PPC for small businesses : Is it worth it?
Is PPC worth it for small businesses?
I’ll get straight to the point, yes it is. I’ve seen many small businesses expand from using Google Ads.
I understand when it comes to running Google Ads the cost can be a worry - especially if you’re just starting up. However, with the right ad set up and targeting, your budget will be used to drive you results you need to grow your business and meet your goals.
It all comes down to maximising your results with your budget. This is where I come in and do all the hard work. This is where your campaign will be set up precisely to suit your business needs, as no business is the same and neither should a Google Ads campaign.
With the right set up and targeting, your ad will get shown in front of the right people. You’ll learn who your ad is getting shown to, what they are searching and what you need to do to get ahead of competitors.
How does PPC advertising work?
PPC which stands for Pay Per Click, basically means you’ll be paying Google to display your ad in front of your targeted audience at a cost. You won’t be charged for displaying the ad, you’ll only be charged for the clicks on your ad. This cost can vary depending on your budget, the size of your audience, locations and amount of ads you’re running.
I always suggest having a starting point of £200-£300 budget depending on your business and industry. This allows you to gain insight on what your budget can give you and how it’s being spent.
With a great ad set and accurate targeting, you can minimise irrelevant searches, increase clicks from the right people and see an increase in sales, bookings or enquiries.
For example, someone searching for hairdressers in Kent, with the right keywords being used and helpful ad creative - your ad can be shown on top of Google’s search results. With an eye catching ad with useful information, your ad can gain you a new customer.
The benefits of PPC for small businesses
The great thing about PPC, it allows you to get ahead of competitors and stay on top of the game. With extensive keyword research and search insights, your ad can be the key to success.
You’ll be able to reach people who are actively searching for your business, service or product.
You’ll start to get found without waiting for organic rankings to take affect
You can take control of your budget
You’ll be able to target specific locations, demographics, devices and more
Conversion tracking will allow you to measure enquiries and sales
You’ll be able to test demand for services and identify which search terms attract interest
A simple campaign set up doesn’t create you success, it’s the continuous optimisation, identifying irrelevant terms, measuring competition, keyword research and identifying your popular services/ products that will drive a successful Google Ads campaign.
When is PPC not worth it?
It’s really important to have your ad run by someone you can trust and really understand the needs of your business. When your ad isn’t generating you the customers you need, and given many attempts to optimise, it simple can’t work.
There’s many factors when it comes to Google Ads not working for a small business, while sometimes it can be down to the business not being able to fit it in their budget, it can also come down to the following:
Clicks become expensive due to the competition
There’s little search demand for the product or service being offered
When your website isn’t working efficiently such as poor site speed or doesn’t make it easy to enquire
When the ad campaign is poorly managed
When a business expects immediate, guaranteed sales
I will always try my best to come to a solution for my clients, especially when their website needs improving. I am happy to assist on optimising their website to encourage a high conversion rate. However, if I personally think your business would benefit from a different marketing tactic, I will be honest with you. If my clients are not seeing a return in their marketing spend, a full evaluation get’s carried out.
I see many businesses give up PPC as they don’t see results straight away. When a campaign goes live, it can sometimes enter a learning phase which is where Google starts collecting data on who your ad is getting shown to which helps determine the performance and positioning of the ad for the future. The learning phase can typically last from 7-14 days, sometimes longer. During this stage there can be fluctuations in results which is why is essential to allow your ad to run long enough so data can be collected.
Staying on top of your Google Ads is key, especially as new searches come in every second, hour, and day. Good management of an ad will make sure searches are being filtered to ensure your ad isn’t getting found for those irrelevant searches.
How much does PPC cost for a small business in the UK?
There’s no minimum budget that needs to be set for PPC. Your budget does depend on the competition of your service or product. For example, if you’re trying to get your ad found for a very popular product, you essentially need a higher budget so you can bid against your competitor to get your ad shown first.
When my clients join, it is my duty to ensure they are not signing up for PPC that is going to fail because their budget simply cannot support the competition of their product or service.
I always advise my clients to have a starting point of £200-£300 a month to allow us to identify the competition of the searches being found, who your ad is being shown to and also how your ad can be optimised further to maximise your results using your budget.
The goal of running ads is to get the most from your budget so it supports your business.
When it comes to running Google Ads for your small business, it’s important to make sure it’s set up correctly and professionally so you don’t see your budget get wasted. This is where a good agency can help.
I offer a monthly management fee of £299 which can be cancelled at any time. I work with my clients very closely to make sure their campaign aligns with their business goals. This includes having the right ad structure, correct and specific targeting - locations, demographics, keyword research and also website optimisation. Because I also specialise in SEO, I can also integrate your website optimisation for your PPC ad to also compliment your organic rankings - a nice little perk for you.
I also offer free PPC audits where I review an existing set up and offer you my suggestions to improve your campaign.
Get in touch for a free PPC audit - I’ll be more than happy to help.
How to get better results from a small PPC budget
With a create campaign set up, you can see some great results. Placing a focus on the services or products that are likely to generate you profitable work can be a great start. For example, a budget of £200 gives you 10 clicks which results to £20 per click. If 2 of the 10 clicks generate you customers for your most demanding product or service of £300 each, you see a profit of £400.
If you target area’s your business generally services can also increase your ad performance, resulting in more relevant searches and clicks.
Setting up conversion tracking can gain insight on which ad is working best, including monitoring the clicks.
Filtering searches and making sure negative keywords are added regularly to ensure your ad isn’t getting shown for irrelevant searches.
Making sure your landing page on your website is well optimised and working effectively. A slow website will make it harder for people to stick around. The goal is to give them all the information they need and make it easy for them to reach you.
Overall, if your business has the space for PPC spend and you have the time or budget for management, your business can see growth with a well optimised campaign. Making sure your ad supports the right people you want to reach and you are preventing irrelevant searches, Google Ads can be the key to your success.
If you're interested in running Google Ads, get in touch today.
Take a look at: How SEO is Different to Google Ads
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