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The Pros and Cons of Paid Search

THE PROS AND CONS OF PAID SEARCH
 March 29, 2019 |  Marketing, Social Media |  digital marketing, google, business website, paid search, SEO

By Zach Vesper, NPI, Inc.'s SEO and Marketing Specialist

When it comes to digital advertising for your business, you’re not short on options. One choice many business owners overlook, for a number of reasons, is paid search. The major player in paid search is Google, and their Google Ads platform makes it easy to reach your ideal audience and increase your marketing ROI. We’ll break down the pros and cons of starting a campaign with Google Ads and help you decide if paid search is right for you.

Pro: Paid Ads Can Extend Your Reach
Above all other digital marketing methods, Google Ads can help you achieve better market saturation, increase your brand recognition and put your business in front of your perfect customers. With a Google Ads campaign, you can choose exactly who sees your ads and when they see them, and you can even target your audience by geographic area to make sure you’re not showing ads in places that aren’t relevant for your business.

Con: There are No Guarantees
Like any other aspect of digital marketing, your results with paid search will be based on how thoroughly you perform your initial keyword research and how often you experiment with things like fresh ad copy. Paid ads aren’t a “set it and forget it” kind of tool—instead, you should be testing and optimizing consistently to achieve the best results. If you write one ad, set it to run and never look at it again, you shouldn’t be surprised when you don’t see a return on your investment.

Pro: They Reinforce Your Credibility
The world’s top companies use paid search every day to put their products and services in front of customers, so Google Ads come with built-in clout you can use to increase your credibility, too. When someone searches for your services and sees your ad at the top of page one, along with your Google My Business listing and solid organic ranking, this sends a clear message that your business is the one they want.

Con: Paid Search Can Be Expensive
Depending on how competitive your industry is, paid search can end up being an expensive addition to your digital marketing plan. Platforms like Google Ads charge on a “per click” basis, meaning you pay every time a potential customer clicks your ad to visit your website. Each keyword you target has its own average “cost per click,” or CPC, which shows you what you should expect to pay. This can range from a few cents to $20 or more per click, so establishing your most lucrative keywords while keeping potential costs in mind becomes especially important.

Pro: Paid Ads Can Yield Excellent ROI
When you manage to hit the sweet spot of relevant keywords, enticing ad copy and ideal audience targeting, paid search can yield some of the best ROI of any digital marketing method. With other traditional marketing methods, you can only cast a wide net and hope to catch a few fish, which ends up inflating your budget for little return. Google Ads, on the other hand, lets you share your message with exactly who you want, with no wasted effort.

Con: They Take Time and Patience
With paid search, you have the ability to make the most of your digital marketing budget, but the results aren’t instant. If you approach it without taking the time and effort to create a winning campaign, you’ll lose money without a lot to show for it. With thoughtful planning and a sound strategy, though, you’ll more than likely find that paid search is a valuable tool to take your business to the next level.

If you’re a current NPI franchisee thinking about adding paid search to your digital marketing strategy, we’re here to help! Give us a call at (800) 333-9807 or email marketing@npiweb.com for more information.

 

If you’re interested in starting your own NPI property inspection franchise, you can request a free info packet here.

 

About the Author
Zach Vesper, SEO and Marketing Specialist
Zach brings more than six years of SEO experience to the table, making him your go-to web optimization specialist--he knows how to help your website reach the first page! He's always more than happy to answer your questions about all things Google. Zach is a film buff, an old-fashioned connoisseur and an avid reader of science fiction. When he’s not working, he’s hanging out with his wife, Stepha, and basset hound, Frank.


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