most likely to be interested in your offer, wherever they happen to be online. This active audience is more likely to engage with your message when you have persuasive copy and an excellent ad experience.
With help from Brafton’s Promotions & Engagement Team, you can support your PPC management with shared expertise, responsive strategies and flexible tactics.
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Check out our international Paid Search Management Services: