Introduction to Pay-Per-Click Advertising for Real Estate: A Beginner’s Guide
In 2018, PPC was the second highest lead generation medium for our members. Trying to rank on page one of Google can be a daunting task for some. It takes time and resources to invest in a full, all-out SEO strategy. Even then it could take months to notice. What can you do in the meantime? Well, many of our members make use of both PPC and SEO — using the former to generate short-term traffic and the latter to generate longterm traffic. In this intro to PPC for Real Estate, we run down what you need to understand if you’re considering this route. Including: What is PPC for Real Estate? How does PPC work? What are the benefits of using PPC advertising for Real Estate? Who should use PPC? How to get started with PPC? Introduction To PPC For Real Estate What Is PPC For Real Estate? (Image Source) PPC is a broad term used for various cost-per-click platforms real estate professionals use to get in front of their target audience. These include Google Ads (AdWords), Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, and numerous retargeting options. Overall, PPC is a digital marketing strategy in which you advertise within a search engine’s sponsored results by bidding for the keywords, ad sets, and/or retargeting list connected to your real estate niche. Pay-per-click is exactly that… you pay each time your ad is clicked. Although, there are times you can be charged for impressions (number of times your ads are shown). Google Ads (Adwords) still reigns as PPC king for generating motivated seller leads. Facebook ads can also be an effective way to generate motivated sellers as well as buyer leads. Facebook cost-per-click is also considered a lesser amount compared to AdWords. It’s important that you understand where your leads are coming from and the value of your cost per lead to fully understand which platform works best for you. How Does PPC Work? Starting with the basics. When a motivated seller types a search query into Google, the search engines provide two sets of results: pay-per-click ads (sponsored) and organic results. As seen in the picture below, the first three results on top are sponsored ads (indicated by the green square around the word “Ad”). The other results below the ads are organic results. More than likely, the organic website results have climbed the rankings by executing a solid SEO strategy. With PPC, when the searcher clicks on one of the ads, you (the advertiser) is charged for that click. The price of that click will vary per the competition for that specific keyword as well as your target location(s). You can use specific tools to find keyword traffic estimates as well as the competition and cost-per-click estimates. Tools such as: Google Ads Keyword Planner Ubersuggest SEMRush (free or paid) What Are The Benefits Of Real Estate PPC? (Image Source) Advertising with PPC ads can have many benefits. Here are some of the top reasons you should consider using PPC as part of your online marketing strategy. 1. You Have the Opportunity to Control Your Position on Page One of the Search Results PPC advertising allows you to gain the most valuable ad space on whichever PPC platform you choose to use. If that’s Google, then you have the ability to get on top of the first-page search results without having to dedicate the time and resources for SEO. Claiming ad space where most eyes will see them will increase your odds of getting solid lead generation and return on your investment. 2. Place Your Ads in Front of YOUR Audience This is … Continued