Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising remains a cornerstone of digital marketing in 2025. It offers businesses the ability to reach highly targeted audiences and drive immediate results. Whether you’re new to PPC or expanding your skills, this guide provides a step-by-step approach to creating your first successful campaign. For B2B companies, PPC is especially useful to reach decision-makers and executive leaders. According to Statista, as much as 20% of businesses claim that it offers them the highest ROI out of any digital marketing strategy.
PPC, or Pay-Per-Click, is an online advertising model where you pay a fee each time someone clicks your ad. It’s a way of buying targeted traffic to your website, rather than “earning” it organically. The majority of B2B PPC campaigns are implemented via search engines like Google and Bing and LinkedIn.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM): PPC ads appear alongside organic search results on search engines like Google and Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads).
- Social Media Advertising: Platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and LinkedIn Ads offer PPC options to reach specific demographics and interests.
- Amazon Advertising: For businesses selling on Amazon, PPC campaigns can boost product visibility.
- Display Advertising: These are visual ads that appear on websites within ad networks.
- Remarketing/Retargeting: Re-engage users who have previously interacted with your website.
Step 1: Define Your Campaign Goals
Before you start, clarify what you want to achieve. Common PPC goals include:
- Increasing website traffic
- Generating qualified leads
- Boosting online sales
- Improving brand visibility
Ensure your PPC goals align with your overall marketing strategy. For example, if your campaign goal is raising brand awareness, then social media and display ads can be more effective than search ads.
Step 2: Know Your Audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial. Consider their:
- Demographics
- Interests
- Online behavior
- Pain points
For B2B, target audiences will consist of smaller, hyper-targeted segments.
Step 3: Choose the Right Platform(s)
Select the platforms where your target audience spends their time.
- Google Ads: Ideal for reaching users actively searching for your products or services.
- Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads): An alternative to Google Ads, often with less competition.
- Amazon Advertising: Essential for businesses selling on Amazon.
- Social Media Advertising: Great for brand awareness, lead generation, and retargeting. Consider Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and LinkedIn Ads.
- MyB2BNetwork: A marketplace and lead generation platform to find the best vendors and connect with potential clients.
Step 4: Keyword Research
Keywords are the foundation of your PPC campaign. Use keyword research tools to identify relevant terms with high search volume and low competition.
- Compile a list internally of terms that are most relevant to your products and services and be sure to add variants of similar terms.
- Use Google Ads’ Keyword Planner tool to compile keyword suggestions, though advertising experts tend to recommend researching keywords before turning to Google Ads. If you decide to use Google Ads, you can enter your website URL (or a competitor’s) to receive recommendations.
Types of keywords:
- Generic: Includes any keyword related to your services or products.
- Branded: Encompasses any keyword related to your company’s brand name.
- Competitor: Mimics branded keywords but includes competitor brand names.
- Related: Houses keywords related to competitor, branded, and generic keywords.
- Long-tail keywords: These are generally cost-effective and can significantly impact traffic on your site.
Step 5: Set Your Budget and Bidding Strategy
Determine how much you’re willing to spend and choose a bidding strategy that aligns with your goals.
- Manual Bidding: You set the maximum bid amount.
- Automated Bidding: The platform optimizes bids for you (e.g., maximize clicks, conversions).
Step 6: Create Compelling Ad Copy
Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and persuasive.
- Emphasize the benefits of your products or services for users, not the features.
- Highlight any sales, discounts, or promotions available.
- Include a definitive call-to-action (CTA) that tells users what to do next.
Step 7: Design Effective Landing Pages
Your landing page should be relevant to your ad and designed to convert visitors.
- Does the landing page give direct information about the main keyword, such as what it is, its features, and why customers should choose you?
- Is there an easy way to make a purchase or contact your business?
- Is the text easy to read?
Step 8: Implement Conversion Tracking
Track your campaign’s performance to measure its success.
- Cost per click (CPC)– It is the price you pay for each click on your ad.
- Clickthrough rate (CTR)– It is the percentage of ad views that result in clicks.
- Conversion Rate
- Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA)
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
- Quality Score
- Impression Share
Step 9: Optimize and Refine
PPC is an ongoing process. Continuously analyze your data and make adjustments to improve your results.
- Keyword Monitoring and Negative Keywords: Monitoring keywords and their performance will give you the best idea of which keywords are working and which ones are not. Negative keywords will tell a search engine certain words you do not want to be ranked on in search engine result pages (SERPs).
- A/B Testing Ads: A/B testing essentially creates multiple variations of the same ad and tests the efficacy and traffic that the ad generates.
How MyB2BNetwork Can Help
MyB2BNetwork is a valuable resource for businesses looking to enhance their PPC efforts:
- Find PPC Experts: Connect with experienced PPC campaign professionals to manage your campaigns. [Internal Linking Opportunity 1]
- Lead Generation: Utilize MyB2BNetwork’s platform to generate leads through targeted advertising.
- Vendor Selection: Find the best vendors for your PPC needs by reviewing multiple quotations.
- Marketplace: Explore a wide range of services and providers to support your PPC campaigns.
Creating your first PPC advertising campaign can seem daunting, but by following these steps and leveraging resources like MyB2BNetwork, you can launch successful campaigns that drive real results. Remember to continuously learn, adapt, and optimize your campaigns for long-term success.
