PPC, or pay-per-click, usually means Google Ads: ads that show when someone searches, where you pay when someone clicks. Running those ads well is steady, detailed work, and it is what you hire a PPC agency for. This guide explains how Google decides where your ad shows and what a click costs, and what good Chicago PPC management looks like week to week.
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Ad Rank: how Google decides where an ad shows
Google describes Ad Rank as a set of values used to determine whether your ads are eligible to show and, if they are, where on the page they show. Google runs different auctions for each ad location, and Ad Rank is calculated from several factors, including your competition, the context of the person’s search and your ad quality at that moment. A higher bid is only part of it.
Quality Score: the three parts
| Part | What Google measures |
|---|---|
| Expected clickthrough rate | How likely your ad is to be clicked when shown |
| Ad relevance | How closely your ad matches the intent behind a user’s search |
| Landing page experience | How relevant and useful your landing page is to people who click your ad |
Google rates each part as above average, average or below average, compared with other advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same search over the last 90 days. That makes Quality Score a useful health check: if landing page experience is below average, the fix is usually on the website, not in the ad.
What a click actually costs
You set a maximum cost-per-click bid, but Google says the actual cost per click is the final amount you are charged, and you are often charged less, sometimes much less, than your maximum. Budgets are set per campaign as a daily figure, which you can change at any time; Google says to divide a monthly budget by 30.4 to get the daily one. This site does not quote what clicks cost in any trade, because it varies by search and changes over time.
What good management looks like week to week
- Search terms. Reading the actual searches that triggered ads and excluding the ones that will never buy.
- Location settings. Checking that each campaign reaches the right places. Google offers targeting by country, city or radius, and a broad Presence or Interest option that also reaches people showing interest in your area.
- Ads that match. Ads written for each group of searches, pointing to the page that answers them.
- Landing pages. One page per service, fast on a phone, with a short form.
- Tracking. Calls and form requests counted, so the account is judged on enquiries, not clicks.
- Budget moves. Spend shifted toward what brings enquiries, with the reason written down.
Search ads and Local Services Ads
Local Services Ads are a separate Google product. Google says leads come in as phone calls and messages through the ad, you pay only for leads related to your business, and if you regularly fail to answer calls or respond to messages your ad ranking may be affected. Some PPC agencies manage both; check eligibility for your trade and area in Google’s Local Services Ads sign-up.
Your account, your history
Open the Google Ads account in your business’s name with your payment method, and add the agency as a user. The account’s history and data are worth keeping if you ever change agencies.
Questions to ask a Chicago Google Ads agency
- Will the Google Ads account be in my name?
- How often do you review search terms, and can I see what you exclude?
- Which location setting will my campaigns use?
- How are calls and form requests tracked?
- What is your management fee, kept separate from ad spend?
- What will the monthly report show me?
- How will you improve landing page experience if it is below average?
Want your Google Ads looked at or set up properly? Tell us what you need and an independent marketing agency can contact you.
For the wider choice of paid channels, from search to social and video, see the guide to choosing an advertising agency Chicago businesses can work with. For the pages your ads land on, see Chicago web design.
Questions people ask
What does PPC mean?
Pay-per-click: advertising where you pay when someone clicks your ad. On Google that is Google Ads search campaigns.
Does the highest bid always win?
No. Google’s Ad Rank uses several factors, including ad quality and the context of the search, not just the bid.
Can I change my budget after a campaign starts?
Yes. Google says you can change your average daily budget at any time.
Why is my Quality Score low?
Look at its three parts: expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Each is rated against other advertisers for the same search.
Should the agency own my Google Ads account?
No. Keep it in your business’s name and add the agency as a user.
What should I look for in the first months of a new account?
Clean tracking of calls and form requests, search terms reviewed and trimmed, ads matched to landing pages, and a report that explains what changed. Ask the agency what it expects the first months to show for your business and why.