Maximize Your ROI by Choosing the Right PPC Advertising Network

Akanksha Chandan
6 min readFeb 20, 2024
Top PPC Advertising Networks

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a digital marketing strategy where advertisers bid on specific keywords or phrases relevant to their products or services. When a user enters a search query that matches these keywords, the ads appear at the top or bottom of search engine results pages (SERPs). PPC operates on a pay-per-click basis, unlike traditional advertising. This means you only pay when a user clicks on your ad, ensuring that your investment is directly tied to user engagement. PPC advertising is an approach to buy visits to a website rather than earning them organically.

The Key Concepts of PPC

  1. Ad Auction: A metric that enables advertisers to bid for their ads to be displayed in search results or on relevant websites. It involves factors like bid amount, ad quality, and relevance that determine which ads are shown.
  2. Ad Rank: A metric that determines where an ad will appear in the search results. It’s influenced by the bid amount, ad quality, and the expected impact of ad extensions.
  3. Quality Score: A metric used by platforms like Google Ads to evaluate the quality of ads and keywords. It considers factors like ad relevance, click-through rate (CTR), and the quality of the landing page.
  4. Ad Extensions: Additional information or links that can be added to ads, enhancing their visibility and providing more context to users.
  5. Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it. A higher CTR generally indicates a more relevant and engaging ad. Conversion: When a user completes a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form, after clicking on an ad.
  6. Conversion: When a user completes a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form, after clicking on an ad.
  7. Landing Page: The specific web page that users are directed to after clicking on an ad. It should be relevant to the ad’s message and offer a smooth user experience.
  8. Budget: The amount of money allocated for a PPC campaign. Advertisers can set daily or overall budgets to control spending.
  9. Targeting: The ability to define specific criteria for who sees your ads, such as location, demographics, interests, and more.
  10. Ad Copy: The text and content that make up the advertisement. It should be compelling, concise, and informative to the audience.
  11. Remarketing: A strategy that targets users who have previously interacted with your website or ads. This keeps your brand in front of them as they browse the web.
  12. AB Testing: A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a methodology commonly practiced throughout pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. A/B testing allows you to separate a specific attribute of your account into two individual variables to test against each other: the control variable and the experimental variable.

Most Popular Paid Advertising Networks

Here are some of the most popular advertising networks:

1. Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords)

Did you know that 80%[ii] of organizations use Google Ads for PPC? It is the largest and most widely used advertising platform that covers both search and display advertising to target users. With the Google Ads ecosystem, you can reach a pool of audience at the right time. Also, by harnessing the power of Google AI, you can find your best-performing ad formats across YouTube, Discover, and Search to boost conversions.

Here are a few statistics of Google Ads that you should know:

  • Google Ad revenue reached $112.691 billion in the first two quarters of 2023
  • Google shopping ads generate 85.3% of clicks
  • Google Ads deliver an 8:1 return on investment
  • As of 2023, Google Ads has generated 80.94% of direct traffic

2. Microsoft Ads

According to research, the conversion rate of Microsoft Ads rose to 19% YOY in 2023. This platform serves ads on Bing search results and also partners with Yahoo. It is similar to Google Ads, offering both search and display advertising options.

3. LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn is ideal for B2B marketing with a reach of over 666.3 million audiences. It offers options to target users based on their professional profiles, job titles, industries, and company sizes. Here are a few more statistics that make LinkedIn a great advertising network:

  • LinkedIn Ads LinkedIn accounts for 46% of social media traffic for B2B enterprises
  • LinkedIn was responsible for 80% of B2B leads
  • The platform is used by 68 percent of B2B marketers for social advertising

4. Twitter Ads

According to research, Twitter experienced a 35% YOY increase in global ad engagement. Twitter Ads include promoted tweets, promoted accounts, and promoted trends. Advertisers can reach users based on keywords, interests, and demographics, making it suitable for real-time engagement and conversations.

According to a study, for every dollar spent on Twitter ad campaigns, brands averaged a return of $2.70. This average ROI is nearly 40% higher than the average ROI across all other media investments.

5. YouTube Ads

As part of Google Ads, YouTube Ads allow advertisers to run video ads on the YouTube platform. These ads can appear before, during, or after videos. and can be targeted to specific audiences. Let’s take a look at a few YouTube Ads statistics:

  • YouTube Ads have an average cost-per-view of $0.010 — $0.030
  • The average cost of reaching 100,000 viewers is around $2,000

6. Pinterest Ads

Pinterest Ads enable advertisers to promote pins and reach users who are searching for or interested in specific topics. It is especially popular for businesses in fashion, home decor, and DIY niches

7. Facebook Ads

Facebook’s advertising platform allows advertisers to create targeted ads that appear on users’ Facebook feeds, Instagram, Messenger, and other Facebook-owned platforms.

8. Amazon Ads

Amazon Ads offers a diverse range of products and information to help reach advertising goals for registered sellers, vendors, and app developers. By leveraging these ads, you can connect to the right audience at the right time. You can start advertising on Amazon ads at just $5 to $10 per day.

9. Spotify Ads

Spotify advertising includes running audio ads between playlists, podcasts, and songs within Spotify’s free version. You can start advertising on Spotify at a minimum daily budget of $15 and a minimum lifetime budget of $250.

10. Quora Ads

Quora ads is a self-service platform that helps you create an ad account and run ads on Quora. It is simple to use and deliver results based on your goals. Ads on Quora cost anywhere from $0.02 to $2.00 per click.

For more details like:

  • Types of PPC Advertising
  • Steps to Craft Effective PPC Campaigns for Better ROI
  • Future Trends for PPC Advertising

Download this FREE eBook: Your Ultimate Guide to Navigating Top PPC Advertising Networks or Sign Up for a Free PPC Audit here.

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Akanksha Chandan

MBA — Marketing & International Management | Senior Marketing Specialist | Sprouting Interest in Psychology