TLDR: Setting up a PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaign doesn’t have to be intimidating. Whether you’re promoting products, driving leads, or building brand awareness, PPC gives you measurable, fast, and scalable marketing power. This guide walks you through what PPC is, how it works, and the exact steps to set up and optimise your own campaign, straight from Modo25’s in-house PPC specialists.
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What is a PPC campaign?
When asked “What is a PPC campaign?”, our Senior Performance Marketing Manager, Rebekah Waller, put it simply: “A PPC campaign is built to attract your target audience and qualify traffic, basically, getting people through to your website to purchase or take action.”
Explanation of the Pay-Per-Click model
PPC is an online advertising model where you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Instead of paying for impressions or views, you’re paying for engagement. It’s like paying rent only when a customer walks through your shop door.
Bidding, keywords, and ad placements simplified
In platforms like Google Ads, you “bid” on keywords, the search terms your potential customers use. Your bid, ad quality, and relevance determine if your ad appears and where it’s shown on the page. Social platforms (like Facebook or LinkedIn) use similar systems, but target users based on demographics and interests rather than keywords.
Short summary of the campaign process
A PPC campaign follows a clear process:
- Define your goals and KPIs.
- Research and select your target audience and keywords.
- Create your ad copy and visuals.
- Set your budget and bidding strategy.
- Launch, monitor, and optimise for performance.
Benefits of PPC advertising campaigns
Rebekah, summed it up perfectly: “It’s a great way to drive high-quality traffic and build brand awareness, and it’s measurable, so it’s easy to track your return on ad spend.”
When it comes to speed, PPC delivers fast results. Unlike SEO, which can take months to gain traction, PPC ads can start driving traffic and conversions within hours of going live. It’s the perfect choice for businesses looking for immediate visibility.
You also maintain complete control over your budget. You can set daily or campaign-level limits, ensuring you never spend more than planned. Whether you have £10 or £10,000 to spend, PPC can scale to suit your financial goals.
Another major advantage is highly targeted marketing. You can reach your ideal audience through detailed targeting options such as keywords, demographics, device type, location, interests, and even online behaviours. This ensures your ads are shown to people most likely to convert.
Lastly, PPC is completely trackable. Every click, impression, and conversion is measurable. You’ll know exactly where your money is going, and what return you’re getting, which means you can continuously refine your campaigns for better performance.
Types of PPC campaigns
PPC now covers a variety of channels, not just Google Search. Here’s a breakdown of the main campaign types and when to use them.
Search ads (Google Ads)
These appear when users search for specific keywords. They’re text-based and perfect for intent-driven marketing.
Display ads
Banner-style ads that appear across websites within the Google Display Network. Great for brand awareness and retargeting.
Social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok)
Boosted posts or sponsored content on platforms like Meta, X (Twitter), and TikTok. These blend naturally into feeds and help brands reach new audiences. As Rebekah mentioned: “Social ads can be conversion-based or brand awareness campaigns, and they’re much more creative-led than Google Ads.”
Remarketing campaigns
Target users who have already visited your site with tailored messages (e.g., “Still thinking about that dress?”).
Shopping ads
Used mainly by ecommerce businesses to show product images, prices, and store names directly in search results.
Video adverts
Video-based ads (often on YouTube or social media). Perfect for storytelling, product demos, or awareness campaigns.
Step-by-step guide to setting up a PPC campaign
Let’s break down the setup process, directly inspired by Modo25’s tried-and-tested approach.
Define campaign goals
Start by clarifying KPIs, sales, leads, sign-ups, or brand awareness. “It’s good to get an idea of the client’s KPIs before we even start,” Rebekah explains.
Audience targeting and buyer persona
Segment audiences by demographics, interests, or intent. Think about who you want to attract and why they’d click.
Keyword research
Some key tools we recommend using to help with your keyword research are:
“We use these to get an idea of search volumes, competition, and relevant keyword themes,” says Rebekah.
Budget planning and bid strategy
Decide on daily budgets and choose a bidding method, manual CPC or automated strategies like Maximise Conversions or Target ROAS.
Creating high-converting ad copy
Write ads that match user intent and include:
- Strong headlines
- Clear value propositions
- A compelling call to action (CTA)
Designing landing pages that convert
Your landing page must reflect the ad message, relevance is key to boosting conversions and Quality Score.
Setting up campaigns on Google Ads
In the Google Ads interface:
- Click the “+” to create a new campaign.
- Choose your goal (Sales, Leads, Awareness, etc.).
- Select the campaign type (Search, Display, Performance Max, etc.).
- Add your targeting, ad copy, and creative assets.
“For display ads, we often use responsive formats and upload multiple creatives,”.
Tracking & conversion setup
Install Google Analytics and tracking pixels to measure success. Without conversion tracking, you’re flying blind.
How to optimise a PPC campaign
A/B testing
One of the best ways to optimise your campaigns is through A/B testing. Try experimenting with different variations of your ad copy, landing pages, and bidding strategies to see what resonates most with your audience. As Rebekah puts it, “You can run experiments directly in Google Ads, it’s a great way to see which setup performs better.” By testing one variable at a time, you can make data-driven decisions that steadily improve your campaign performance.
Negative keywords usage
Another important step in keeping your campaigns efficient is using negative keywords. Regularly review your search terms and add any irrelevant ones as negatives. This helps prevent your ads from showing up in the wrong searches, saving your budget for the clicks that actually matter.
Quality Score improvement hacks
When it comes to improving your Quality Score, relevance is key. Make sure your keywords closely align with your ad copy and landing pages. Use ad extensions such as sitelinks and callouts to provide more context and encourage clicks. The more relevant and helpful your ads appear, the better your click-through rate (CTR) and overall landing page experience will be, both of which directly boost your Quality Score.
Monitoring KPIs and refining campaigns
Finally, don’t forget to keep a close eye on your key performance indicators. Track metrics like CTR, conversion rate, and ROAS on a weekly basis. Use these insights to adjust your bids, creatives, and targeting. Ongoing optimisation ensures that your campaigns continue to evolve and deliver stronger results over time.
Common PPC mistakes to avoid
Even experienced marketers can slip up when managing their ad campaigns. Common mistakes include not tracking conversions properly, using overly broad keyword targeting, writing weak ad copy, or sending traffic to irrelevant landing pages. Many also overlook the importance of adding negative keywords or fail to regularly split-test and optimise based on data. As Rebekah warns, “People still lump loads of keywords into one campaign. That makes your ads less relevant, lowers Quality Score, and costs more per click.” Paying attention to these details can make the difference between a campaign that simply runs and one that truly performs.
The importance of creatives
Creatives make or break your campaigns. “Keeping ads fresh and relevant is crucial,” says Rebekah. “We update creatives for new collections, sales, or seasonal campaigns.”
Top creative tips:
- Use lifestyle imagery, show the product in use.
- Keep logos visible and CTAs strong (“Shop the new collection,” “Get early access”).
- Use user-generated content (UGC) where possible for authenticity.
UGC builds trust, you don’t need huge influencers. Real people create more relatable ads.
Final thoughts
PPC is one of the most measurable, flexible, and effective marketing channels out there. By defining goals, targeting the right audience, crafting compelling creatives, and optimising continuously, you can create campaigns that deliver powerful results.
If all this sounds like a lot to manage, you’re not alone! At Modo25, our PPC specialists help brands plan and launch campaigns that actually convert. Whether you need a one-off setup or full in-house support, our team combines expert strategy with creative excellence to get results.
