PPC (Pay Per Click)
PPC (Pay Per Click) is an online advertising model in which the advertiser pays only when someone clicks on their ad. You're not paying for the ad to be shown, but for an actual visitor. The best-known PPC platform is Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords), which shows ads in search results, on YouTube, and on partner websites. Other significant platforms are Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram), Microsoft Ads (Bing), and local search ad networks.
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How PPC works
In PPC there is a real-time auction. The advertiser sets the keywords they want to target and the maximum cost per click (bid). When a user enters a search query, Google instantly evaluates all relevant ads based on bid, ad quality (Quality Score), and expected click-through rate. You don't have to have the highest bid — an ad with better quality and relevance can beat more expensive competition. Cost per click typically ranges from £0.10 (low-search terms) up to £5+ (finance, insurance).
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PPC vs. SEO — when to use each
PPC delivers immediate results — you launch the ad and within an hour you have visitors. SEO requires months of work but brings long-term free traffic. The ideal strategy combines both: PPC for immediate traffic and testing (which keywords convert), SEO for long-term organic growth. For a new website, PPC is essential in the first months until SEO kicks in. For an established website, SEO is usually more cost-effective.
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Key PPC campaign metrics
To evaluate PPC campaigns, track: CPC (cost per click), CTR (click-through rate, ideally above 3%), conversion rate, CPA (cost per acquisition), ROAS (return on ad spend), and Quality Score (quality rating from 1 to 10). A ROAS above 3 (300%) means that for every pound invested you earn £3 — that's a healthy campaign.
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The most common PPC mistakes
The most widespread mistake is sending PPC traffic to a regular page on the website instead of an optimised landing page. Other mistakes: too broad keyword targeting (you pay for irrelevant clicks), missing negative keywords, not using ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts), ignoring mobile traffic, and inadequate conversion tracking. Without proper conversion tracking you don't know whether PPC is making or losing money.
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Practical example
A client with a catering company launched a Google Ads campaign with a budget of £500/month. Originally they targeted broad keywords like „catering“ with CPC of £0.70 and a 0.9% conversion rate. We pivoted to long-tail keywords („corporate catering London“, „wedding catering Surrey“), built a dedicated landing page, and added negative keywords. CPC dropped to £0.30, conversion rate grew to 5.2%, and the number of enquiries grew from 6 to 38 per month on the same budget.
PPC advertising without a quality landing page is throwing money away. We'll build you a landing page optimised for conversions that maximises the return on your PPC campaigns.
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