Paid search advertising

Advertising placed within search-engine ad inventory in response to queries and other platform signals. Common forms include text/search ads, shopping formats where applicable, automated campaign formats and local or map-related ad inventory where available. Availability varies by market, supplier and campaign date.

Paid search advertising can be considered when a brief needs capturing active demand and connecting high-intent searches with relevant landing pages. It should still be compared against alternative channels rather than treated as an automatic choice.

Planning normally considers query intent, keyword or automated targeting, location, bids, budget, landing page, conversion tracking, competition and policy. The appropriate mix depends on the objective, audience, geography, campaign period, budget and creative.

There is no single fixed price for paid search advertising. Cost can change with geography, inventory quality, format, demand, campaign dates, duration, production, buying method and the scale of the schedule.

Targeting options depend on the medium and supplier. For paid search advertising, planners should be explicit about whether targeting is geographic, contextual, audience-based, intent-based, behavioural or a combination, and what data supports it.

Platform impressions, clicks, conversions and cost metrics should be defined by the platform and reconciled with first-party analytics where possible.

Before booking, confirm the campaign objective, target audience, geography, dates, creative format, budget, delivery basis, measurement method, production requirements and what would cause the recommendation to change.

PMA can assess whether paid search advertising fits the brief, compare it with other media, investigate current inventory and buying conditions, build it into a wider schedule and coordinate the practical steps required to launch.