PPC (or “Pay Per Click”) advertising is a type of ad where you pay a fee every time someone clicks on your link. You can set up PPC advertising on a variety of different platforms, but the type of PPC advertising we’re talking about here is more specific: paid search.
With paid search advertising, you set up PPC ads tied to specific search terms on Google. Whenever someone types in the search term you’re targeting, your ad appears as a sponsored link on top of the search results.
If you’re interested in PPC advertising, this may be the most effective way to do it. Recent research suggests that Google is the largest platform for PPC, commanding 37.2% of the market (vs. Facebook’s 19.6%). Every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a fee to Google. How much depends on the keyword you’re targeting – it could range from a few cents to a few dollars. The idea is that you make up for it in sales generated by the additional traffic.
So, should wholesale insurance agents use paid search? It might be worth a try, and here are a few reasons.
Your traffic is faster and more consistent.
“Organic” search engine optimization is free. You’re not paying for ads – instead, you’re slowly building up traffic over time by creating and maintaining the type of website Google likes to serve up to searchers. It can also be very lucrative, but it takes time.
With paid search, your link is at the top of search results right away. You start seeing traffic immediately, and consistently. Many people use paid search in addition to organic search to drive traffic fast while building up a sustainable model over time.
Your leads are more qualified.
The great thing about paid search is you’re in charge of which search terms your ad appears for. With organic search you can still do things to target certain keywords, but you have less control.
With paid search, you can carefully target very specific keywords that agents are likely to enter when looking for more information about a certain kind of coverage or searching for a wholesale broker to work with.
Because these search terms are so specialized, searchers who click on your paid ads are likely to have an immediate need to work with you when they get to your website. As long as your website copy is pulling its weight, you should see increased business this way.
You can measure your results.
The back-end of a paid search campaign lets you see how much you’re paying per click, how much money you’re making from these clicks, and other metrics that help optimize every dollar you spend on your campaign.
It makes your brand more visible.
Not everyone will click on your ad. But even those who don’t right away will see it appear repeatedly when they use a search term you’ve targeted. That raises your brand profile and makes you more recognizable to the people who are looking for the services you offer.
Paid search is a great idea if you’re just starting out with SEO and want to see traffic immediately. It’s also a highly effective way to supplement a more organic SEO strategy. With practice (or an experienced partner to manage your campaigns), you should see increased traffic and business.
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