PPC professionals and specialists are in demand more than ever in 2022. With the global automation market size was predicted to up to 214 billion by the end of 2021. It’s no secret that PPC ranks highly in online marketing and according to Statista, it offers digital marketers the highest return of investment out of all the marketing strategies. 

As the competition heats up for online marketspace, it’s not uncommon to see brands begin to increase their investment in PPC in order to stay one step ahead of the competition. As a result, there has been an sufficient increase in PPC specialists who can manage their online campaigns – increasing sales and profits in the process. 

For those unfamiliar with PPC or ‘Pay Per Click’, it is an online marketing model which drives traffic to your website, when a user clicks on your advertisement they have seen on another website. Every time a user clicks on the advertisement, the business will be charging a small fee by the host displaying the advertisement. 

Although businesses are paying a small fee, their return makes it beneficial in the long run. For example, a business may have to pay £2.50 every time someone clicks their advertisement, but that click could lead to a purchase on the website – increasing profit. 

However, in order to be successful in the world of PPC and be considered  a specialist, you must first uncover the basics of a PPC professional and the skills you need to get there. 

What are the skills you need to become a PPC specialist?

A great copywriter – In order for people to click your advertisements, you must first catch their attention. What’s one of the most effective ways of grabbing a users’ attention? Outstanding ad copy! Your ability to write attractive and engaging ad copy will set you apart from the rest. 

By you developing your skills in copywriting, you won’t only be appealing to employers seeking, but you’ll know how to build keywords and engage with the audience.  

An understanding of AdWords – Google AdWords is considered the biggest and most popular paid advertising platform in the world. To become a PPC expert, it’s safe to say that gaining an in-depth understanding of AdWords will certainly be beneficial. 

AdWords plays it’s part in training you understand how to:

• Choose the best keywords
• How to place a bid
• How to setup and manage campaigns
• How Google determines to show your advertisement

Understanding the Customer Journey  - One of the most vital skills a PPC specialist must have, is the ability to read the customer journey. In order to design and run ads which are clicked by potential customer, you must first understand the customer’s behaviour. What are they looking for? What’s the goal of the ad? Is it to create sales, increase brand awareness or promote an event? 

Once you have decided the purpose of your campaign, it becomes easier to design content tailored around the desired goal. 

The ability to design – It’s important that you understand the design requirements for the platform you will be running your campaign on. Whether you’ll be running campaigns across social media channels or another PPC platform, it’s a certainty that you’ll require some visual assets to support your advertisement. 

Knowing which design elements will help your campaign standout and the tools to help you create them, will come in handy. Developing your design skills will also make you a great asset, if you do not have access to an experienced designer. 

An Ecommerce expert – Online advertising and Ecommerce go hand-in-hand. The link is there: you’re selling a product or service online. Having some knowledge or experience within the Ecommerce industry and how to utilise PPC with retail, would be ideal. 

There are analytics tools available to help you track the success of your paid campaigns; such as Google Analytics and Mixpanel. Sharpening your knowledge in Ecommerce will serve you well as a PPC specialist. 

PPC is a field which is growing by the day, there are plenty of opportunities available, and there are various avenues to focus on in your bid to become a PPC specialist. Developing these skills will enable you to reach new heights in your PPC career.