PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is often considered the fastest solution in the digital marketing \u201ctoolkit\u201d for driving traffic, generating leads, and making sales for your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And while<\/strong> PPC advertising generates impressions and clicks faster than SEO (search engine optimization), PPC doesn’t give you instant results like form fills and sales conversions.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like any digital marketing strategy, buying traffic through PPC ads takes planning, patience, and monitoring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meaningful results don’t happen overnight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how long does it take for PPC to work?<\/strong> Let\u2019s look at an overview of a typical PPC timeline, the main factors that influence how long it takes, and strategies to speed up the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To answer the question of how long it takes for PPC to work, it’s important to define what we\u2019re talking about in terms of results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, PPC advertising can<\/em> bring in impressions and clicks right away. Sometimes you can even get lucky with a few sales and leads in the first few days and weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But fine-tuning your campaign to bring in consistent<\/em><\/strong>, cost-efficient<\/em><\/strong>, and high-quality results<\/em><\/strong> takes time. Getting all aspects of the campaign working together can take between 3 and 9 months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a quick overview of how this process can play out over a 9-month timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can’t optimize a PPC campaign without data. So, the first stage of the campaign is getting enough relevant traffic to gather data for campaign optimization and expansion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as you have enough data to start noticing trends, you can begin to refine your campaign to increase its visibility and performance. For example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n With these early optimizations, your PPC traffic quality, conversion rate, and return on investment will improve. But to truly bring your PPC campaign results to the next level, there is still more work to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have an idea of what’s working, you can start experimenting with new options that iterate on your current strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having some confidence in what’s going to drive clicks, leads, and sales can also allow you to increase your budget. Spending more on ad groups that are already bringing results can boost your results while also bringing in even more valuable data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is also the time when you have clarity on what’s not<\/strong> working, which may include entire advertising platforms. For example, if you started out with a combination of search ads and social media ads and only one channel is working, you should have enough data by now to decide whether to stop one channel altogether and focus on the one that is working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, at this stage in your campaign, focus on your landing page’s quality and performance, especially if your ads are still underperforming. Be sure to pay attention not only to the technical performance (like load times and mobile responsiveness) of your landing pages but also to the relevance of its messaging to your ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we have collected a wealth of data and know what works, it’s time to start remarketing to track down lost leads and potential customers that need a little push. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remarketing can also help to boost brand awareness and increase conversions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you may need to refresh your ads with new imagery, headlines, or descriptive copy. Eventually, your audience will grow tired of the same old ads, especially if you\u2019re dealing with a smaller audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep an eye on your social media and display ad frequency. You want to get in front of your customers, but you don’t want to overwhelm them with ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to be successful at PPC advertising, regularly monitoring and optimizing campaigns based on real, statistically relevant data is imperative.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although PPC advertising can <\/em>sometimes generate fast<\/em> results, getting consistent<\/em>, cost-efficient<\/em>, and high-quality<\/em> results is a long-term process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n While there\u2019s no \u2018magic bullet\u2019 that leads to overnight PPC advertising success, there are a few factors you should be aware of that may give you an edge. PPC advertising is one of the most cost-effective ways to generate qualified traffic, leads, and sales online. For small businesses, using PPC campaigns can be their \u201cbig break\u201d and a cost-effective way to get in front of potential customers who may have never heard or thought of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success doesn\u2019t happen overnight, but the right team with the right expertise can dramatically speed up your success rate and save you money in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Long PPC Takes: What a Typical Timeline Looks Like<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMonths 1-3: Gather Data and Make Early Adjustments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMonths 3-6: Build on What Works<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMonths 6-9: Remarket and Optimize<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Aren\u2019t PPC Ads Always an Overnight Success?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You need to collect enough data to make smart decisions on which messages, imagery, keywords, and\/or targeting strategies will work best. That takes time, especially if your budget can only buy you so many impressions and clicks per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Speed Up Your PPC Advertising Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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