Digital marketers frequently rely on various acronyms and important words when discussing paid search. These words help to ensure everyone is referring to the same metrics and data points.
PPC is an acronym for pay-per-click, one of the most common types of paid search marketing online today. You will typically see these types of ads on the search engine Google, but they can also be used on Bing and even Amazon.
In paid search advertising, you only ever pay a fee when a viewer clicks on your ad. This is good news as it prevents the wasting of money on viewers who aren’t interested in your ads. This is why PPC is such a great marketing tool – especially if you’re limited on budget! Google is the biggest network to promote your brand, at 89.3 billion visits per month. It is a fantastic way to bring high-quality traffic to your site.
So, here are all the terms and acronyms that you’ll ever need to know in order to run PPC campaigns and communicate with clients and colleagues!
Paid Search Terms and Definitions
Ad
The written copy that users will see when they search for any of your keywords. For responsive search ads, you can have up to 30 character headlines, 60 character descriptions and more. This allows you to describe the core of your product in the best way so viewers click and convert.
Ad Group
A group of ads within a campaign that share a common set of keywords. Different ad groups help organise and structure your PPC account for better management.
Ad Rank
Your ad’s position on search results pages. The higher your ad ranks, the better visibility it receives and is therefore more likely to get clicks.
Ad Scheduling
Gives you the ability to control when your ads are shown. It helps to target users during specific timeframes and manage your ad spend efficiently.
Broad Match (BM)
This is the default match type that helps your ads reach the widest audience.
Campaign
A set of one or more ad groups, containing ads that are typically around the same idea/theme.
Clicks
The number of times a user clicks on your ad. It helps to measure engagement and the effectiveness of your ads.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click. This can tell you how relevant and appealing your ads are to users.
Conversion
When a user performs a specific action after clicking an ad. Depending on the goals of your business, this could be clicking on your ad (traffic), purchasing (e-commerce) or submitting a form (lead-gen).
Conversion Rate
The percentage of clicks that resulted in a conversion. This measurement indicates how effective your ads and landing pages are in persuading users to take action.
Conversion Tracking
The process of measuring the actions taken by a user after clicking on your ad (buy, phone call, email, form submit, etc.). It enables you to optimise ad campaigns based on performance data.
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
The average amount you pay for each conversion. It assists in evaluating how cost-effective your PPC campaigns are.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
The average amount you pay for each click on your ad. This helps you to monitor and manage your ad budget effectively.
Exact Match (EM)
A keyword match type that allows you to show your ads on searches that have the same specific intent as your keyword. It gives you the most control over who sees your ads, however it reaches fewer people than both phrase and broad match.
Impressions
The number of times your ad was shown on a search results page. It provides more of an insight into the reach or visibility of your ads.
Keywords
Words or phrases that are used to match your ads with the terms that people are searching for.
Landing Page
The web page that users are directed to after clicking on your ad. It affects user experience and conversion rates, which impacts the overall campaign performance.
Negative Keywords
Keywords that prevent your ad from showing up for irrelevant searches. It helps to improve targeting and reduce wasted ad spend.
Remarketing
The practice of targeting ads to users who have previously interacted with your website or ads. It increases the likelihood of conversions by reaching already interested users.
Return On Ad Spend (ROAS)
The revenue generated per pound spent on ads. This evaluates the overall profitability of your PPC campaigns.
Search Campaign
A type of campaign where users must search for one of your keywords to be served your ad. These are useful for getting in front of potential customers who have the most intent.
Search Impression Share
The percentage of impressions your ad received out of the total available impressions. It helps you to identify missed opportunities and areas for improvement.
Phrase Match (PM)
A keyword match type that allows you to show your ads on searches that match your specific meaning, or the implied meaning. This allows you to reach more searches than exact match, but fewer than broad.
Performance Max (PMAX)
A goal-based campaign type that allows advertisers to show ads across all of Google’s platforms (search, YouTube, shopping, etc.) from one single campaign.
Quality Score (QS)
A tool that gives you an idea of how good the quality of your ad is compared to other advertisers. It takes into account ad relevance, expected CTR, and landing page experience. A high QS means you will pay a lower CPC and be more likely to show at the top of search engine results.
And there you have it! A total rundown of the most frequently used terms in PPC marketing. You have all you need to know to run your very own campaigns. But if you’re still a little unsure – we’re here for you. Get in touch with our digital marketing company Newcastle today!