Learn Pay Per Click (PPC) Fundamentals

Define pay per click advertising and explain its pricing model, where costs accrue per click rather than per impression, and note how search engine marketing expands PPC with other variants.

Learn pay per click fundamentals by mastering keyword research, intent-based targeting, bidding control, and measuring success to drive traffic and conversions with powerful search engine marketing tools.

Explore common terms used in paid search marketing as defined by the Sampo glossary, and learn that Google updates terminology over time, so stay aware of adjustments.

Identify how bids in a pay per click auction determine your ranking and cost. Learn to set and adjust bids over time against competitors to optimize clicks and spend.

Create ad groups to organize pay per click campaigns, targeting specific keywords and displaying tailored ads for related search terms on Google AdWords and Microsoft's platform.

Learn how a PPC campaign launches ads, runs for a set duration, and is reviewed for performance, enabling adjustments throughout its beginning, middle, and end.

Explore the Google display network, a vast partner site ecosystem created after acquiring DoubleClick, and learn when to use display ads versus search ads across Google and partners.

Learn how click fraud affected the Google Display Network, how detection and analytics evolved, and how to guard your PPC budget by preventing fraudulent clicks.

Discover how Google's quality score uses landing page relevance to influence ad rankings and why a clear landing page boosts score while a vague home page hurts.

Structure your PPC team around bidding strategy, keyword research, competitor monitoring, and click fraud protection, whether in-house or with an outside agency, unlike traditional ad agencies.

Identify who owns PPC advertising in your organization—whether in-house, with an agency, or a team—because a fast, decisive owner is essential in this dynamic, changing PPC landscape.

Explore how pay per click structure scales from small teams to global enterprises, detailing staffing ratios, roles, budget splits, and flexible, circular organizational models.

Learn about PPC billing models, including hourly, flat monthly, performance-based, and commissions based on ad spend, and why Google removed the 15 percent agency commission.

Set measurable goals for pay-per-click campaigns by defining conversions and their value, and align website traffic, sales, and brand awareness with a clear return on marketing investment focus.

Set the right PPC goal to improve performance, choosing between increasing sales, boosting brand awareness, or enhancing return on investment in advertising, depending on product launch stage.

Google AdWords lets you set daily or monthly budgets to cap spending, and you should adjust the budget as audience response and the marketplace change.

Learn how Google uses an auction for paid search; create an ad, set a bid (often below Google’s suggestion) and balance bid, ad quality, and brand impact with ad extensions.

Explore how pay per click expands into search engine marketing, covering CPC, CPV, CPA, and CPM bidding models, with emphasis on conversions and awareness campaigns.

Discover how to automate bidding in PPC using Google's machine learning to optimize for your campaign goals and conversions. Test, set goals, and leverage Google's technology to improve results.

Conduct keyword research to identify terms that trigger your ad, including synonyms and variations, and test which search terms perform best across Google's tools.

Learn how to use negative keywords to refine ad auctions, target longer search terms by buyer stage, and optimize mobile campaigns for lunchtime and after-hours search behavior.

Learn how smartphones drive search moments: I want to know, I want to go, I want to do, I want to buy, and how to optimize PPC around these intents.

Access data-driven campaign insights by using free tools like Google keyword planner, display planner, SpyFu, and Bing to identify keywords, audiences, and competitive opportunities to optimize pay per click campaigns.

Master how to use broad match, broad match modifier, phrase match, exact match, and negative match to control when your ads show for targeted search terms.

Select the right keyword list for a campaign by grouping variations that match how customers search, such as running shoes or soccer cleats, into focused ad groups.

Learn how different keywords play distinct roles across customer journey phases in PPC, from first-click introductions to second and third visits shaping pricing and hours decisions.

Explore the evolution of pay-per-click advertising from basic text ads to expanded text ads with extensions on Google, and learn how the display tool boosts brand awareness and clicks.

Explore expanded text ads with two 25-character headlines and a longer single description, optimized for mobile, and learn to leverage the second headline for greater engagement.

Explore the expanded text ad format with two headlines and a revised description layout, and learn how using extensions boosts performance in Google ads without extra cost.

Explore how automated ad extensions work and opt-in options like site link, call, and location extensions to boost mobile conversions, while monitoring results and adjusting hours or location settings.

Learn to craft PPC ads by prioritizing benefits over features, using customer-focused language to show how a lightweight umbrella solves rain and fits ad constraints for better results.

Compare benefit-driven versus feature-driven ad copy and highlight unique selling points and clear calls to action to improve ppc performance.

Bold keywords in ads mirror user searches to improve relevance and quality score; target ads to focused landing pages, ensure fast mobile load, and showcase trust signals to boost conversions.

Learn to tailor pay per click campaigns with geographic targeting and strategic placements across Google Search, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Shopping, and optimize timing by daily patterns.

Learn how to structure a PPC account with a single account, multiple campaigns for different geographies and products, and ad groups containing multiple ads to drive store visits.

Explore how to tailor text ads using keyword, location, language, and device targeting, plus audience and remarketing campaigns that reach visitors who haven’t purchased.

Explore remarketing lists for search ads (RSLA) to re-engage visitors after the first site visit, delivering a tailored second visit message and optimized bidding for higher conversions.

Explore how Google search networks extend results beyond Google search to power placements on partner sites, and evaluate which networks reach your target customers with flexible options.

Discover how quality score is recalculated at each auction with varying competitors, and use tools to estimate it. Improve landing page content to boost quality score rather than ad content.

Learn how Google's diagnostic tool, not a KPI, helps improve your quality score, a key factor in PPC auctions, influenced by bids, competitors, and extensions.

Adapt your PPC campaigns as business goals shift from awareness to trial and sale. Improve ad rank by optimizing quality score while seizing mid-month opportunities and applying ongoing feedback.

Run one change at a time in AdWords experiments to identify what boosts performance, compare headline variants and landing pages, then analyze results and scale testing gradually.

Learn how to conduct A/B tests by alternating version A and version B, running tests for weeks, and using Google Adwords tools to improve performance over time.

Explore multivariate tests as the next step beyond A/B testing for high-traffic sites. Learn how to structure changes and evaluate which elements impact outcomes.

Conclude your pay per click journey by reinforcing core fundamentals and preparing you to become a PPC advertising expert, ready for the exam.