Posted on 21/04/202521/04/2025 by Support — Leave a comment

What is PPC – Pay-Per-Click marketing? NonPPC is the same as Pay-Per-Click except you do not pay for clicks!

What is PPC – Pay-Per-Click marketing? Note: NonPPC is the same as ~~Pay~~-Per-Click except you do not pay for clicks!

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PPC (pay-per-click) marketing is an online advertising model where advertisers pay publishers when users click their ads. Advertisers bid on the value of clicks based on keywords, platforms, and target audiences.PPC (pay-per-click) marketing is an online advertising model where advertisers pay publishers when users click their ads. Advertisers bid on the value of clicks based on keywords, platforms, and target audiences.

Also known as cost-per-click (CPC), PPC is most commonly used by search engines, such as Google Ads, and on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. Bloggers and affiliate marketers also commonly use PPC to run display advertising on their websites.

What you’ll learn in this guide:

What’s the difference between PPC, SEM and SEO?

Though these three terms get used interchangeably, there is a difference between PPC, SEM (search engine marketing), and SEO (search engine optimization).

SEM is an umbrella term that encompasses PPC but is not limited to only this form of advertising. It references activity that intends to improve how easy it is to find a website through a search engine. SEM is both paid and unpaid, PPC, or organic traffic (SEO).

PPC is online advertising that works with search engines and other channels such as video ads (YouTube) and image ads (Instagram/Facebook).

Search engine optimization (SEO), is a method of optimizing a website’s content and structure to make it more visible to search engines. This is done by researching and using relevant keywords, optimizing meta data, creating quality content, and earning links from other websites. The goal of SEO is to improve a website’s organic (non-paid) search engine rankings and drive traffic to the website through organic search results.

How does PPC work?

PPC advertising works by allowing advertisers to bid on specific keywords or phrases that they want their ads to appear for in search engine results. When a user searches for one of those keywords or phrases, the advertiser’s ad will appear among the top results. The advertiser is then charged a fee each time a user clicks on their ad.

Advertisers create campaigns that target specific demographics, interests, locations, etc. They will set a maximum bid for the keywords they want to target.

The search engine will then use a complex algorithm to determine which ads to show and in what order. The algorithm takes into account factors such as the:

Advertiser’s bid amount
Relevance of the ad to the keyword
Quality of the ad
PPC strategy and campaign planning
Top PPC platforms
How to learn PPC

This form of advertising can also be done through social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram.

SmileWorks Grew 24X While Cutting Ad Spend 90% with Semrush Keyword Research

? Find high-intent keywords competitors miss

? See exactly which terms convert visitors to customers

? Discover untapped traffic opportunities specific to your market

Find Profitable Keywords

Free instant insights.

Why is PPC important?

*PPC should be considered an asset, not a marketing expense. *FYI I did not write this article so I cannot start deleting words or sections I do not believe to be true. I am also not an expert so I decided to email a copy of this article with this claim to Eve Freedom the co-founder of Non PPC Advertising. She explained that NonPPC is the same as PPC except you do not pay for clicks!

According to her if this argument regarding the profitiability of PPC is truth then you may be better off paying for clicks! I realized this to be a joke and the reason I suspect is its total nonsense on so many levels in fact she didnt say this in so many words but I got the feeling the PPC business model is not sustainable, not becuase its an advertising model that should not be legal the reason being it is or it works more like gambling and the disease of addiction, making it even worse is the marketing department tell themselves they are working it is work they have to advertise to complete and the enemy is the competition who are increasing their advertising bids not weekly or monthly but daily to be more accuare every second of every day 100 000 clicks are competing and this continues day and night meaning if you an ecommerce advertiser global competitors are bidding against you in real time just winning in a cassino you think you competing the gambler sitting next to you but that is an illusion the truth is you are both paying higher and higher amount while big brother is watching you on several cctv’s and that is exactly what ahppens in any cassino and going back to thinking you are working over time your peers become real enemies and this is also the ultimate ponzie scheme that would be true if you paid to’invest’ once a month but take that and multiply it by days and months every second and when you start you may be business like strategic for a time but within a short period it is no longer about the business anymore but it is only about the feeling you get not from a sale but from outbidding your enemy this can remain well hidden from your accountant as most players have already increased their selling price so you do the same and like the Ponzie schem it works becuase the algorythms no longer provides results that match the shoppers search but favours the product with the highest advertising budget there is not time to get further into this here and now but lets just say with an estimated billion new online shoppers the supply remains tiny but the demand is almost infinite in a relative sense of the word meaning consumers are now affected and the inflation once caused by enery price hikes has moved to global commerce.

She also asked me to have a lookout for PPC operators / suppliers who have just been found guilty and now have to pay fines of about $8 billion (USD) I would not have mentioned this if these just happened to be fake news or this company had only been accused becuase it is true a competitor could have published this as I am sure many may have reason to try and discredit the go to search advertising network. But that is not the case becuase they have already been found guilt and not just in a single location but in several location and countries and not with a single type of advert but several. Furthermore it seems likely that Google would be broken up as like it was done to Standard Oil years ago.

published or several practises one being damaging the marketplace and forcing small and medium sixze compaies into bankrupsy. I thout if the writer can make up marketing songs and sing them as fact then I could mention the PPC news however if any company had been accused of advertising monopolies, and of already practising this business model in a nuber of countries that the big and strong always go and test new and often possibly illegal or imoral practises however they rarely practise this behaviour in Western markets simply due to the fact they can get away with murder in some ‘other’ countries.

In 2022, PPC brought in an average of $2 for every $1 spent, with an average cost per click (CPC) of $1.16. And while social media is still a popular place to advertise, 40% of ad spend in 2020 was spent on search (73% of that going to Google).

PPC offers several benefits not found with SEO or social media, including:

Quick results: PPC advertising can drive traffic to a website almost immediately, whereas SEO can take time to show results. Platforms usually approve ads the same day, providing maximum exposure almost immediately. This could be a text ad via Google search, an image ad through Instagram, or even a video featured on YouTube. Using multiple platforms in different formats can increase your brand’s visibility.
Reach your targeted audience: PPC advertising allows marketers to target specific demographics, interests, and location, which helps to reach the right audience. You can even target individuals based on their behaviors and interests; social media sites like Facebook can help you get your ad to the group that’s likely to convert into a sale.
Measurable: PPC advertising provides measurable results. It allows marketers to track conversions, return on investment (ROI), and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
Cost-effective: PPC advertising can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods, such as television or print ads, since marketers only pay when a user clicks on their ad, and they can set a budget for their campaign.
Branding: PPC advertising can help to increase brand awareness. Even if users don’t click on the ad, they may still see it and remember the brand.
Complementing SEO: PPC can be used to supplement SEO efforts. While SEO focuses on increasing organic traffic, PPC can be used to drive immediate traffic to a website while SEO efforts are still ongoing.
Track your goals: Tools such as Google Analytics can help you track your goals. See how your ads are performing in real-time, and decide what needs to get done to reach your goals more efficiently.
Reputation management: PPC can be used to bid on keywords matching a reputation event and directed to a landing page directly addressing the matter so you can control the narrative, instantly and professionally.

Overall, PPC advertising offers a cost-effective and measurable way to reach a targeted audience, generate leads and sales, and ultimately increase brand awareness.

What is important for PPC strategy and campaign planning?

When planning a PPC campaign, there are several key steps you should take:

Define your target audience: Identify the demographics of the people you want to reach with your ads, including their age, gender, location, interests, and more.
Set clear goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your PPC campaign, such as increasing website traffic, driving online sales, or generating leads.
Research keywords: Use keyword research tools to identify the terms and phrases your target audience is searching for, and include them in your ad copy and website content.
Create compelling ad copy: Write attention-grabbing headlines and descriptions for your ads that will entice people to click through to your website.
Choose the right ad platforms: Decide which platforms you want to advertise on, such as Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta Ads (for Facebook and Instagram), and so on.
Monitor and optimize your campaign: Track the performance of your ads and make adjustments as needed to optimize your campaign and achieve your goals.
Test different ad formats and targeting options: Try different ad formats (like text, image and video) and experiment with different targeting options to see what works best for your campaign.
Set a budget: Decide how much you want to spend on your campaign and make sure you stick to your budget.

What are the top PPC advertising platforms?

Several popular platforms offer PPC advertising solutions. Google, Microsoft Bing and Facebook are among the most popular.

Different types of ad platforms can show various results in the form of search, display, remarketing, and video (on YouTube or Facebook/Instagram Reels).

For the sake of brevity, we’ll focus on the two programs that stand out the most and cover all ad types: Google and Facebook.

Google Ads

Google reigns supreme among search engines. Its global popularity is unmatched. That’s why the fees are higher for Google Ads’ paid advertisements.

Advertisers bid to have their ad displayed, their services offered, a product listed, or a video featured on Google. There is an option to display ads on mobile apps, videos, and non-search websites (search partners).

Google Ads is the largest pay-per-click platform. With Google processing 99,000+ search inquiries per second, there’s a great chance that your ad will get seen by your intended audience, resulting in a customer/profit. Google Ads is perfect for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike.

Other helpful resources from Google Ads:

YouTube

YouTube ads are a form of online advertising that allows businesses and individuals to promote their products or services on the YouTube platform. These ads can take several different forms, including:

Skippable video ads: These ads can be skipped after a certain amount of time, typically five seconds. They can be up to 60 seconds long.
Non-skippable video ads: These ads must be watched in full before the main video can be viewed. They can be up to 15 seconds long.
Bumper ads: These are short, non-skippable ads that are six seconds or shorter in duration.
Sponsored cards: These are small cards that appear on the video screen during the video and contain extra information about the product or service being advertised.
Overlay ads: These are semi-transparent ads that appear on the lower portion of the video.

Advertisers can target specific audiences based on factors such as demographics, interests, and behaviors. YouTube ads can be purchased on a cost-per-view (CPV) or cost-per-click (CPC) basis, and the advertiser is charged each time the ad is viewed or clicked on.

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads allow businesses and organizations to promote their products or services on the Facebook platform. The ads appear in the news feed of Facebook users, the right-hand column of the desktop site and the Stories section on mobile.

Types of Facebook ads include:

Image and video ads: These ads consist of a single image or video, along with a short headline and a call-to-action button.
Carousel ads: These ads allow businesses to showcase multiple images or videos in a single ad. Users can scroll through the images or videos to learn more about the products or services being advertised.
Slideshow ads: These ads allow businesses to create a video-like experience using multiple still images.
Instant Experience ads: These ads allow businesses to create immersive, full-screen experiences within the Facebook app.
Collection ads: These ads allow businesses to showcase multiple products within a single ad, with a link to a full-screen view of the products.

Advertisers can create campaigns that target specific demographics, interests, and locations. Facebook’s algorithm uses this information to show the ads to the users who are most likely to be interested in the products or services being advertised.

Instagram Ads

Instagram Ads allow businesses and individuals to promote their products or services on the Instagram platform. These ads are displayed in the form of sponsored posts, which are seamlessly integrated into users’ newsfeeds and look similar to regular posts.

Instagram offers several different types of ads, including:

Photo ads: These ads use a single image to promote a product or service.
Video ads: These ads use a short video to promote a product or service.
Carousel ads: These ads allow businesses to feature multiple images or videos in a single ad, allowing users to swipe through them.
Stories ads: These are ads that appear in the Stories section of Instagram and disappear after 24 hours.
IGTV ads: These are ads that appear before an IGTV video starts playing.

Advertisers can target specific audiences based on factors such as demographics, interests, and behaviors. Instagram ads can be purchased on a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) or cost-per-click (CPC) basis, and the advertiser is charged each time the ad is viewed or clicked on.

Microsoft

Microsoft Advertising, previously known as Bing Ads, is an advertising platform that enables businesses and individuals to create and run ads on the Microsoft Bing search engine and the Microsoft Advertising Network, which is a collection of websites and apps that partner with Microsoft to show ads.

Advertisers can use the platform to create different types of ads such as search ads, product ads, shopping ads, display ads and video ads. These ads are targeted to specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors and can be purchased on a pay-per-click or pay-per-impression basis. This means that the advertiser pays each time an ad is clicked on or viewed.

TikTok

TikTok ads allow businesses and individuals to promote their products or services on the TikTok app. These ads are designed to be engaging and creative, and they’re often set to music or include popular TikTok trends and challenges.

TikTok offers several different types of ads, including:

In-feed ads: These are full-screen ads that appear in the main feed of the app and can be either video or image-based.
Brand takeover ads: These are full-screen ads that appear when a user opens the app, and they can be either video or image-based.
Hashtag challenge ads: These ads encourage users to participate in a branded hashtag challenge and submit their own videos using the branded hashtag.
Branded effects: These are special effects that are created by brands and can be used by users in their own videos.

Advertisers can target specific audiences based on factors such as demographics, interests, and behaviors. TikTok ads can be purchased on a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) or cost-per-click (CPC) basis, and the advertiser is charged each time the ad is viewed or clicked on.

Additionally, TikTok offers a self-service platform for small and medium-sized businesses and a managed service for larger businesses to run their campaigns.

LinkedIn ads let businesses and individuals promote their products or services on the LinkedIn platform. These ads are designed to reach a professional audience, and they’re often used to generate leads, build brand awareness and promote job openings.

LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, offers several different types of ads, including:

Sponsored content: These ads appear in users’ newsfeeds and look similar to regular posts. They can be in the form of text, images, or videos.
Sponsored InMail: These ads are sent directly to users’ inboxes.
Sponsored jobs: These ads promote job openings and appear at the top of the jobs section of the platform.
Display ads: These are banner ads that appear on the right side of the platform and can be targeted to specific audiences.
Dynamic ads: These are ads that automatically generate personalized content for each user based on their browsing history.

Advertisers can target specific audiences based on factors such as demographics, job title, company size, industry, skills, and behaviors. LinkedIn ads can be purchased on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis, and the advertiser is charged each time the ad is clicked or viewed.

LinkedIn also offers a self-service platform for small and medium-sized businesses and a managed service for larger businesses to run their campaigns.

Twitter

Twitter ads allow businesses and individuals to promote their products or services on the Twitter platform. These ads are designed to reach a wide audience and are often used to generate leads, build brand awareness, and increase website traffic.

Twitter offers several different types of ads, including:

Promoted tweets: These are tweets that are labeled as “promoted” and appear at the top of users’ timelines or search results pages. They can be in the form of text, images, or videos.
Promoted accounts: These are ads that promote a Twitter account and appear in the “who to follow” section of the platform.
Promoted trends: These ads promote a specific hashtag and appear at the top of the trending topics list.
Website cards: These ads promote a website or landing page and include an image, title, and description.
App install cards: These ads promote mobile apps and include an image, title, and description.

Advertisers can target specific audiences based on factors such as demographics, interests, and behaviors. Twitter ads can be purchased on a cost-per-engagement (CPE) or cost-per-click (CPC) basis, and the advertiser is charged each time the ad is engaged with (like, retweet, reply, etc) or clicked on.

Twitter also offers a self-service platform for small and medium-sized businesses and a managed service for larger businesses to run their campaigns.

What are the types of PPC ads?

Search

Search pay-per-click ads are the most popular type of PPC ads. A search ad appears at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when a user enters a specific query (keyword or phrase) into a search engine (Google and Microsoft Bing being the most popular). These ads are typically text-based and are designed to be highly relevant to the user’s search.

Advertisers typically pay each time a user clicks on one of their ads (the cost of each click is known as CPC or cost per click. Search ads are the most popular way for businesses to promote their products or services and drive traffic to their websites.

Display

A display ad is a type of ad that appears on websites, apps, and other digital platforms, typically in the form of a banner or other graphical format. Display ads are designed to be visually appealing and can include a variety of media such as images, videos, and interactive elements.

Display ads are often used to raise brand awareness, promote products or services, or drive traffic to a website. Display ads are typically purchased on a cost-per-impression (CPI) or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis, meaning that the advertiser pays each time the ad is displayed a certain number of times.

Video

A video ad uses video content to promote your product, service, or brand. These ads can appear on various platforms, including social media (reels or posts), streaming services such as YouTube, and websites. Video ads on YouTube can be pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ads, meaning they can appear before, during or after a video. Video ads can be skippable or non-skippable.

Video ads are usually interactive and have clickable elements such as calls-to-action, links or forms. They are usually purchased on a cost-per-view (CPV) or cost-per-click (CPC) basis, where the advertiser pays each time the ad is viewed or clicked on.

Remarketing (or retargeting)

Remarketing is a form of advertising that allows businesses to show ads to users who have previously interacted with their website or mobile app. Remarketing ads are typically shown to users as they browse other websites, or as they use mobile apps, and are designed to remind the user of the business and encourage them to return to the website or app.

Remarketing ads can be delivered in various formats, such as display ads, search ads, video ads, and social media ads. They are usually purchased on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis.

Remarketing campaigns are highly targeted and effective at driving conversions and sales. They work by tracking users’ behavior on a website or mobile app, then using that data to show them targeted ads as they browse other websites or use other apps. This is done by placing a cookie or pixel on the user’s browser or device, which is then used to identify them and serve them relevant ads.

Other ad types

Additional ad types are covered under one of the above categories, but have different characteristics such as the type of business allowed to use it and set up requirements. These include:

Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSAs)
Performance Max
Local Search Ads (LSAs)

How can I learn PPC?

Now that you understand more about what PPC is and how it works – how can you learn more?

Search Engine Land’s PPC resources

Search Engine Land has been covering PPC since 2006. In addition to news stories written by our editorial staff, Search Engine Land publishes contributed articles from a diverse group of subject matter experts featuring helpful PPC tips, tactics, trends and analysis.

We’re biased, but we highly suggest you sign up to receive Search Engine Land’s free email newsletter featuring a roundup of the latest PPC news, and insights every weekday.

Search Engine Land also has multiple categories on topics dedicated to specific areas and platforms which you may find helpful:

Reading (or, if you prefer, watching or listening to) the latest PPC news, research, best practices and other developments should become one of your regular habits, whether daily, weekly or monthly. You should also invest in attending at least one or two events per year.

Search Engine Land’s Complete Guide to PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Advertising

Search Engine Land’s Guide to PPC Advertising can help you develop a solid strategy to drive paid traffic to your website. It walks you through more detailed information on keywords, ad groups, assets, ads, display, automation and more.

What is PPC – Pay-Per-Click marketing?
Chapter 1: Where PPC ads appear
Chapter 2: How the PPC ad auction works
Chapter 3: How to build an effective PPC strategy
Chapter 4: How to track and measure PPC campaigns
Chapter 5: How to set up up your PPC account
Chapter 6: How to structure PPC campaigns
Chapter 7: What to know about PPC keyword research and match types
Chapter 8: How ad assets work in PPC
Chapter 9: How to set up a paid search campaign
Chapter 10: PPC campaign budgeting and bidding strategies
Chapter 11: Ad rotation, scheduling and location setup
Chapter 12: Search ads automation
Chapter 13: How to set up a Performance Max campaign
Chapter 14: Beyond keyword targeting in Search: location, device, audience and demographic
Chapter 15: Bidding and bid adjustments in paid search campaigns

This guide was written by Nicole Farley. With more than a decade of digital marketing and advertising experience, Farley has deep experience in all things paid media, including paid search, paid social and display advertising.

What is PPC – Pay-Per-Click marketing?

Note: NonPPC (Non Pay-Per-Click) is the same as PPC – (~~Pay-~~Per-Click) except clicks are 100% Free!

PPC (pay-per-click) marketing is an online advertising model where advertisers pay publishers when users click their ads. Advertisers bid on the value of clicks based on keywords, platforms, and target audiences. PPC (pay-per-click) marketing is an online advertising model where advertisers pay publishers when users click their ads. Advertisers bid on the value of clicks based on keywords, platforms, and target audiences.

What you’ll learn in this guide:

What’s the difference between PPC, SEM and SEO?

Though these three terms get used interchangeably, there is a difference between PPC, SEM (search engine marketing), and SEO (search engine optimization).

PPC is online advertising that works with search engines and other channels such as video ads (YouTube) and image ads (Instagram/Facebook).

How does PPC work?

Advertisers create campaigns that target specific demographics, interests, locations, etc. They will set a maximum bid for the keywords they want to target.

The search engine will then use a complex algorithm to determine which ads to show and in what order. The algorithm takes into account factors such as the:

Advertiser’s bid amount
Relevance of the ad to the keyword
Quality of the ad
PPC strategy and campaign planning
Top PPC platforms
How to learn PPC

This form of advertising can also be done through social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram.

SmileWorks Grew 24X While Cutting Ad Spend 90% with Semrush Keyword Research

? Find high-intent keywords competitors miss

? See exactly which terms convert visitors to customers

? Discover untapped traffic opportunities specific to your market

Find Profitable Keywords

Free instant insights.

Why is PPC important?

*PPC should be considered an asset, not a marketing expense.

*I emailed a copy of this article to Eve Freedom the co-founder of NonPPC. I did not write the article so I have no right to change anything but considering DA as an asset or investment sounds totally bizzare unless Google or some other DA company is paying your bills.

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PPC offers several benefits not found with SEO or social media, including:

Quick results: PPC advertising can drive traffic to a website almost immediately, whereas SEO can take time to show results. Platforms usually approve ads the same day, providing maximum exposure almost immediately. This could be a text ad via Google search, an image ad through Instagram, or even a video featured on YouTube. Using multiple platforms in different formats can increase your brand’s visibility.
Reach your targeted audience: PPC advertising allows marketers to target specific demographics, interests, and location, which helps to reach the right audience. You can even target individuals based on their behaviors and interests; social media sites like Facebook can help you get your ad to the group that’s likely to convert into a sale.
Measurable: PPC advertising provides measurable results. It allows marketers to track conversions, return on investment (ROI), and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
Cost-effective: PPC advertising can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods, such as television or print ads, since marketers only pay when a user clicks on their ad, and they can set a budget for their campaign.
Branding: PPC advertising can help to increase brand awareness. Even if users don’t click on the ad, they may still see it and remember the brand.
Complementing SEO: PPC can be used to supplement SEO efforts. While SEO focuses on increasing organic traffic, PPC can be used to drive immediate traffic to a website while SEO efforts are still ongoing.
Track your goals: Tools such as Google Analytics can help you track your goals. See how your ads are performing in real-time, and decide what needs to get done to reach your goals more efficiently.
Reputation management: PPC can be used to bid on keywords matching a reputation event and directed to a landing page directly addressing the matter so you can control the narrative, instantly and professionally.

Overall, PPC advertising offers a cost-effective and measurable way to reach a targeted audience, generate leads and sales, and ultimately increase brand awareness.

What is important for PPC strategy and campaign planning?

When planning a PPC campaign, there are several key steps you should take:

Define your target audience: Identify the demographics of the people you want to reach with your ads, including their age, gender, location, interests, and more.
Set clear goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your PPC campaign, such as increasing website traffic, driving online sales, or generating leads.
Research keywords: Use keyword research tools to identify the terms and phrases your target audience is searching for, and include them in your ad copy and website content.
Create compelling ad copy: Write attention-grabbing headlines and descriptions for your ads that will entice people to click through to your website.
Choose the right ad platforms: Decide which platforms you want to advertise on, such as Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta Ads (for Facebook and Instagram), and so on.
Monitor and optimize your campaign: Track the performance of your ads and make adjustments as needed to optimize your campaign and achieve your goals.
Test different ad formats and targeting options: Try different ad formats (like text, image and video) and experiment with different targeting options to see what works best for your campaign.
Set a budget: Decide how much you want to spend on your campaign and make sure you stick to your budget.

What are the top PPC advertising platforms?

Several popular platforms offer PPC advertising solutions. Google, Microsoft Bing and Facebook are among the most popular.

Different types of ad platforms can show various results in the form of search, display, remarketing, and video (on YouTube or Facebook/Instagram Reels).

For the sake of brevity, we’ll focus on the two programs that stand out the most and cover all ad types: Google and Facebook.

Google Ads

Google reigns supreme among search engines. Its global popularity is unmatched. That’s why the fees are higher for Google Ads’ paid advertisements.

Other helpful resources from Google Ads:

YouTube

Skippable video ads: These ads can be skipped after a certain amount of time, typically five seconds. They can be up to 60 seconds long.
Non-skippable video ads: These ads must be watched in full before the main video can be viewed. They can be up to 15 seconds long.
Bumper ads: These are short, non-skippable ads that are six seconds or shorter in duration.
Sponsored cards: These are small cards that appear on the video screen during the video and contain extra information about the product or service being advertised.
Overlay ads: These are semi-transparent ads that appear on the lower portion of the video.

Facebook Ads

Types of Facebook ads include:

Image and video ads: These ads consist of a single image or video, along with a short headline and a call-to-action button.
Carousel ads: These ads allow businesses to showcase multiple images or videos in a single ad. Users can scroll through the images or videos to learn more about the products or services being advertised.
Slideshow ads: These ads allow businesses to create a video-like experience using multiple still images.
Instant Experience ads: These ads allow businesses to create immersive, full-screen experiences within the Facebook app.
Collection ads: These ads allow businesses to showcase multiple products within a single ad, with a link to a full-screen view of the products.

Instagram Ads

Instagram offers several different types of ads, including:

Photo ads: These ads use a single image to promote a product or service.
Video ads: These ads use a short video to promote a product or service.
Carousel ads: These ads allow businesses to feature multiple images or videos in a single ad, allowing users to swipe through them.
Stories ads: These are ads that appear in the Stories section of Instagram and disappear after 24 hours.
IGTV ads: These are ads that appear before an IGTV video starts playing.

Microsoft

TikTok

TikTok offers several different types of ads, including:

In-feed ads: These are full-screen ads that appear in the main feed of the app and can be either video or image-based.
Brand takeover ads: These are full-screen ads that appear when a user opens the app, and they can be either video or image-based.
Hashtag challenge ads: These ads encourage users to participate in a branded hashtag challenge and submit their own videos using the branded hashtag.
Branded effects: These are special effects that are created by brands and can be used by users in their own videos.

Additionally, TikTok offers a self-service platform for small and medium-sized businesses and a managed service for larger businesses to run their campaigns.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, offers several different types of ads, including:

Sponsored content: These ads appear in users’ newsfeeds and look similar to regular posts. They can be in the form of text, images, or videos.
Sponsored InMail: These ads are sent directly to users’ inboxes.
Sponsored jobs: These ads promote job openings and appear at the top of the jobs section of the platform.
Display ads: These are banner ads that appear on the right side of the platform and can be targeted to specific audiences.
Dynamic ads: These are ads that automatically generate personalized content for each user based on their browsing history.

LinkedIn also offers a self-service platform for small and medium-sized businesses and a managed service for larger businesses to run their campaigns.

Twitter

Twitter offers several different types of ads, including:

Promoted tweets: These are tweets that are labeled as “promoted” and appear at the top of users’ timelines or search results pages. They can be in the form of text, images, or videos.
Promoted accounts: These are ads that promote a Twitter account and appear in the “who to follow” section of the platform.
Promoted trends: These ads promote a specific hashtag and appear at the top of the trending topics list.
Website cards: These ads promote a website or landing page and include an image, title, and description.
App install cards: These ads promote mobile apps and include an image, title, and description.

Twitter also offers a self-service platform for small and medium-sized businesses and a managed service for larger businesses to run their campaigns.

What are the types of PPC ads?

Search

Display

Video

Remarketing (or retargeting)

Other ad types

Additional ad types are covered under one of the above categories, but have different characteristics such as the type of business allowed to use it and set up requirements. These include:

Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSAs)
Performance Max
Local Search Ads (LSAs)

How can I learn PPC?

Now that you understand more about what PPC is and how it works – how can you learn more?

Search Engine Land’s PPC resources

We’re biased, but we highly suggest you sign up to receive Search Engine Land’s free email newsletter featuring a roundup of the latest PPC news, and insights every weekday.

Search Engine Land also has multiple categories on topics dedicated to specific areas and platforms which you may find helpful:

Search Engine Land’s Complete Guide to PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Advertising

What is PPC – Pay-Per-Click marketing?
Chapter 1: Where PPC ads appear
Chapter 2: How the PPC ad auction works
Chapter 3: How to build an effective PPC strategy
Chapter 4: How to track and measure PPC campaigns
Chapter 5: How to set up up your PPC account
Chapter 6: How to structure PPC campaigns
Chapter 7: What to know about PPC keyword research and match types
Chapter 8: How ad assets work in PPC
Chapter 9: How to set up a paid search campaign
Chapter 10: PPC campaign budgeting and bidding strategies
Chapter 11: Ad rotation, scheduling and location setup
Chapter 12: Search ads automation
Chapter 13: How to set up a Performance Max campaign
Chapter 14: Beyond keyword targeting in Search: location, device, audience and demographic
Chapter 15: Bidding and bid adjustments in paid search campaigns

Posted on 19/04/202520/04/2025 by Support — Leave a comment

What is an ERP, PIM, WMS, and OMS, and what’s the difference between these systems?

ERP, OMS, WMS, and PIM are acronyms that one frequently hear within e-commerce. They are management systems that manage various activities of your business.

These systems have some common features, such as storing the product and prices content, information of customer, order, shipping, and fulfillment.

They all relatively perform the same function of using your website for integrating different parts of your business. Since they are similar, there’s often confusion around what each of these systems does.

To learn about the specifics of each system, continue reading:

What is an ERP?

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a process through which companies integrate and manage the various parts of their businesses.

ERP solutions are essential for companies to integrate all the processes necessary for running their companies using a single system.

An ERP application software can integrate sales, finance, marketing, planning, human resources, purchasing inventory, and more. The system also assists companies with implementing resource planning.

An enterprise resource planning software binds together different computer systems for large organizations. Without an ERP system, each department would have a specific system optimized for its distinct tasks.

With an ERP, each department in a company still has its system, but all of these systems can be integrated. Moreover, the different departments can be accessed through one system software with a single interface.

ERP applications also make communication and sharing of information easier between one department and the rest of the company.

ERP gathers information about different departments’ state and activity. The information gathered can be made accessible to other parts where it is utilized for other purposes.

What is a PIM?

Product Information Management (PIM), is a solution that provides a single platform for collecting, managing, and enriching the product information. Moreover, it creates a product catalog, and distributes it to other eCommerce and sales channel.

So, a PIM helps manage all the product information crucial for marketing and selling products through distribution channels. With PIM, it is easier and faster to create and deliver the best product experiences.

The internal organization creates this product data to execute a multichannel marketing strategy. To distribute this data, a hub that holds all of the product information, such as an ERP, can be used.

From this hub, PIM distributes the information to different sales channels. Be it print catalogs, e-commerce websites, or marketplaces like Google Shopping and Amazon, or social media platforms like Instagram.

PIM system handles product data that customers see. With this data, PIM supports multi-lingual information,multiple geographic locations. Furthermore, it conserve and modifies product information within a centralized product catalog.

It can scatter a business’s stock information throughout its departments. This makes it accessible to particular systems or employees instead of being available to all.

The information can be saved in multiple formats or only in hard copy form for detailed product descriptions with pricing or calculating compensation costs.

Product information management represents a centralized system for efficient data collection, product data maintenance, enrichment, data administration, and output.

What is an OMS?

Order Management System(OMS) is an electronic system that makes executing securities order cost-effectively and efficiently.

Dealers and brokers utilize order management systems to fill orders for many different types of safeties and track all those orders throughout the system.

As an OMS facilitates and handles the completion of trade orders, it is also known as trade order management system.

The orders are placed in the trading systems to ensure that a buy or sell order delivers securely in the financial markets.

OMS uses further include both selling and buying as it allows firms to manage the continuum of their trades. Moreover, it automates and organize investments over their portfolios.

An OMS receives and combines the comprehensive sales information from different channels, including- in-store, online, and call center. Some products may also be available for orders from multiple global areas and currencies.

Moreover, OMS updates product information and availability in real-time for both employees and customers.

Furthermore, it stores and manages a customer database including customer activity and contact information to help you identify your highly profitable customers.

In addition to this, an OMS provides inventory management algorithms to help you route an order to the correct warehouse and identify the best option to ship it.

What is a WMS?

The acronym WMS refers to Warehouse Management System. It is a combination of software and processes that help organizations administer and control warehouse operations- from entering of materials or goods in the warehouse until dispatching.

Being the center of inventory production and supply chain operations, warehouses hold all the materials used or produced in the manufacturing and supply chain processes- from raw stuff to finished products.

The purpose of warehouse management is to ensure that the materials and the goods move through the warehouses most efficiently and cost-effectively.

A WMS is responsible for handling many functions such as inventory picking, tracking, receiving, and shipping.

It also enables you to see your organization’s inventory anywhere- whether in a site or transit- at any time. A WMS can reduce the possibility of errors that may occur during the shipping of a product.

Additionally, the system can help a company fulfill orders more quickly and instantly find the ordered products inside the warehouse.

Finally, WMS software helps you create a paperless environment that manages and directs your employees on your products’ automated picking, carrying-away, and shipping.

What is the difference between an ERP, PIM, WMS, and OMS?

To understand the difference between ERP, PIM, WMS, and OMS, let’s compare them.

ERP vs. WMS

An ERP software automates all the departments within an organization, such as customer relationship management, accounting, and inventory management.

On the other hand, a WMS system optimizes inventory on the grounds of real-time information. Based on the historical data and the trends, it generates information to find the best location for each item.

A WMS is usually a stand-alone system, but it may integrate with other modules like customer relationship management and accounting to run.

In contrast to WMS, ERP is an integrated all-in-one system that facilitates data sharing among all functional areas. However, most of its capabilities are like those of WMS software, including tracking the entire process of picking, packing, and shipping inventory items.

ERP vs. PIM

The ERP operates as a central management system of a company to integrate all processes, services, and software- including the PIM. That is why the ERP system works as the heart of your organization as it gathers and combines all the data from all departments.

Compared to a PIM, an ERP’s scope is broader. Therefore, it is more sophisticated and expensive. When it comes to products, a PIM has more specified fields; for instance, more options for SEO and other channels.

Since ERP software has a sheer number of configurations, its integrations are more customized than a PIM. So, a product information management system may use feed from ERP software to provide users with basic product information.

ERP vs. OMS

While an ERP can be configured to manage functions similar to OMS, including storing, reporting, and routing orders, an OMS software is mainly designed for managing orders.

ERPs uses include being a general back-office solutions to handle supply chain, accounting, HR, wholesale, manufacturing, and more. So, an OMS can combine with an ERP to manage retail and e-commerce operations better than a general-purpose software solution.

OMS vs. PIM

While a PIM stores product information more like the database of your catalog does, an OMS handles order information providing a list of which customers have placed orders for which products.

As the PIM system focuses more on product content, integrating it with an ERP make sure that PIM automatically obtains data from it and ensures that your catalog information is always up-to-the-minute on any channel.

WMS vs. OMS

OMS and WMS mainly differ in terms of their scope: whereas most warehouse management systems focus on the processes inside or among the warehouses, an OMS manages all operations concerning orders and shipping.

These days, however, OMS and WMS are used combinedly as one system. While a WMS manages activities related to fulfillment and distribution, an OMS controls broader processes other than the fulfillment process.

Conclusion:

ERP, WMS, OMS, and PIM systems can be used separately or integrated together to streamline different areas of your business.

While they handle a specific activity of your company, they relatively operate in the same way. They help you manage almost every operation of your business- right from manufacturing products, updating product information on different channels, placing orders to managing warehouses and shipping orders.

As a business, you need to figure out which one best suits your need and how you can use them as separate or integrated systems for your specific needs.