For years PPC advertising was the stars online. Companies spent thousands on them but now they are slowly fading away and are slowly being buried in obscurity. What is PPC? PPC is paid search marketing. It is the process of increasing traffic by purchasing ads on major search engines such as Google and Bing. It also goes by another name, CPC or cost per click because you have to pay every time someone clicks on the ad. However, the future of PPC looks bleak. According to a recent report, only 18% of businesses using PPC have not recouped the money they invested.
When it’s not working, get rid of it
When something is no longer working, why would you still spend money on it? The same question can be asked of PPC. If it is failing, there is clearly no point in continuing with it. Although PPC can look like it is very easy to use and it may even look very effective from afar, it can be very deceiving.
It is part of the various get rich quick schemes out there and we all know how those work out. Although PPC may have value, it has often been misused by a lot of people. If you are looking for short-term results, then PPC is for you but when used long-term it can be costly and ineffective. Users are filtering ads and less people are clicking on advertising. There are more alternatives which deliver results compared to PPC.
Why is PPC failing?
PPC may look like it is offering people a simple solution but there are concrete reasons why it is failing. First, it only offers a short-term and if you need good results, short-term just will not do. You may be able to grab the customer’s attention but you will not be able to create a lasting relationship with them. You will not be able to nurture a relationship with them; hence you will only get limited returns.
PPC does not create brand awareness because the focus is more on the ads and capturing the interest of the buyer. When there is no brand awareness, there will be no value proposition. You will only be able to attract window shoppers instead of real buyers.
Making PPC work for you
Is there any way of making PPC work for you? Can it still give you the rewards you are looking for? Well, there are ways to improve current PPC practices and one of the most important things which you should do is to be strategic instead of focusing only on the short-term. You must have a sound inbound marketing strategy which will help you gain more long-term leads and revenue instead of people who are just looking around.
Analysis is key so you must look at web traffic and analyse data. You must align your ads with matching content on your site. You can build your profile by doing this and you can become more profitable. Always plan for the long-term. Look at what the results will be months and even years from now and you will be able to achieve your goals.