Pay-Per-Click: What it is and Why your Pest Control Business Needs It

One of the most important things to do to grow your business is to connect with potential customers. An effective way to do this is through a pay-per-click (PPC) strategy. On the surface, it can seem extremely self-explanatory. You pay for each click on your company’s ad, but there are definitely some intricacies worth exploring and utilizing when it comes to PPC know-how.

What is PPC?

PPC falls under the search engine marketing umbrella, covering many different types of promotion through search engines, such as organic digital marketing strategies. PPC provides businesses like yours the opportunity to advertise as a part of the sponsored listings at the top of a search engine results page (SERP) by paying each time the ad is clicked. The goal is to lead the Internet user who clicks on the ad to the advertiser’s website or app so the user converts by purchasing a service, signing up for a newsletter, or placing a call. One of the reasons why they are so effective is because PPC ads are created to be as relevant as possible to what users are searching for.

Who is PPC For?

The answer to that question is quite simple: PPC is for your business and your audience. It acts as a conduit between the two that allows you to find one another. 

While organic traffic is great, the reality is that sometimes you’re going to have to take the extra step to get in front of your audience’s eyes. When users conduct a search for a product or service, search engine results favor advertisements over organic listings. You’ll notice that the paid search results appear at the top of the results pages while organic results are placed lower. As a result, if users see and, in turn, find the answers they are looking for in the advertisements, they may never even take the time to scan down to the organic results.

Where to Use PPC

Obviously, PPC is a marketing strategy to be used online, but are there certain places that are more effective than others? Google Ads is the reigning king of online advertising search engines, and the company is constantly changing the way that advertisements appear. And while PPC advertisements and organic listings resemble each other more than ever, there are definite advantages to using PPC.

Speed and Efficiency: While SEO does work in expanding an audience, it is a process.  It takes time, consistency, and some other important factors as well. PPC works quickly. In a few short days, with a strategically developed and executed strategy, you will be ahead of your non-paying competitors and will begin to develop new, targeted leads.

Information: One of the biggest benefits of PPC is the amount of data you receive in reference to the people who come to your site. You’ll be able to see what’s working and what isn’t and adjust accordingly. You will have the information you need to make tweaks to your site in order to target a particular audience, whether that be changing content topics, trying new keywords and phrases, or geotargeting. You can think of it as “testing and targeting.” Everything you use in your PPC ad is a test to see if it works. If it does, great! If it doesn’t, look at your data and realign.

How to Use PPC

Like most forms of marketing, you will get the most out of a PPC campaign that is conducted with strategy. The following will help to guide you along the path to a successful campaign.

Be Intentional: In other words, know why you’re doing a PPC campaign and who you’re doing it for. PPC campaigns tend to target commercial users who are looking to buy a product or service. As a result, your ads should speak to that by communicating what your pest control company offers that the people you want to target are looking for.

Use the Right Keywords: It’s possible to talk a lot and not really say anything. This is basically what happens when you create content without using the right keywords—your audience never hears you. An ad usually contains a headline, description lines, and a URL. While queries are the actual words that users type into a search engine to find answers, the keywords are what marketers use to target these users by matching their search queries. It is critical that you take the time to do keyword research so that you attract an audience that is looking for what you have to offer so that you can generate leads and, in turn, sales.

Balance Your Budget: The reality of the situation is that not everyone who clicks on your ad will make a purchase. For this reason, it is important that you spend your money wisely. The trick is to balance putting enough money into your campaign to generate leads and increase conversion while not investing so much as to lose money in the long run.

Why PPC is for Your Business

If standing out among your competitors is important to you, then you need to add PPC to your portfolio of marketing strategies.  PPC is both measurable and trackable. This means that you will actually be able to see how your campaigns are doing rather than having to guess. You’ll have the hard data in terms of impressions, clicks, and conversions that will inform how you continue to run your campaign going into the future. In addition, you will gain an understanding of the behavior and patterns of your customers.

But in order for your potential customers to see your business, you need domain authority. Google considers this to be like your website’s reputation as a thought leader.

When Should You Integrate PPC?

The time to add PPC to your digital marketing strategy is now, and Lobster Marketing is here to help you do it. A PPC campaign will bear fruit, but it takes work, expertise, consistency, and management. The Lobster Marketing team can help you create and monitor all of the moving parts of an effective PPC strategy.