Four PPC Myths You Should Let Go of During 2021

A new article on Search Engine Journal attempts to dispel four PPC myths and expose their underlying assumptions, saying they cause paid search campaigns to fail and give the channel a bad rap in general.

The author says that for as long as paid search has been around, certain stubborn PPC myths have plagued it, and they lead marketers to approach PPC with incorrect assumptions. That causes their campaigns to suffer or even fail entirely – plus; they give PPC an unfairly bad rap.

PPC Myth #1: Paid Search Doesn’t Work When the Decision-Making Process Is Long and/or Emotional

Would you be convinced and suddenly convert from a, “Come have your Mom live with us…” ad? Instead of recognizing that their strategy was off, they blamed PPC. Deciding on a care home for a parent is a long process fraught with emotion. You won’t make that decision based on an ad, no matter how nicely it is constructed. But that doesn’t mean PPC doesn’t have an important role to play here. You could use PPC to introduce your care home to caregivers considering their options.

You can’t reasonably expect to go from zero to a hundred with one PPC ad, which is why PPC must be part of a larger marketing strategy. Any marketing initiative that’s poorly executed won’t work, whether it’s PPC or any other type of campaign.

PPC Myth #2: Paid Search Is Best Used Get to the Top of SERPs in the Short Term

Many startups plan to use PPC to get to the top of SERPs until their SEO “kicks in.” Businesses launching new products often have the same idea. And yes, you often can use PPC to get you on that front page of Google search results. But again, this is flawed thinking.

First, there’s no guarantee that SEO will eventually get you to the top of SERPs, no matter how great your strategy. Many of our clients never reach the first page, and they work with some of the top SEO agencies! Second, even if SEO does get you on the first page, there’s no guarantee you’ll stay there. If Google has to do is adjust their search algorithm, and you could find yourself buried overn