“If Sherlock Holmes Did Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising…
…This Is How He’d Do It” 

How To Use Paid Search To Drive Targeted Traffic To Your Website
And Make A Sizeable Return On Your Advertising Spend 

Sherlock Holmes is the fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who was known for his exceptional logical thinking and investigative skills. 

 In solving crimes, Holmes used a methodical and analytical approach.  

 His detective work relied on thoroughly researching and analysing the facts of the case to identify patterns and clues. 

He’d then use that information to make informed decisions.   

Sherlock Holmes was able to piece together seemingly random pieces of information to solve an investigation problem.. 

Why do I tell you this? 

Well, it’s exactly the same for a good pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign.  

A well-planned PPC campaign uses data and analysis to identify and target the most relevant and valuable audience for a product or service

to solve a business’s cash flow problem. 

Now I’m getting ahead of myself here because I’m already bought into Pay-Per-Click advertising. 

Why? 

Well because I’ve made it work over and over again for thousands of my clients over the years I’ve been running digital marketing agencies. 

It has practically become a science because its success is down to research, analysis and testing… 

…all qualities perfectly demonstrated by Sherlock Holmes. 

If you’re in business and you’re not using Pay-Per-Click advertising, then you’re missing out. 

So let me answer this question for you: 

Why Should You Consider Using Pay Per Click Advertising For Your Business?

Here’s my answer: 

When done properly, a good pay-per-click advertising campaign will do this for you: 

• It helps start a new business 
• It saves a struggling business from going under 
• It grows an existing business 

It does this by: 

• Increasing profitability by boosting sales on existing product lines 
• Introducing additional revenue streams by promoting new products and services. 

And the biggest advantage that PPC marketing gives you? 

Control. 

You’re in charge of exactly what you advertise, who you advertise it to and how much you spend. 

There’s an initial investment of course to get your ads up and running.   

But once they’re optimised and pulling in a positive Return on Ad Spend (we call that ROAS in

the industry) then you can turn them on and off at will to suit the needs of your business. 

Using Pay Per Click advertising for your business will also give you confidence in your marketing. 

It’s these benefits that give you that confidence: 

• PPC Benefit #1 – You can track and measure the results of your advertising campaigns.  

This means you’ll be able to identify the ones that are profitable so you can double down on them.

And you can easily see the duds that are losing you money so you can cut them quickly. 

• PPC Benefit #2 – You can target specific audiences by who they are, what they’re looking for or even by what they do.

US retail magnate John Wannamaker reputedly said: “Half my advertising spend is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”

He said that back in the day when advertising consisted of putting sales messages in front of mass markets – newspaper, radio and

eventually TV advertising.

Back then there was no way of knowing which piece of advertising was responsible for sales. The approach then was this: throw enough

mud at the walls and hopefully some of it will stick.

Today it is very different. You can put your ads in front of people specifically looking for what you sell.   

Or you can advertise directly to the specific demographic of people who would typically use your products and services. 

Those choices give you complete control.

• PPC Benefit #3 – You can test your adverts and improve the results you get.Every PPC campaign begins with a clean slate.  Until it’s put in front of your target audience you have no idea how well it will work. And that’s where testing comes in. 

 Once the ad is up and running, you’ll get data back on how well it is working.  You’ll  know:

• how many people have seen it,  
• how many people clicked on it,  
• and how much money you have made from it. 

You can then test different ads against each other to improve the performance of the campaign.

If you show one half of an audience one ad and the other half another ad, the data will tell you which one performs better.

You keep the winner and your campaign just got better.  

We call that A/B split testing in the business.  

Rinse and repeat that process and you can take a failing ad and turn it into a profitable one, or you can take a low performer and make it a

high performer.

• PPC Benefit #4 – You can target buying intent.  One approach to PPC advertising is to target the keywords people are using in the search engines.  This is a very simple way to put your products and services in front of potential buyers.Here’s the secret to success when targeting keywords:

“When it comes to PPC, not all keywords are made equal”

What does that mean?

People will use different keywords depending on how strong their “buying intent” is.  That means how close to a buying decision they are.

For example, consider these searches for pine furniture.

The generic term “furniture” means the person searching probably isn’t clear on exactly what they want to buy.  They might be in the market

for a pine dining table, but you can’t be certain.   

The buyer’s intent is likely to be low. 

However the person searching “pine dining table dealer in Oxford” appears to know exactly what they want.   They’re also making louder

noises about wanting to make a purchase because they are looking for a dealer.   

That’s high buyer’s intent. 

So if you were a furniture dealer in Oxford and you sold pine dining tables, you’d likely get much better results targeting your ads to the

term “pine dining table dealer in Oxford” than you would going after “furniture” searches.  

• PPC Benefit #5 – You can give your business INSTANT online visibility

The beauty of using PPC ads is that you can have a campaign up and running and get results from it within a matter of hours, often less. 

The speed of response means a good campaign can be making you money from day 1.

You’ll also be able to quickly see the impact of your optimisation efforts which means you can fine tune your ads in real time.

Now that you understand why you should use PPC advertising in your business, what do you do next? 

How You Can Start Using
Pay Per Click Advertising
For Your Business 

The great thing about using Pay-Per-Click marketing, is that it is so easy to get started.  All you need is a credit card and an ad account on

the platform of your choice. 

Here are the steps you can follow to set things up for your business:  

Step 1 – Choose your Advertising Platform 

You have a number of different options for where to place your ads.  The current popular ones are: 

1. 1. Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) 
   2. Facebook Ads (now known as Meta Ads) 
   3. Instagram Ads (a part of Facebook Ads) 
   4. Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) 
   5. LinkedIn Ads 
   6. Twitter Ads 
   7. Pinterest Ads 
   8. YouTube ads (a part of Google Ads) 
   9. TikTok For Business 
   10. Snapchat For Business 

How do you choose? 

Well primarily it depends on a number of factors: 

• • Who you are selling to
  • Where your audience is likely to be 
  • What you are selling 

Here at The Online Marketing Surgery, we focus on Google Ads for a couple of reasons: 

Reason #1 – It’s the perfect platform for a business to promote its products and services because it’s where people are actively looking

for them.

Reason #2 – It perfectly complements the search engine optimisation work we also usually do on our clients’ websites. 

Step 2 – Set your advertising budget 

How much are you going to spend on advertising? 

It’s not always an easy question to answer.   

You have to spend enough to be able to get sufficient ads running for long enough to optimise them well enough to be able to return a profit for you. 

The amount you set depends on what you are selling, who you are selling it to and where you’ll be placing the ads. 

The key thing is to be able to commit funds for long enough to be able to create campaigns that work for you. 

Then once you have ads that are working, you can plough the profits back into even more ads which generates even more revenue. 

A well thought out and carefully managed PPC ad campaign will generate a positive ROAS for you. 

It’s the only way to guarantee success without an advertising campaign becoming an unprofitable money suck. 

 Step 3 – Identify the target for your ads 

Broadly speaking, when you place PPC ads, you’ll either be targeting keywords on a platform (eg Google Ads), or you’ll be targeting a specific

demographic (eg Facebook Ads). 

So in this step you’ll either be gathering together all the relevant keywords for your products and services… 

…or you’ll be getting very clear on exactly who you’ll be targeting your ads at. 

Step 4 – Prepare your ads 

Once you know what or who you’ll be targeting, it’s time to prepare your ads. 

These can be anything from simple text based ads like the ones you see at the top of a Google search result.   Or it can be a 3 minute video

that chases your prospect around YouTube… 

…and everything in between. 

Generating ad creative is both a skill and an artform.  The  aim is to create an ad that appeals to your target audience and influences them

to click on it to find out more. 

A well written ad can drive customers to your website for years once it’s optimised. 

Step 5 – Launch your ads 

Once you’ve prepared your ads, it’s time to pull the trigger and unleash them on your target audience. 

All the work you have done so far in putting together your campaign has prepared you for this moment. 

Set them live and immediately move on to the next step. 

Step 6 – Track and Monitor the performance of your ads 

Fire and forget is not an option when it comes to pay-per-click advertising.   

A good advertising platform will give you the tools to monitor how well each ad is performing and it is advisable to use them. 

Many advertisers make the mistake of just tracking how much they are paying in total for their ads and how much revenue the ads have

created. 

That’s a mistake. 

Each ad’s performance needs to be carefully tracked and monitored. 

Step 7 – Optimise your ad campaign for profitability 

Here is where the magic happens with Pay-Per-Click Advertising. 

Because you have tracked and monitored all of your ads, you can now stop the ones that aren’t making you money… 

…and double down on the ones that are. 

You can also use split testing to improve the performance of weaker, borderline ads as well as boost the revenue from those that are

already making money. 

This fine tuning is where you’ll start making money from your advertising. 

And that’s how you can get started using PPC marketing in your business. 

If PPC is That Straightforward,
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? 

That’s a great question. 

Assuming your business sells products and services that other people want, they’re actively looking for them online and they’re willing to

pay for them, then PPC advertising will work for you. 

It only goes wrong if you make one or more of these mistakes. 

The 7 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make With PPC Advertising 

Mistake #1 – Not conducting thorough keyword research: Choosing the wrong keywords can result in targeting the wrong audience,

leading to low-quality traffic and poor conversion rates. 

Mistake #2 – Neglecting negative keywords: Negative keywords help prevent your ad from being shown to users who are not

interested in your product or service, and can help you save money on irrelevant clicks.  Many business owners don’t even realise this is

a “thing”. 

Mistake #3 – Ignoring ad copy: Ad copy is an important factor in the success of a PPC campaign, as it helps to persuade users to click

on your ad. Writing compelling ad copy that clearly communicates the benefits of your product or service can increase click-through

rates and conversions. Often businesses are too close to their products and services to write this sort of ad copy that converts. 

Mistake #4 – Not tracking and analysing data: To optimise your PPC campaign and improve performance, it is important to track and

analyse data such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per click.  Many businesses often don’t realise just how important

this data is to their success.. 

Mistake #5 – Not continuously testing and optimising: PPC campaigns should be regularly reviewed and optimised to improve

performance and achieve better results.  Most businesses just don’t have the time or the expertise to do this. 

Mistake #6 – Not aligning PPC with business goals: It is important to ensure that your PPC campaigns are aligned with your overall

business goals and objectives, and that they are integrated with your other marketing efforts.  If they’re not then it’s far more likely you’ll

lose money, or miss out on potential revenue opportunities. 

Mistake #7 – Not setting a budget: It’s important to set a budget for your PPC campaigns to ensure that you’re spending your

advertising pounds effectively. Without a budget, you risk overspending and not getting the most out of your PPC efforts. 

It’s by making these mistakes that potentially profitable campaigns can end up LOSING money for a business. 

Do PPC Yourself Or Hire An Expert With A Track Record Of Profitable Success? 

There’s no doubt you could do the PPC advertising for yourself. 

It’s not just a black art known by a select few who were born with the geek gene. 

You can learn how to do this for yourself… 

…and I expect you could become quite good at it. 

I mean to get your business to where it is right now, you’ve had to learn a thing or two haven’t you? 

To become good at PPC, you’ll need to develop these skills: 

• • Business analysis 
  • Keyword targeting 
  • Direct response conversion 

You will make mistakes as you develop your knowledge and skills. 

That’s inevitable. 

This means in the early days you will lose money. 

However, in time, as you refine your PPC skills your ads will become profitable for you and your business will start to make more money. 

But that’s the problem. 

It will take you time. 

If you’re like the many business owners we work with, that’s time you can’t spare on yet ANOTHER thing you need to do to make your

business profitable. 

So what do you do? 

Speak To Us Now About PPC

Advertising For Your Business And We’ll Point You In The Right Direction  

We’ve been helping businesses become profitable with PPC for years now. 

In fact I’d be so bold to say we’ve become quite good at it. 

Don’t take my word for it, here’s what just one of our many satisfied (and now more profitable) customers said about the work we do for them: 

Now it’s possible we might not be able to make PPC advertising work for your business in the same way we did for Craig. 

The only way to find out is for us to have a discovery call. 

It’s a free 45 minute chat where you can tell me all about your business, your products and services and what your objectives are. 

Based on the thousands of clients I have helped over the years, I’ll quickly be able to tell whether PPC is a good fit for your business. 

I can then point you in the right direction of what you can do next to increase the sales you get from your online marketing activities. 

So don’t decide now whether Pay-Per-Click advertising is for you. 

Fill in the form below with your name, company name, and the best telephone number and email address to contact you on and I will be in

touch to arrange an informal chat. 

 I look forward to hearing from you today. 

Yours faithfully 

David Khan 

Managing Director & Direct Customer Liaison 

The Online Marketing Surgery 

P.S.  If you want to find out how you can make more sales from your website using other online marketing strategies too, then download

our free Website Performance Report from the bottom of this page. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What is pay per click (PPC) advertising?

Pay per click (PPC) advertising is a type of online advertising in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.

2. How does PPC advertising work?

PPC advertising works by displaying ads on search engine results pages or websites, and advertisers pay each time a user clicks on one of

their ads. 

3. What are the benefits of PPC advertising?

The benefits of PPC advertising include the ability to reach a targeted audience, the potential for high ROI, and the ability to track and

measure the effectiveness of campaigns. 

4. How do I get started with PPC advertising?

To get started with PPC advertising, you will need to choose a PPC platform such as Google Ads, and create an account. You will then need

to create an ad campaign, including setting a budget, targeting specific keywords, and crafting effective ad copy. 

5. How do I choose the right keywords for my PPC campaign?

To choose the right keywords for your PPC campaign, you should consider the words and phrases that your target audience is likely to use

when searching for products or services like yours. 

6. How do I determine my PPC budget?

Your PPC budget should be based on your advertising goals, the cost per click for the keywords you are targeting, and your available

resources.

7. How do I track the success of my PPC campaign?

You can track the success of your PPC campaign by using tools provided by your PPC platform, such as Google Ads’ Conversion Tracking, as

well as by setting specific goals and using analytics tools to measure progress towards those goals.

8. How do I optimise my PPC campaign for maximum effectiveness?

To optimise your PPC campaign for maximum effectiveness, you should continually test and refine your ad copy, targeting, and budget. 

9. What are some best practices for PPC advertising?

Some best practices for PPC advertising include conducting thorough keyword research, crafting compelling ad copy, and testing and

refining your campaign on an ongoing basis. 

10. How can I integrate PPC advertising with my overall digital marketing strategy?

To integrate PPC advertising with your overall digital marketing strategy, you should consider how PPC fits in with your other online and

offline marketing efforts, and ensure that your campaigns are aligned with your overall business goals.

If You Still Have Other Questions About Improving The Performance Of Your Website Then You Need To Read This.. 

At this point you might still have plenty of questions about improving the performance of your website.  That’s why we created The Website Performance Report.  You can download it here:  

“3 Reasons Why Your Website Is Not Bringing You More Sales…”  

…And What You Can Quickly Do About It  

Download Your Free Report & Action Checklist Now