Pay Per Who? Google Ads Explained Simply

Basic of Google Ads

When I was a kid, I loved rewatching movies mostly because my limited attention span made me miss half of it, so it felt like I was watching a new one every time.

One time I watched Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker like twenty times in one week (I was stuck at home alone with the flu).

I still remember how horrified my parents were when they found out I watched it on Pay Per View.

Whether you grew up with Blockbuster or Netflix, paying every time you watch a movie sounds ridiculous… and it is. It makes sense in movie theatres because it’s about the experience. But for a movie at home? Insane

However, that’s just how the advertisement industry works (sort of).

It’s just good business

You have to rent a space when you want to run an ad. That ad space may be a billboard on a desert highway or thirty seconds of commercial time during a hit TV show’s season finale. It’s a bit like a pay-per-view system.

Except here, the views are potential.

Each year, an average of 42.7 million people watch the Super Bowl. This means your ad could potentially be viewed by that many people if they stay during the commercial break.

That means companies are paying millions for people that might view their ads. Even then, those who watch them might not be potential customers.

But if infomercials have taught us anything is that “there’s got to be a better way!”

21st Century Ad Work

At the turn of the millennium, Google sought to find that way with a new tool: Google Ads, a pay-per-click advertising platform that allows users to display their ads on Google’s search results page.

I realize that sounds expensive, but let’s dive deeper into it.

Ads displayed on the Google Search Engine are marked as such, and their purpose is to facilitate the connection between people and the product or service they might need with the help of keywords.

As for the expensive bit, Google uses a pay-per-click system in which you choose which keywords to bid for, set a budget, and pay for every time someone clicks on your ad until your budget is exhausted. 

Easy, right?

Making it click

The fact of the matter is Google Ads makes the distribution more cost-effective, but the reason it works this way is that views here are worthless if you don’t get that click.

Adwords management agencies in Toronto have their hands full with structuring campaigns, optimizing ads, managing keywords, and more. 

It’s not just a question of getting the ad space. It’s about making the ad work.

If you search for ‘PPC Toronto,’ you’ll get more results about marketing than for the People’s Party of Canada.

That’s because Google Ads companies in Toronto like Mrkt360 make sure to keep your marketing efforts cost-effective by utilizing our understanding of these systems to generate strategies to keep your ad moving towards the people that need to see it.

Marketing is about helping you spend smart, not hard, in your efforts to grow your reach and your business. For that, you need someone with experience using the best tools for the job.

Sal Figueroa

Sal is a writer from Monterrey with a Degree in Communications and Digital Media and a passion for stories. Ever forging forward on his path, he likes to try his hand in different styles, genres, and methods to find the right medium for each story he tells.