If you have created or started a new website recently then chances are high that you are quite interested to gain visibility on the Internet. One of the top most ways to accomplish this goal is through right Search Engine Marketing. While there are several kinds of SEM practices including the much-hyped SEO, paid search, local search etc, today we are going to focus on the basics of Paid Search Advertisement.
What is paid search?
Paid search refers to the ability or practice of bidding on certain keywords located on the top search engines like Bing, Yahoo, and Google. When you stand amongst the highest bidders for certain keywords, your advertisement tends to show at the top of the SERPs- Search Engine Result Pages. For example, if you are selling shoes online and keen to run a paid search campaign on Google, then you can use Google AdWords to reap the benefits of paid search campaigns.
As soon as your campaign becomes live, your advertisements will start to show up in the search results pages of Google. Since you have paid for placement, Google tends to list the advertisements either at the top of paid results ads or on the sidebars of the search pages. The ranking of your advertisement will depend on being the highest bidder.
How does paid search work?
To run and maintain a paid search campaign, you are required to create a Google Ads Account through Email address. The account can be opened for free. Once you are into your Adwords account, the process becomes intuitive, and the Adwords navigation bars will guide you through the entire process.
Firstly, you need to research the keywords that relate to your website. For example, if you sell online clothe,s then people would research terms like Online clothes, buy clothes online etc.
Once you have selected and researched the keywords, comes the phase of setting your bid amount. The amount of bid prices varies, depending on how competitive a keyword is. Every keyword has its worth that depends on the varying level of competition in the Google Keyword Planner.
As soon as you are done with the selection of your bid amount, you can finish up the paid search campaign following the steps as outlined in the Google Adwords. The process includes selecting the keyword groupings, setting up campaigns, writing your copy, setting up the bids, selecting the budget, and choosing where the ads will run.
Why should I run a paid search campaign?
Since paid search advertisement is a legitimate and effective way to drive traffic towards a website, it is cost-effective. It might sound like a big investment initially, as you are paying for clicks, but the ROI is worth it. When you run a paid search campaign, you:
- Bring visibility to your website
- Increase your website click-through rates
- Guarantee your placement in the search results
- Increase the probability of conversion
