What Is PPC Advertising?
PPC stands for Pay-Per-Click. It is a form of digital advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad. The most common form of PPC is Google Ads — where your business appears at the top of Google search results and you pay only when someone clicks through to your website.
Unlike traditional advertising where you pay for exposure regardless of results, PPC means you only pay when someone takes action. This makes it one of the most accountable and measurable forms of advertising available.
How Does Google PPC Work?
When someone searches on Google, an instant auction happens behind the scenes. Google decides which ads to show and in what order based on two factors: your bid (how much you are willing to pay per click) and your Quality Score (how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are).
This means that a small business with a highly relevant, well-optimised ad can appear above a larger competitor bidding more money — if their Quality Score is higher. This levels the playing field significantly.
How Much Does PPC Cost?
PPC cost varies enormously by industry and keyword. Some keywords cost a few pence per click. Highly competitive industries like legal services or financial services can cost tens of pounds per click. For most small businesses, a starting budget of the equivalent of GHS 500–1,000/month (£100–200/month) is enough to generate meaningful data and results.
Important: The cost per click is separate from any management fee. Rankova charges a management fee to set up and run your campaigns — your ad spend goes directly to Google.
Is PPC Worth It for Small Businesses?
PPC is worth it when the value of a customer exceeds the cost to acquire them through ads. For most service businesses where a single client relationship is worth hundreds or thousands of pounds, even a relatively high cost per click can deliver an excellent return on investment.
PPC vs SEO — Which Is Right for You?
PPC delivers immediate results but stops when you stop paying. SEO takes longer to build but delivers free ongoing traffic indefinitely. The best strategy for most small businesses is both — PPC for immediate leads while SEO builds long-term organic rankings. Rankova manages both under one roof.
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