Advantages and Disadvantages of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

Posted 20 January 2023

What is PPC?

PPC, or pay-per-click, is a type of advertising in which advertisers pay every time someone clicks on their ad. Such ads vary in style and format – from text, to image, to video. Typically, PPC ads appear on search engines, websites and on social media platforms.

PPC advertising is a cost-effective way to generate website traffic. However, it is worthwhile evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of PPC to decide whether it is the right form of advertising for your business.

Advantages and Disadvantages of PPC

ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
They are cost effective – you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and reaches your landing page. You can choose to spend as much or as little as you like. The more you spend, the better value it is. You can be specific – you can target specific demographics such as location or age to reach your ideal customer. They are editable – you can make many small adjustments to improve your ad according to what is/isn’t working. Get faster results – unlike many other marketing strategies, you can view the results of PPC ads immediately. They are measurable – PPC campaigns can be set up to measure their effectiveness, allowing you to track website traffic, ROI and more.	Costs can quickly add up – you need to allocate a budget for PPC campaigns. Once running, you need to closely monitor and improve your campaign to ensure no money is being lost. They take up time – it can take time to set up a PPC campaign as well as do the required keyword research beforehand. The continual process of reviewing and optimising your campaign also requires an investment of time. Skills are required – you need to have or acquire enough knowledge about PPC to run an effective ad. Many businesses hire a specialist to handle it for them. Acquiring knowledge can take time, too. Sales aren’t guaranteed – PPC advertising may allow you get visitors onto your landing page, but you need to convince them to buy from you once they are there. Having a well-designed landing page is a good start.

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

They are cost effective – you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and reaches your landing page. You can choose to spend as much or as little as you like. The more you spend, the better value it is.

You can be specific – you can target specific demographics such as location or age to reach your ideal customer.

They are editable – you can make many small adjustments to improve your ad according to what is/isn’t working.

Get faster results – unlike many other marketing strategies, you can view the results of PPC ads immediately.

They are measurable – PPC campaigns can be set up to measure their effectiveness, allowing you to track website traffic, ROI and more.

Costs can quickly add up – you need to allocate a budget for PPC campaigns. Once running, you need to closely monitor and improve your campaign to ensure no money is being lost.

They take up time – it can take time to set up a PPC campaign as well as do the required keyword research beforehand. The continual process of reviewing and optimising your campaign also requires an investment of time.

Skills are required – you need to have or acquire enough knowledge about PPC to run an effective ad. Many businesses hire a specialist to handle it for them. Acquiring knowledge can take time, too.

Sales aren’t guaranteed – PPC advertising may allow you get visitors onto your landing page, but you need to convince them to buy from you once they are there. Having a well-designed landing page is a good start.

PPC advertising can be a great way to drive traffic on your website and boost your sales, but you have to allocate time and budget for a successful campaign. To learn more about other ways you can enhance your sales through marketing, see our related blog posts below.

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