In digital marketing, paid search is a term for search engine results, such as those found on Google, that are paid for by advertisers. This is in contrast to the organic search results that are generated by ranking algorithms utilized by search engine companies. Depending on the search you perform and the search engine you use, paid search results often comprise the first one to three listings you see on the results page.
Paid search results will usually be flagged as advertisements to ensure transparency. In fact, a recent update to how Google displays its results has attempted to make the “Ad” marking even more prominent by placing it in front of the title. Paid search can be a highly effective way to drive traffic to your website and generate leads and sales for your company, particularly if it is properly balanced with marketing channels.
How does paid search work?
For the biggest paid search platforms, Google Ads and Bing Ads, advertisements work on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis. This means that advertisers are charged an agreed-upon rate each time someone clicks on your search listing. The rates for each click are determined by an auction where prospective advertisers bid on keywords for relevant searches.
Businesses looking to start a paid search campaign can follow these steps:
- Research keywords and identify the ones most relevant to your brand and goals.
- Develop a bidding strategy based on cost-effective rates for keywords determined by projected traffic and sales goals.
- Create or designate a compelling landing page that your paid search result travels to.
- Track the performance of spend, click-through and conversion for your advertisement and make adjustments as needed
The importance of a balanced approach to paid search
One of the most obvious benefits of paid search is the prominent placement that these types of advertisements can offer. However, since top organic search results can be almost as prominent as paid search, it’s important to have an awareness of how your site performs organically for your targeted keywords.
To make the best use of your advertising budget, target areas where you are underperforming or are only starting to build a presence with organic search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. This can help you avoid spending money in an area where you are already generating significant traffic and leads.
Integrate your digital portfolio with Burg & Co.
With a dedicated background in paid search, organic SEO, content marketing and social media marketing, our team of seasoned marketers not only has a depth of knowledge in these fields, but we also know how to make them work together. Helping you achieve your business objectives while seeing a clear return on your marketing investment is important to us. To learn more about how we can help, contact us today and schedule a free consultation.
