What is Paid Search?

Paid Search is a digital marketing strategy where businesses pay search engines like Google and Microsoft (Bing) to display their ads in search results. These ads appear above or alongside the organic (non-paid) search results when users enter specific keywords or queries. The most common form of paid search advertising is Pay-Per-Click (PPC), where advertisers pay each time someone clicks on their ad.

Paid Search on Google:

Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is the most widely used platform for paid search advertising. It offers a variety of ad formats, including search ads, display ads, shopping ads, and video ads.

Google’s Search Network includes Google Search, Google Play, Google Shopping, and many partner websites.

Paid Search on Microsoft:

Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) is similar to Google Ads but focuses on the Bing search engine, as well as Yahoo and AOL search results.

Microsoft Advertising offers similar ad formats and bidding options but typically at a lower cost due to less competition compared to Google.

Benefits of Paid Search:

Immediate Visibility: Unlike SEO, which can take time to impact rankings, paid search ads can appear on the first page of results as soon as the campaign is launched.

Highly Measurable: Performance metrics such as clicks, impressions, conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS) can be easily tracked and optimised.

Flexible Budgeting: Advertisers can set daily budgets and adjust them based on performance.

Paid search is a powerful tool for businesses to gain visibility and drive targeted traffic, but it requires careful management to maximise ROI. Both Google and Microsoft offer robust platforms for running these ads, each with its own advantages and reach.

Are you an E-commerce business? Take a look how Google Shopping can help drive your sales and revenue.