Using pay per click (PPC) isn’t cheating, it’s now one of the top marketing tactics used by big and small brands alike, and for good reason. PPC is essentially a win-win for everyone – searchers find the products and services they’re looking for, advertisers put their wares in front of an audience, and search engines can better cater to all. Yet still so many people despair over using PPC advertising, primarily, we think, due to the sheer number of platforms available.

Conversion rate jargon aside, finding the right PPC platform for you is no doubt one of the most important factors of paid advertising planning and subsequent success. That’s why we thought we’d do you a solid by giving you an overview of the best platforms in town so you can get a better idea about which is the best route for you.

Google AdWords

With an average return of 2:1 made by businesses using AdWords, the all-powerful search engine that is Google offers a pretty sound return on investment by all accounts. According to WebVisible, 86% of consumers use the net to find local businesses, and with a 71% search market share, Google offers the best equipped resource for browsers to do just that. Google AdWords bridges the gap between businesses and browsers to ensure local companies and those looking to extend their reach a little further afield get found.

Thanks to its huge search market share, Google AdWords offers the highest average click-through rate, which is 2.70% across all industries on the search network. As with any PPC platform however, success depends on the content of your ad and its landing pages. Your industry can have a major influence on CTR success too, with those in the finance and insurance sector finding the highest click-through rates.

Every great Google AdWords campaign starts with an amazing advertisement, check out these clever Google AdWords campaign optimisation tips.

Facebook Business

Having recently launched a whole host of new and improved Ads Manager features, Facebook Business or Facebook Ads is back in the spotlight once again for its PPC capabilities. Whilst many businesses simply set up a Facebook Business page and go, using paid search on Facebook can have surprising results. Yes, Facebook Business offers a pitiful click-through rate (0.90% across all industries) when compared with Google AdWords but new data from WordStream suggests that again your industry sector could be a defining part of success. Retail, apparel, beauty and fitness businesses all do rather well on Facebook Business, enjoying CTR highs of between 1.01% and 1.59%.

LinkedIn Ads

The social media platform that’s all very serious does offer a variety of paid advertising options, and delivers the ideal audience for businesses looking to target fellow professionals. Its Text Ads option doesn’t inspire the greatest CTRs but with 10 to 14 times more click-throughs its Sponsored Content is well worth a look in.

Average Sponsored Content CTRs are up to 0.45%, whilst InMail charts CTRs of between 2% and 5%. Now that deserves a “WOW”!

There are so many paid advertising options to explore. Besides the ones mentioned above, Bing Ads, Yahoo! Gemini and even StumbleUpon are giving advertisers a lot to think about. Find the perfect platform for your PPC journey by contacting our team today for professional assistance.

Square Media is Northamptonshire’s premiere Web Design & Marketing Agency experienced in developing effective content and marketing strategies for forward-thinking companies in the local area. Our team of specialists consistently deliver outstanding results working in a variety of areas such as Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Marketing Consultancy, Pay Per Click (PPC) and AdWords Management amongst a wide range of other services.