There are definitely a lot of things to explore when it comes to digital marketing. We are already living in the digital age. Yet, many people are still not familiar with things that go with digital marketing, how they work, or what their purpose is in growing businesses, such as PPC or pay-per-click advertising. PPC is beneficial to businesses in this digital age for many reasons. However, there are misconceptions about it that either keep people from investing in this marketing tactic or lead them to make mistakes while running their PPC campaigns, decreasing the potential benefits it can provide to the business. That’s why we’re here to debunk the myths and misconceptions about PPC, so you can run a more seamless campaign.Â
1. PPC is Only Short-Term
Since some businesses use PPC to promote products and services for a limited time, it is most commonly thought of as a marketing strategy that’s ideal only for a short period. However, it’s not true. Incorporating PPC into your marketing mix as a short-term strategy can hurt the overall efficiency of your strategy. This is because when the campaign ends, you won’t be able to gain anything as short-term PPC only brings a few clicks and leads. And it’s also not an assurance that you will gain much with just a few clicks. To see relevant results, you will have to choose long-term strategies such as long-term PPC. The competition is tough and there are a lot of businesses with the same ads as yours, so this will help your brand stand out and make an even bigger impression on your target audience, as well as be on top of their minds when it comes to that certain product or service.
2. Google is the Only Search Engine for PPC Ad Campaigns
Given that Google dominates the search engine market share, many would think that it’s the only search engine option you have for PPC ad campaigns. However, we can’t entirely miss out on others such as Bing and Yahoo. These search engines, although they’re not as widely used as Google, can still deliver good ROI and conversion rates since there is lesser competition.
3. You Don’t Need the Help of Professionals to Run a PPC Campaign
Although some businesses opt to let their in-house marketing team handle their PPC campaigns to cut costs, it’s still not the best strategy out there. PPC is not something you can run on your own and without the help of professionals — this is because PPC takes time and commitment, with which those that are not well-versed on the matter will have a hard time doing. On the other hand, professionals in PPC will be able to address the issues, suggest better strategies, and keep up with updates and features that will improve your PPC ad campaigns.
4. Boosting Your PPC Budget Can Instantly Enhance Your Rankings
Boosting your PPC budget can have a positive impact on your rankings, but it’s not the only factor that will help your rankings improve. Take note that nothing is done at an instant when you’re vying for quality results, so that means even with an increased budget for PPC campaigns, you can’t expect that your rankings will instantly skyrocket to the top. This is because, aside from the budget, there are other factors that contribute to your ad rank, and they are: ad format and extensions, click-through rates, ad relevance, and landing page experience. So if you want your ads to consistently rank high, it’s important to focus not only on one aspect but also on the other factors that will enable you to stand out better and be visible to the right audience.
5. PPC is not Cost-Effective
One of the most common reasons why some businesses stray away from trying out digital marketing tactics like PPC is because of the misconception that it’s too expensive or not cost-effective. But then again, it’s all just a myth until you come and see for yourself how much it can bring to your business in the long run.
Contrary to what some would think, PPC is in fact cost-effective since you’ll only be paying for relevant clicks or visitors on your website. On top of that, you can also set your ad budget — which means that you are not forced to start at a large amount and you can just gradually increase your ad budget as you go along. This is especially helpful for businesses that are just starting and are very particular about their budget. PPC can be a good investment for your business; you just have to learn how to utilize it to get the results you want. Of course, it’s also advisable to get a professional’s help if you want to yield a better ROI out of your PPC campaign.
6. Using Many Generic Keywords is Ideal to Reach Your Target Audience
It’s true that optimizing keywords in your ads is one of the ways to improve the PPC campaign of your business, as it increases your relevance and helps your ads show up to more people. Although, of course, there is a very thin line between using the right keywords and overdoing it. Remember that too much of anything is not good. That’s why if you think that using as many keywords as possible is the best way to reach your target audience — you’re wrong.
Opting to add a bunch of generic keywords into your ads can hurt your chances of generating qualified leads and traffic, as well as reaching your target audience. In addition, your budget may be affected since you’ll be spending on something that won’t deliver much of the results you want. Rather than generic keywords, choose the most relevant and specific keywords that your target audience is likely to search for. Aside from this, you can try incorporating both short and long-tailed keywords to create balance and reach a wider range of audiences. Combine this with geotargeting, a smart strategy that you can use to reach your audience through their location and behavior.
Myths and misconceptions that people believe about digital marketing strategies like PPC affect a business’s chances of improving its customer reach and sales. No marketing strategy is perfect, and they all have their pros and cons. Despite this, it still has the potential to help grow your business one way or the other.
Are you thinking of running a PPC ad campaign for your business? Contact us today, and we’ll be glad to help you!
