Ppc Advertising

---
name: ppc-advertising
description: Paid advertising on Google, Meta, LinkedIn with campaign structure and bidding strategies.
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep
---

# PPC Advertising

> Master paid advertising across major platforms.

> If the `aak-ads` plugin is enabled, defer account-level paid-media work — source-grounded audits, deterministic scoring, budget/bidding plans, campaign launch, monitoring, optimization, and any change to a live ad account — to `/aak-ads:ads` (it covers 12 platforms with a read-only-by-default mutation gate). Use this skill for quick, standalone PPC guidance when `aak-ads` is not enabled.

---

## 1. Platform Overview

| Platform | Best For | Avg CPC | Audience |
|----------|----------|---------|----------|
| **Google Search** | Intent-based | $1-$50 | Active searchers |
| **Google Display** | Awareness | $0.50-$5 | Broad reach |
| **YouTube** | Video, awareness | $0.10-$0.30/view | Video consumers |
| **Meta (FB/IG)** | Interest-based | $0.50-$5 | Social users |
| **LinkedIn** | B2B | $2-$15 | Professionals |
| **TikTok** | Gen Z, viral | $0.50-$3 | Young users |

---

## 2. Google Ads

### Campaign Types

| Type | Best For | Targeting |
|------|----------|-----------|
| **Search** | Intent, conversions | Keywords |
| **Display** | Awareness, retargeting | Audiences, placements |
| **Shopping** | E-commerce | Product feed |
| **Video** | Branding, YouTube | Audiences, topics |
| **Performance Max** | Automated, all channels | Goals |
| **Demand Gen** | Discovery, social-style | Audiences |

### Keyword Match Types

| Type | Symbol | Matches |
|------|--------|---------|
| **Broad** | keyword | Related searches |
| **Phrase** | "keyword" | Contains phrase |
| **Exact** | [keyword] | Exact or close variants |

### Ad Structure

| Element | Limit | Best Practice |
|---------|-------|---------------|
| **Headlines** | 15 (30 chars each) | Include keywords, benefits |
| **Descriptions** | 4 (90 chars each) | CTA, unique value |
| **Display URL** | 2 paths (15 chars) | Relevant keywords |

---

## 3. Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)

### Campaign Objectives

| Objective | Goal | Optimization |
|-----------|------|--------------|
| **Awareness** | Reach | Impressions |
| **Traffic** | Clicks | Link clicks |
| **Engagement** | Interaction | Post engagement |
| **Leads** | Form fills | Leads |
| **Sales** | Purchases | Conversions |

### Audience Types

| Type | Source | Use |
|------|--------|-----|
| **Core** | Demographics, interests | Prospecting |
| **Custom** | Your data (email, pixel) | Retargeting, lookalike base |
| **Lookalike** | Similar to custom | Expansion |

### Ad Formats

| Format | Best For | Specs |
|--------|----------|-------|
| **Single image** | Simple message | 1080x1080 or 1200x628 |
| **Carousel** | Multiple products | 2-10 cards |
| **Video** | Engagement, stories | 15-60 sec optimal |
| **Collection** | E-commerce | Catalog integration |

---

## 4. LinkedIn Ads

### Campaign Objectives

| Objective | Best For |
|-----------|----------|
| **Brand awareness** | Top of funnel |
| **Website visits** | Traffic |
| **Engagement** | Content promotion |
| **Lead gen forms** | B2B leads |
| **Conversions** | High-value actions |

### Targeting Options

| Type | Examples |
|------|----------|
| **Job title** | Marketing Manager |
| **Job function** | Marketing |
| **Seniority** | Director+ |
| **Company size** | 200-500 employees |
| **Industry** | Technology |
| **Skills** | Digital Marketing |

### Ad Formats

| Format | Best For |
|--------|----------|
| **Single image** | Standard awareness |
| **Carousel** | Multi-part stories |
| **Video** | Brand stories |
| **Message ads** | Direct outreach |
| **Document ads** | Lead magnets |

---

## 5. Bidding Strategies

### Google Bidding

| Strategy | When to Use |
|----------|-------------|
| **Manual CPC** | Full control, learning |
| **Enhanced CPC** | Semi-automated |
| **Target CPA** | Cost-per-acquisition goal |
| **Target ROAS** | Revenue goal |
| **Maximize conversions** | Volume priority |
| **Maximize clicks** | Traffic priority |

### Meta Bidding

| Strategy | When to Use |
|----------|-------------|
| **Lowest cost** | Maximize volume |
| **Cost cap** | Control costs |
| **Bid cap** | Strict cost control |
| **Minimum ROAS** | Revenue focus |

---

## 6. Campaign Structure

### Account Structure (Google)

```
Account
└── Campaign (Budget, Settings)
    └── Ad Group (Keywords, Audience)
        └── Ads (Creative)
```

### Recommended Structure

| Level | Organization |
|-------|--------------|
| **Campaign** | By goal, product line, funnel stage |
| **Ad Group** | By theme, audience segment |
| **Ads** | 3-5 variations for testing |

---

## 7. Ad Copy Best Practices

### Headlines That Convert

| Element | Example |
|---------|---------|
| **Keyword inclusion** | "Best CRM Software" |
| **Benefit** | "Close 30% More Deals" |
| **Urgency** | "Limited Time Offer" |
| **Social proof** | "Trusted by 10,000+ Teams" |
| **Question** | "Tired of Lost Leads?" |

### Description Copy

| Element | Purpose |
|---------|---------|
| **Value prop** | Why choose you |
| **Features** | What you offer |
| **CTA** | What to do next |
| **Trust** | Credibility signals |

---

## 8. Landing Page Alignment

### Message Match

| Ad Element | Landing Page |
|------------|--------------|
| **Headline** | Hero headline |
| **Offer** | Above fold CTA |
| **Keywords** | In content |
| **Visual** | Consistent imagery |

### Quality Score Factors (Google)

| Factor | Weight | Improve By |
|--------|--------|------------|
| **Expected CTR** | High | Better ad copy |
| **Ad relevance** | Medium | Keyword-ad alignment |
| **Landing experience** | High | Page speed, content |

---

## 9. Key Metrics

### Performance Metrics

| Metric | Formula | Good |
|--------|---------|------|
| **CTR** | Clicks / Impressions | >2% search, >0.5% display |
| **CPC** | Spend / Clicks | Industry varies |
| **CPA** | Spend / Conversions | Below target |
| **ROAS** | Revenue / Spend | >3x minimum |
| **Quality Score** | Google rating 1-10 | >7 |

### Efficiency Metrics

| Metric | Indicates |
|--------|-----------|
| **Impression share** | Market coverage |
| **Search lost IS (rank)** | Bid competitiveness |
| **Search lost IS (budget)** | Budget constraints |

---

## 10. Optimization Checklist

### Weekly

- [ ] Check spend vs budget
- [ ] Review search terms, add negatives
- [ ] Pause underperforming ads
- [ ] Adjust bids on top performers

### Monthly

- [ ] Review campaign structure
- [ ] Refresh ad creative
- [ ] Analyze audience performance
- [ ] Test new targeting

### Quarterly

- [ ] Full account audit
- [ ] Competitive analysis
- [ ] Strategy review
- [ ] Budget reallocation

---

> **Remember:** PPC success comes from continuous testing and optimization. Start small, learn fast, scale what works.

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## Reference guides

<!-- KIT NOTE — added by ai-agentic-kit, NOT upstream. This section is a kit-added index. -->

Additional depth for this skill (load on demand):
- `references/meta-ads-tactics.md` — Meta creative strategy (formats, hooks, UGC vs. polished, copy structure), a testing framework incl. the 3-2-2 creative method, retargeting audiences/messages, and budget-scaling rules.
- `references/google-ads-tactics.md` — a recommended starting campaign structure, a keyword research process (seed keywords, match types, negatives, ad-group organization), an RSA copy formula plus assets, and a monthly optimization checklist.