What is Paid Search: Definition & Strategies

Whether you own a startup company or you are the CEO of a major enterprise, driving your business to success is certainly your main objective.

01:07 20 January 2023

What is Paid Search: Definition & Strategies

Whether you own a startup company or you are the CEO of a major enterprise, driving your business to success is certainly your main objective. Luckily, with the vast developments in technology and the Internet industry, achieving your goals seems a lot more feasible now than ever before. There are many means and resources you can rely on to take your company to the next level, all of which comprise something that is commonly known as digital marketing.

Out of the various types of digital marketing, paid search advertising is one of the most commonly used today. It involves advertisers paying a search engine like Google to place ads about their business higher on relevant search engine results pages (SERPs) with the goal of increasing website traffic. 

It can also be used by website owners looking to make money with Google by renting their blank webspace to publishers whose main objective is to promote their products and services through displaying ads. 

To better understand the purpose of paid search, we have written the ultimate guide elaborating on its main features and how you can use it strategically to grow your brand online. 

Understanding the basics of paid search

In general, paid search advertising works on a pay-per-click model which means advertisers don’t pay for the ad until someone clicks on it. In most cases, businesses turn to Google to drive more website traffic as it is the most popular search engine used today.

Although paid search advertising can come in a variety of formats, it is usually keyword-based. This means that when a user types a particular keyword or phrase, for instance on Google, a related ad will most likely appear either at the top or bottom of the organic search results.

When choosing your keywords, make sure you use words and phrases that are relevant to your brand. This way you will be able to raise brand awareness and reach your target audience faster.

How does Google Ads help?

Google Ads is probably the most popular type of paid search advertising used today. With this program, you can create online ads to promote your brand and reach the right people who are interested in the products or services your company offers.

If you are completely new to Google Ads and want to achieve optimal results, you should consider working with a trustworthy Google Ads agency to help you maximize your ROI from paid search and ensure that you build a strong digital presence. Here, you can consult with the experts on how to expand your business operations online and reach a wider audience to bring more revenue. 

Common paid search advertising strategies

In order to make sure your search ads appear at the top of the search engine results page, there are several strategies you need to employ. The most effective ones include: 

• Running multiple ads at once
• Choosing relevant keywords that best describe your business
• Using creative, descriptive and valuable ad copy
• Experimenting with different ad variants
• Hiring pros to help you along

For example, when choosing your keywords and phrases, it is important that you specify which ones you want to target and avoid. In general, there are four types of keywords you can use in your campaign and these are broad match, exact match, phrase match and negative keywords.

Also, remember to make your ad campaign appealing to users by highlighting the best features and characteristics of your product and why people should choose yours and not your competition’s.

Benefits of paid search

There are plenty of benefits you can get from utilizing paid search ads. The most prominent ones include more visibility, increased website traffic, strong online reputation and greater ROI.

For example, more visibility is one of the biggest priorities for advertisers. With paid search, they will be able to place their brand at the top of search results which will later result in increased website traffic and more revenue. Just make sure you use highly relevant keywords to make it easier for potential customers to become aware of your business and come to you for the products and services you provide. 

Another great benefit of using paid search is that it is very cost-effective. This means that you won’t be spending any money until someone clicks on your ad. Plus, there is no minimum spending requirement, unlike other digital advertising platforms where you have to pay a starting fee. 

Final thoughts

If you want to stand out in today’s competitive world, utilizing paid search advertising is a great marketing strategy you can rely on to grow your business online. It is very easy to use and set up and you can reap a number of benefits including increased website traffic and stronger digital presence.

For more information, refer to our post and learn how using such SERP-driven insights can help you gain an edge in your performance marketing campaign.