PPC (pay-per-click) is a form of advertising where you pay for website clicks from popular platforms. In the case of SEM, from search engines like Google.
For example, clicking this ad in Google costs Apple money:
Example PPC ad in Google
Here’s what PPC advertising in Google involves:
Keyword research – Find what your customers are searching for
Bid setting – Decide how much you want to pay for a click
Ad creation – Create a compelling and relevant ad
Audience targeting – Choose who should see your ad
Keyword research
Keyword research for Google Ads is not only about finding what customers are searching for. It’s also about researching how much ads are likely to cost, which varies by keyword.
For example, the average cost per click (CPC) for “baby clothes” is more than double that of “cute baby girl clothes”:
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Average CPC for "baby clothes" and "cute baby girl clothes" via Ahrefs' Site Explorer
Bid setting
Bid setting is where you decide how much you’re willing to pay Google for an ad click. If competitors outbid you and have equally (or more) relevant ads, Google won’t show your ad much and you won’t get many clicks.
Ad creation
Ad creation is where you decide what your ad will say and where it will send people.
For example, this ad takes searchers to our Site Audit landing page:
Example PPC ad in Google from Ahrefs
Google gives your ad a Quality Score, which tells you how relevant and useful your ad is.
On the whole, ads with high Quality Scores are seen by more people, and they pay less for clicks. Here’s some advice on improving your Quality Score from Google.
Audience targeting
Audience targeting is where you decide who should see your ad. You can target people based on who they are, what they’re interested in, where they are, and much more. Here’s more information about audience targeting from Google.