Enterprise PPC Management: 9 Strategies + Costs & Examples

Enterprise PPC management is a paid ad strategy that drives online traffic to company websites and can cost $3,000 to $10,000 per month. Learn how our experts use PPC for enterprise clients.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising isn’t going anywhere. In fact, PPC ad spending is actually projected to grow by more than $190 billion in 2024.

Enterprise businesses that want to take advantage of this powerful ad model need to focus on developing enterprise PPC campaigns as part of their overall digital marketing strategy.

Use the enterprise PPC management strategies below to get started with examples to inspire your next PPC campaign.

What is enterprise PPC?

Enterprise PPC is a digital marketing method that helps large-scale organizations bring targeted traffic and conversions to their website through online ads.

Enterprise-level companies are national and multinational organizations with multiple products, services, and locations. So, enterprise PPC has many intricacies, requiring a more comprehensive approach than small business PPC.

Enterprise PPC campaign management costs

Enterprise PPC management costs will depend on your goals and the scope of the campaign. Pricing is typically between $3,000 and $10,000 per month for PPC management services.

9 expert enterprise PPC strategies

New to online advertising? Managed paid search for a while? Doesn’t matter.

Either way, you’ll find these 9 expert enterprise PPC marketing strategies beneficial:

1. Advertise on multiple platforms
2. Write compelling PPC ad copy
3. Include ad extensions
4. Design mobile-first landing pages
5. Use A/B testing to your advantage
6. Create lookalike audiences from your own data
7. Increase bids for qualified site visitors who haven’t made a purchase
8. Increase bids for users who have completed a micro-conversion
9. Cross-promote other products based on purchase behavior

1. Advertise on multiple platforms

Google estimates that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 spent on Google ads.

As this chart from Statista shows, Google has the top digital ad revenue share of the major ad platforms.

Source:https://www.statista.com/statistics/242549/digital-ad-market-share-of-major-ad-selling-companies-in-the-us-by-revenue/

But it isn’t the only PPC ad platform getting results for enterprise businesses. For best results, enterprise organizations should advertise on multiple platforms, like the following.

Meta PPC ads

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has the second-highest ad revenue share after Google. According to Meta, 69% of online shoppers surveyed who use Facebook or Instagram weekly made purchases after seeing personalized ad content on the channel.

Amazon PPC ads

Amazon is the third-highest ad revenue share. In 2022, Amazon’s global ad revenue was $38 billion, nearly double what it was in 2020. Amazon can be a profitable platform for enterprise ecommerce brands that want to reach more customers online.

LinkedIn PPC ads

While Google, Meta, and Amazon are great options for broader audiences, enterprise businesses should also consider running PPC ad campaigns on the platforms that their audience frequents. For example, for B2B enterprise companies, LinkedIn generates 2-5x higher return on ad spend than other social media platforms.

2. Write compelling PPC ad copy

No matter what you’re selling or which channel you’re running ads on, your PPC ad copy needs to hook your audience.

Here are just a few best practices to write compelling PPC ad copy:

• Highlight the benefits of the product or service, rather than the features
• Include clear and actionable calls-to-action like “buy now” or “sign up today”
• Use powerful adjectives to bring the product to life, such as “award-winning” instead of “good”
• Highlight relevant promotions, prices, or exclusives, like free shipping or 50% your order
• Create a headline that’s descriptive and interesting while still clearly outlining what the user can expect when they click on the ad

Now, let’s look at PPC ad copy in the wild to see how it stacks up based on these best practices:

When searching for “enterprise project management software,” the following PPC ads pop up:

The top ad from Wrike uses a headline that clearly describes what to expect when you click on the ad. It also includes a powerful adjective (“must-have”) and a benefit of the product — all in 58 characters.

The body of Wrike’s ad copy uses strong word choice with “powerful” and “instant” to describe the tool’s features. The copy also clearly states the benefits of the product by telling the user what they can do with it.

Monday.com takes a different approach with its ad copy. The headline isn’t as powerful as Wrike’s, but includes the brand name and the unique selling point (USP), which touts being an all-in-one solution.

The body ad copy describes what the tool allows you to do (manage both simple and complex project) and repeats the USP. The ad copy does cut off, which leaves something to be desired.

Replicon also takes a different approach with its ad copy. The headline reiterates what the product is for (enterprise project management) and what users will get (“seamless enterprise success”). The headline copy also aligns with the search term, making it clear what to expect when clicking on the ad.

Replicon’s body ad copy focuses on the benefits of the tool while using the adjective “top-tier” to describe its features. It also includes “68 countries” at the end of the copy, which lends to the company’s authority given that it’s used across the world.

3. Include ad extensions

There are more than 10 types of Google Ads extensions that can add more context to your PPC ad (while also hogging more of the search results real estate). Ad extensions provide greater visibility and more valuable information and reduce irrelevant clicks.

Here are several ad extensions available on Google ads that can benefit enterprise businesses.

Google Shopping ad extensions

Google Shopping ad extensions like Google Merchant Promotions help your ads stand out and boost click-through rates. With Google Merchant Promotions, you can include special offers on your product ads like free shipping or a discount.

Source: Google search screenshot

Promotion extensions

Promotion extensions earn more clicks from searchers looking for a good deal. This extension highlights sales and promotions, which appear underneath the ad as bold, clickable links.

Image: Google search screenshot

Sitelink extensions

Sitelink extensions allow users to choose the page they’d like to visit. It makes it easier for people to find what they’re looking for, which improves the clickthrough rate. Not to mention, it also takes up a significant amount of real estate making the ad more likely to stop the scroll.

Source: Google search screenshot

Image extensions

Image extensions allow you to include relevant visuals in addition to your ad text. These visuals tend to catch the eye of the user, making them more likely to click if relevant.

Image: overdrivedigital.co.uk

4. Design mobile-first landing pages

While your PPC ads will display perfectly on mobile devices, don’t forget to make sure your landing pages do as well. With more than 58% of all website traffic generated from mobile phones, you need to design mobile-friendly PPC landing pages to increase conversions.

Mobile landing pages should load quickly and be easy to navigate and read on mobile. Avoid using large image files that take minutes to load or fonts and colors that may be difficult to read on a smaller device screen. Also, make buttons or hyperlinks large enough to easily click on a mobile device.

5. Use A/B testing to your advantage

PPC advertising isn’t something you can set and forget. Optimization is an important part of improving your PPC results over time. Take full advantage of A/B testing, which allows you to make more data-driven decisions about optimization.

Both Google and Meta make it easy to A/B test different elements of your ads. You can A/B test different variables, including copy, creatives, and audiences, to see which ad elements produce the best results.

To get started on Google Ads, go to Campaign > Google Experiments. Click the blue + button under All Experiments to create a new A/B test.

You’ll then see a menu where Google asks what you’d like to A/B test.

(Image: growmyads.com)

You’ll then create an ad variation and choose to run it across all campaigns or a specific campaign. Then, you’ll name the variation and decide how much time you want to test the ad.

Under the Experiments tab, you can view your experiments and see the results between the two ad variations.

While it may be tempting to skip A/B testing, it can make all the difference with conversions. HawkSEM helped AppDymanics increase its conversion rate by 20% with strategic A/B testing.

6. Create lookalike audiences from your own data

Third-party data can help businesses expand their reach. Most enterprise businesses already have high-quality data on their best customers that they can use to create Lookalike audiences.

To create a target audience segment like this:

• Make a remarketing list of past purchasers using Google Ads or Google Analytics
• Upload a list of past customers to Google Ads

This first-party data can create a Lookalike audience for Search, Display, or YouTube.

Here’s an example of a remarketing list in Google Ads based on people who have visited the Thank You page after purchase:

Image: searchenginejournal.com

7. Increase bids for qualified site visitors who haven’t made a purchase

To take advantage of the qualified users from existing search campaigns, increase the bid on those users. This doesn’t require you to create separate campaigns. Just segment these users and manipulate the bids.

If you use this strategy, create a remarketing list of people who haven’t made a purchase. For example, those that:

• made it to the cart checkout
• visited a certain category page or high-value product page
• Spent a considerable amount of time on your site

Once you have the list, add it to the existing search campaign and increase the bid. Navigate to “Audiences,” and set the audience at the campaign level. Be sure to choose “Observation” to also capture others looking for your brand.

Image: searchenginejournal.com

To increase the bid adjustment, look for the “Bid Adjustment” column, click on the pencil icon, and change the bid as you see fit.

Image: searchenginejournal.com

Check back on the audience performance periodically to see if you need to continue to change the bid.

8. Increase bids for users who have completed a micro-conversion

This strategy focuses on users who completed a micro-conversion. A micro-conversion is an action the user takes to indicate they’re moving toward a purchase. This can include downloading a resource, signing up for your email list, or requesting a free sample or demo.

These conversions show the user is interested in and actively researching your brand, so they’re more likely to convert than someone first finding your brand. To take advantage of this interest, create a remarketing list based on those who’ve completed a micro-conversion, and increase the bid for this segment.

9. Cross-promote other products based on purchase behavior

One way to remarket post-purchase is by cross-promoting other products based on the products or services already purchased. Create lists of past customers segmented by product category, then cross-promote other products and exclude product types they’ve already bought.

For example, if you’re an organic skincare brand, you can create a remarketing list of customers who purchased your facewash and use that list to remarket products like toner or moisturizer.

Examples of enterprise PPC ads

The easiest way to understand the power of enterprise PPC ads at work is to see it for yourself. Here are some enterprise PPC ad examples and what they do well.

Zappos: Highlighting promotions

As an ecommerce brand, Zappos knows that its customers value a good deal. Zappos often highlights its promotions to entice users to click and buy. Here’s an example of an ad based on the search term “men’s shoes.”

Image: Screenshot

The ad copy is short and sweet, but it has a clear call-to-action. And more importantly, it has links to current promotions in bold underneath the ad copy. Someone who’s interested in purchasing men’s shoes and wants to price shop or is just looking for a good deal may be enticed to click.

The landing page is also simple, but effective. It aligns with the ad copy and delivers exactly what the ad promised.

Image: Screenshot

Progressive: Keeping it simple

PPC ads don’t always have to be flashy or clever to work, especially if they’re targeting people who are ready to buy. When searching for “ATV insurance,” Progressive’s ad is the first on the page.

The headline is simple and matches the query’s keyword, making people more likely to click. The ad copy is short and sweet, but still highlights the benefits of using Progressive Insurance for ATV coverage.

Image: Screenshot

The landing page is also simple yet effective. People searching for ATV insurance are likely looking for a quote. The landing page offers them just that. All they have to do is type in their zip code and the type of ATV they want to insure.

Image: Screenshot

Nom Nom: Showing social proof

One of the greatest benefits of running social media PPC ads is the ability to use visuals to capture the audience’s attention. This Facebook ad from dog food company, Nom Nom is no exception.

The ad copy is short and simple, but effective. It highlights the benefits of the product in a way that appeals to its audience of dog parents. The copy on the ad image is especially impactful as it provides social proof that might sway those who are on the fence about trying the product.

Image: Screenshot

When you click through to the landing page, you see the same social proof from the ad, providing a seamless transition. The landing page is easy to read and navigate with red buttons that make the promotion clear.

Image: Screenshot

HubSpot: Taking up space

Enterprise PPC ads aren’t just for selling products and services. They can also be a valuable lead generation tool as we see in this PPC ad from HubSpot.

When searching for “free email template,” this ad from HubSpot appears. The ad takes up a lot of real estate on the search engine results page, making it impossible for the user to miss.

Using the sitelink extension, HubSpot provides links to additional content that may be relevant to the user. This makes it easier for the user to navigate to exactly the page they’re looking for, which makes them more likely to click.

Image: Screenshot

The landing page for the main link matches the ad headline promise by providing the option to create a free email template. The landing page highlights the features of the offer, shows an image of what the template looks like, and includes a big orange button with a clear CTA.

Image: Screenshot

Local PPC vs. Enterprise PPC: Key differences

Local PPC is a type of paid advertising targeting people in specific geographic locations. It’s much smaller in scope and a less complex strategy than enterprise PPC. Enterprise PPC campaigns also require more ad spend than local PPC ads.

The main goal of local PPC is often to bring in foot traffic to a physical, brick-and-mortar location. While enterprise PPC is more likely to focus on generating quality leads, enhancing brand awareness, and selling products and services online.

What to look for in an Enterprise PPC agency

PPC advertising can be complex, especially for enterprise-level businesses with multiple locations, services, products, and target audiences. There are a few things all the top PPC agencies have in common that you should look for when hiring an SEM agency.

PPC experience

Look for an agency that specializes in PPC and has a history of getting results for enterprise clients. Also, dig into the case studies and client stories, as these will tell you far more about the agency’s experience than the years they’ve been in business.

HawkSEM has a history of getting results for enterprise clients like Honda, Microsoft, Nike, and DirectTV. In fact, the team helped Honda create campaigns that reached 30 million people while reducing cost per conversion by 30%.

Return on investment

Find an agency that focuses on getting its clients a return on ad spend (ROAS). This involves tracking progress over time and using data to make strategic decisions about how to tweak PPC ad campaigns.

“HawkSEM takes a data-driven approach to PPC for enterprise companies,” says Sam Yadegar, HawkSEM CEO. “Our team uses data to identify what is working and what isn’t. Then, we adjust the PPC strategy to focus on ROAS.”

While partnering with HawkSEM, Grayson Living was able to get almost 6x their ROAS over three years while growing ecommerce sales by 279% in the first year, 260% in the second year, and 55% in the third. See how we did it.

Complementary competencies

PPC advertising isn’t the only part of your digital marketing strategy. Look for an enterprise PPC agency that offers complementary services like search engine optimization (SEO).

The agency will be able to help you develop an SEO or organic marketing strategy that complements your PPC ad strategy. Everything works better when it works together.

For example, Apotheke, a luxury lifestyle fragrance brand, came to HawkSEM looking for an expert to implement social ads and drive its entire social media strategy.

By creating an organic social strategy that supported the company’s paid social campaigns, HawkSEM helped Apotheke increase conversion rates by 25% and grow ROAS by 62% year over year. Read the story.

Enterprise PPC management services offered

Enterprise PPC services include pay-per-click advertising campaigns on several different platforms, such as:

• Search engines: Ads featured on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing ads
• Display ads: Visual ads that appear as banner ads on websites and mobile apps through different networks like Google Display Network
• Social media ads: Paid search campaigns on social media marketing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
• Video PPC ads: Short video ads that can appear as display ads or on video channels like YouTube
• Amazon PPC ads: Ads that appear on the ecommerce marketplace’s search results, including sponsored products

Once you’ve decided on the type of PPC ads you want to run, here are just a few of the PPC management services you can expect from an agency:

• Enterprise PPC audit: Auditing of current campaigns to get a clear idea of where current PPC campaigns stand
• Keyword research: Finding new opportunities for keyword targeting based on client personas, business goals, and products/services
• PPC campaign strategy: Identifying the best PPC marketing campaign strategy, including the best PPC platforms and targeting options
• Ad copy & creative: Developing the ad copy and creative (graphics and/or video) for your ad campaigns based on PPC best practices

PPC management services should also include campaign performance tracking. The agency team will use Google Analytics and other PPC management software for conversion tracking and reporting.

“Tracking is an essential part of managing enterprise PPC campaigns. We use our proprietary software ConversionIQ (CIQ) to granularly track every aspect of our campaigns through each step of the buyer journey,” Yadegar says.

The takeaway

Enterprise PPC is a highly specialized type of search marketing that can be challenging for even the most seasoned of marketers. Rather than spending money trying to figure it out on your own, you might want to hire a PPC pro that knows how to get results for enterprise clients.

HawkSEM would love to be that agency! Contact us now for a consultation.