Is Paid Search Still Relevant In 2019? The Answer is Yes

A recent report revealed that paid search is still the top digital ad channel as far as marketing budgets are concerned.

Accounting for over 39% of advertisers’ total budgets – the report was based on data collected from over 450 B2B and B2C digital marketing professionals in the U.S. and the UK.

With that being said, there has been a surge in other channels as well, including an increase in spending on paid social channels – particularly Instagram. However, the numbers are still twice as much between the first and second contenders – why is paid search still dominating the digital space, despite the rise of the social media era?

Using the data from the same report published by Marin Software – we are about to uncover exactly why, and how you can better tailor your strategy in the remaining quarter of the year as we move towards 2020.

The top priority for marketers in 2019 is increasing brand awareness, followed by customer experience.

One of the biggest benefits of PPC is that it is able to provide instant and immediate feedback, as compared to SEO which may take a while to actually see results.

There have been statistics showing that paid search ads increase brand awareness by as much as 80%.

A successful PPC campaign can thus help generate profits much faster than any other marketing method, making it a must-have in the arsenal of tools amongst many marketers.

Google is still the most trusted publisher among advertisers.

In the survey, 98% of respondents rated Google a 4 out of 5 on the trust index. Given that paid search requires the pumping of hard earned marketing dollars – it says a lot of why digital ad spending is set to increase in the year ahead.

84% of respondents are planning to use Google’s new responsive search ads, and 65% will increase their usage of shoppable images within search.

Responsive search ads are a new ad format that was introduced by Google in 2018 – allowing you to input multiple headlines and descriptions, Google will automatically test to see which combinations work best with particular sets of users in order to show the most relevant messages to your customers.

The rise of online shopping has also increased the need for shoppable images, another format that has gained popularity due to the added visual interest instead of just plain text.

A mobile-first generation has also driven the need for brands to find new ways in order to gain precious mindshare.

Meeting volume and efficiency goals were cited as the top 2 challenges for paid search.

Given that optimizing paid search has become a top tactical priority for many brands – it is imperative that you get the best Digital Marketing Agency on board to handle your accounts. Especially since it can lead to quick results if done right – having a budget that includes and combines PPC with SEO is the way to balance it right.

If you think you have what it takes to handle the steep learning curve, then go ahead and learn it for yourself in our Digital Marketing Course! With proper execution, you will be able to further maximize your marketing efforts!

What next?

Other reports have shown that businesses typically make $3 for every $1.60 that they spend on Google Ads. If making back double your investment doesn’t entice you – then you might be missing out on something that can really boost your results in the long run!

Get started today – the best way to know what works best for you is to start running ads today. The more you run, the more you learn, and the more you get to tweak and make the necessary changes accordingly for long term success.

As Google remains one of the largest platforms for digital ads, followed by Facebook and Alibaba, it can be said that there is still much to learn and grow from in the space – as brands continue to fight for eyeballs online, new ad formats, and the growth of machine learning, automation and AI will soon take over in order to drive through the digital noise in the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape.