Survey: PPC Advertisers Must Be More Mindful of B2B Buyers’ Search Intent

There are many reasons why customers click on paid-per-click (PPC) advertisements, but new research suggests that they may turn to certain webpages over others because they directly answer their search queries and provide relevant content.

Clutch recently surveyed 506 people who clicked on PPC ads to learn more about why they seek them out. Statistics showed that most people (33 percent) click on a paid search ad because it directly answers their search query.

Interestingly, 77 percent of respondents said that they are confident that they can recognize paid search ads versus organic advertisements. For this reason, marketers need to be mindful of the search-intent of B2B buyers as they target keywords, craft ad copy, and landing page destinations.

Marketers and the Benefits of PPC Ads

Although buyers can recognize PPC advertisements versus organic ads, this is not stopping them from clicking, according to previous research.

Clutch conducted a survey to determine how PPC is benefiting marketers. Although 77 percent of customers say they can spot PPC ads, they often choose to click through to learn more about business offerings. About 75 percent believe that these ads typically make it easier for them to find information about companies online.

“Useful search ads produce a number of benefits for businesses who create them,” wrote the authors of the survey. “Namely, businesses can improve their brand awareness and earn high-quality site traffic if people find their ads helpful.”

Only 19 percent of customers said they clicked on a paid ad because it had a compelling title, description or image. Most people (33 percent) previously noted that they clicked on an ad because it answered a question.