9 PPC Trends to Guide Your 2023 Digital Strategy

If done right, PPC or pay-per-click can help you boost brand awareness and reel in an average ROI of 200%. We’ll let that soak in for a second. 

Pay-per-click is unique because it leans on a targeted approach—it helps you aim for specific audiences who type in particular keywords or take certain actions. 

This guaranteed reach gets your brand directly in front of those who matter most to your business. And when paired with SEO, you’ve got an online strategy that’s *chef’s kiss*. 

As we’re in the last half of 2022, the time to start strategizing for 2023 is now. Feeling the pressure? No worries, Big Leap has you covered.

This guide to PPC trends walks you through nine PPC predictions for 2023 along with examples and resources for each. The aim is to help visualize your goals next year, keep the momentum going, and earn more qualified leads. If you have questions along the way, reach out to our dedicated paid advertising team.

Why Reviewing PPC Trends Matter

Reviewing PPC predictions is essential because it lays the groundwork for making data-driven decisions that ultimately impact your online performance and bottom line. 

PPC predictions can pivot your 2023 strategy in the right direction by helping you optimize areas such as the following: 

• Build more targeted messaging: Review audience behavior and adjust your messaging for higher engagement and conversions. 
• Stay ahead of competitors: You can find unique tactics that sharpen your competitive edge by staying responsive to your audience’s needs and messaging. 
• Plan your marketing budget: Understanding what lies ahead helps your team plan your marketing budget accordingly. As your goals and strategies shift, so should your budget.  

PPC trends offer the opportunity to evaluate past and current behaviors and how they might impact future marketing performance. This allows your team to react, prepare for potential threats, and take advantage of forthcoming opportunities.

The Top 9 PPC Predictions for 2023

Mapping out your 2023 strategy entails evaluating the nine PPC predictions below. 

These trends cover the following:  

• Search and social platforms to run your PPC campaigns on
• Tactics to reap the full benefits of PPC
• Examples to help you understand what the heck we’re talking about

So without further ado, let’s dive in.

1. Google Search Will Continue to Reign

The almighty Google reigns with 92.47% of the search engine market share. So if you want to be seen, Google is the place to invest. Its massive user base provides great opportunities to solidify profitable connections in 2023. 

Check out these stats: 

• The top three Google PPC ads get 41% of clicks.
• Four times as many people are likely to click on a paid search ad on Google than any other search engine. 

As one of Google’s top priorities is to fulfill search intent (the motive behind a user’s search query), leveraging this platform can help you connect with the right people.

Example

Workplace products dealer W.B. Mason faced a rapid decline in sales when COVID-19 emerged. 

By establishing a Google Ads campaign with target keywords and categories, the business achieved a 120% increase in first-time visitors, which drove a 50% boost in sales. This helped W.B. Mason offset the losses it faced during the pandemic in 2020. 

Resources

Google provides: 

• A nifty step-by-step guide on how to build ads on the search engine results page (SERP)
• 12 tips for effective advertising with Google Ads from the Google Community Experts

2. Google Shopping Will Be the Place for Retailers

The main difference between Google search ads and Google shopping is visibility. Shopping ads nab the premium top spot on the SERP, which is why more retailers are moving ad budgets from search to shopping ads. 

• Ad spend increased 38% on Google Shopping in 2019 over the previous year and has continued to grow the last few years. 
• Google Trends notes people shop across Google more than a billion times a day.

Examples

• Dave McMillan, the owner of The Shaving Time Company, uses Google Shopping to drive the company’s sales. According to McMillan, his company has earned an increase in sales—40% to 50% of orders have come from new customers. 
• Upon establishing its Google Shopping campaign, hijab fashion company Modanisa earned a 432% revenue growth year on year, a 343% increase in clicks, and a 251% increase in impressions. 

Resources

Refer to Google’s guide on creating Shopping campaigns. They provide a rundown on following requirements, using custom labels, and monitoring and optimizing your campaigns. 

3. Full-Funnel YouTube Strategy Will Become More Prominent

As the second largest search engine behind Google, YouTube is another powerful platform to run your PPC ads.

• 70% of people have purchased a product after seeing it in a YouTube ad.
• People are four times more inclined to use YouTube over other platforms to learn about a business, product, or service. 

One prominent approach to keep in mind? A full-funnel YouTube strategy. Instead of targeting individuals who are in a specific buying stage, this strategy works to create content for all stages (e.g., awareness, consideration, and action).  

Research shows that a full-funnel strategy drives 10% higher ROI than awareness advertising alone. 

Example

South Korean skincare company Sulwhasoo wanted to drive more conversions beyond the awareness campaigns it had relied on. The business produced consideration and action ad formats. 

This full-funnel strategy won Sulwhasoo: 

• A 91% decrease in CPA
• 13.8 times higher conversion rates

Resources

Read about the four key drivers of ROI for YouTube advertising. If you need more guidance on the marketing funnel: 

• Best practices for awareness, consideration, and action stages
• Your guide to the marketing funnel

4. Facebook Will Get Smarter with Ad Targeting

Is your business on Facebook? The platform offers an ad channel you may want to consider. 

Facebook has the best ROI for social media ads compared to other social platforms.

One trending feature is Facebook’s ad targeting tool. This feature considers demographics, job positions, and interests to better define your audience for more intelligent ad targeting.

Example

The Law Office Jeremy P. Harville ran an A/B test to compare broad vs. detailed audience targeting. The business discovered Facebook ads that target broad audiences result in 88% new messages and 46% lower cost per result. 

Resources

Read more about Facebook’s ad targeting strategy. 

5. TikTok Will Be the Place to Illustrate Authenticity

Short-form video content like those featured on TikTok is one of the most effective types of social media content. 

According to the State of Inbound Marketing Trends: 

• Video is the top media format, and short-form videos are growing rapidly.
• Businesses will continue to show up on TikTok and use the platform to practice authenticity in their marketing.
• The three most effective posts are funny, interactive, and behind-the-scenes content. 

Example

KFC partnered with TikTok influencers to create videos of people doing humorous Colonel Sanders impersonations. This campaign earned KFC: 

• 221 million video views
• TopView CTR of 13.9% 
• 24.7% increase in ad recall rate, which contributed to a growth in sandwich sales

Resources

TikTok’s Business Help Center walks you through how to set up an ad campaign on your TikTok channel and optimize your campaigns.

6. LinkedIn Will Be Essential to B2B Marketers

With 850 million users and 58 million companies, LinkedIn is a prime platform, especially for those in the B2B space: 

• Marketers experience twice as many conversions on LinkedIn.
• Brand and acquisition rates are six times more likely to convert on LinkedIn.
• 40% of B2B marketers see LinkedIn as the most impactful channel for producing high-quality leads.

Example

A San Francisco-based marketing agency leveraged LinkedIn Ads to improve their CTR and generate high-quality leads. The business used precise targeting options to reach a specific niche audience and was able to achieve: 

• 2.3 million impressions
• 15% conversion rate
• CPC (cost-per-click) of $3.74

According to co-founder Igor Belogolovsky, these results helped their agency bolster its ROI:

“LinkedIn Ads allow us to target exactly the people we need to reach, in an environment where they are focused on business and their careers. This combination of a professional, active community, and the ability to precisely target our messages, delivered unparalleled ROI at scale.” 

Resources

Learn about LinkedIn’s self-service PPC advertising platform and how to start measuring your conversions. 

7. Pinterest Will Lean More Heavily on Virtual and AR

Pinterest has been a rising social media platform for users looking for new ideas. The platform allows businesses to leverage their audience’s interests to drive conversions. 

• Businesses can reach 443 million monthly users on Pinterest.
• Revenue grew 43% year-over-year for Pinterest compared to 2020. A large part of this growth comes from advertising demands from retailers. 

Tactics that are trending on Pinterest include virtual and AR experiences. For example, when users are provided with “try-on” experiences, they are five times more likely to purchase a product. In particular, businesses in the beauty and home decor industries have found success with virtual and AR experiences. 

Example

Michaels tapped into their audience’s searches to see what their consumers were interested in. Finding that  “holiday interests” and “pencil trees” were trending on Pinterest, Michaels built video and interactive ads that aligned with these interests. 

These ads invited users into virtual 360-degree rooms to showcase Michaels’ holiday decor. This virtual experience brought in an 8% boost in-store visits. 

Resources

Learn about the try-on experience and Pinterest’s Ad Manager. 

8. Mobile Optimization Will Be Front and Center

Are all of your web pages optimized for mobile? By 2027, $132 billion in ad spending will be generated through mobile. Not to mention, 42% of users think they’re not about if a company doesn’t have a mobile-optimized site. 

The online marketplace is the leading industry that uses mobile services. And it’s not going to stop: 

• Mobile subscriber growth is projected to grow to 5.7 billion by next year.
• 2 in 3 clicks for Google Search ads happen on mobile devices. 
• Retail mobile sales exceeded $360 billion in 2021. This is projected to grow two times by 2025. 

Therefore, ensuring your relevant site pages are mobile-optimized is essential to growing your reach in 2023. 

Example

Fashion brand Lulu’s ran targeted mobile-first video ads on Facebook and Instagram. This earned the business a: 

• 1.6 times return on ad spend for mobile purchases
• 64% boost in overall conversion value on mobile 

Resources

Dive into Google’s best practices for optimizing your ads for mobile and creating an effective mobile site. 

9. Diversification Will Matter A Lot

Diversification in marketing matters. Here’s the truth: PPC efforts will only get you so far. While PPC offers a quick and guaranteed reach, its results are short-term—once you stop paying, traffic and lead sources dry up. 

The key is to tap into a diverse marketing mix that encompasses both paid and organic strategies. In other words, PPC and SEO. One isn’t inherently better than the other—they each serve a unique purpose and need each other to achieve lasting results. 

SEO drives quality content, while PPC spreads that content to the right people. So make sure you’re diversifying your marketing channels to safeguard the longevity of your business. 

Example

Financial lead generation company Round Sky paired its PPC efforts with an SEO strategy. Leveraging both channels maximized the business’ online real estate, helping the company achieve the following: 

• 3,400% increase in ranking keywords
• 38.46% increase in organic traffic 
• Increase in competitive positioning across the search engine space

Resources

Read all about paid search vs. organic search. 

PPC FAQs

These are some of the most common questions we see when it comes to PPC.

How Do I Get Started with PPC?

Every successful PPC campaign starts with a strategy. You must begin with a goal or precise definition of what you want to accomplish. Examples of goals may include more: 

• Brand awareness
• Leads
• Sales
• Repeat sales

From here, you’ll need to track relevant PPC metrics on the specific platform you plan to run your campaign on (e.g., Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). If you need a sounding board, contact a trusted PPC team who can ensure you’re tracking the right benchmarks. 

How Can I Improve My PPC Strategy?

One word—data. Without data, you can’t improve your PPC strategy. When was the last time you checked your ad campaigns to see if they’re still pulling results? 

Data-driven decisions provide real-time insights and predictions to optimize your PPC campaigns. Not to mention, they help grow your business. After looking at your data, you may want to make modifications to the following areas:

• PPC budget
• Ad auction 
• Ad groups 
• Keywords 
• Audiences and segments 
• Tracking codes 

How Do I Find the Right PPC Agency?

Who you decide to partner with matters. Whether you’re a business that’s completely new to the PPC space or you just need help pivoting your strategy, quality matters. Here are a few tips on hiring the right marketing agency: 

• Strategy vs. execution: Agencies will vary in specializations when it comes to strategy vs. execution. Which area does your business excel in? If you’re skilled in strategizing, you’ll want to find a partner who can take on the execution leg work. 

• Industry experience: It helps to find an agency that has worked with other businesses in your industry. This expertise can come in handy when building out your campaign. Not to mention, the agency will already understand how competitive your space is and use that to build a unique campaign.

• Conversion goals: What does success look like for your business and team? Your agency should have experience in setting up and achieving those goals. For example, if you’re seeking more form submissions on your contact page, your prospective agency should be experts in fulfilling that.

Reap the Full Benefits of a Stellar 2023 Strategy

2023 is the year. By partnering with the right team, you give your business and PPC strategy the attention and quality they deserve. As a trusted Utah PPC agency, Big Leap is here to help you bolster your online reach and foster trust with your audience. Reach out to us to start gathering more leads.