PPC for Gym Growth
PPC (pay-per-click) marketing levels the playing field so gyms of any size can attract motivated customers. With a bit of knowledge, you can launch fitness-focused PPC campaigns on platforms like Google and Facebook.
Let’s start at the beginning and go over the PPC basics:
What is PPC Advertising?
PPC ads are the sponsored listings you see at the top and side of search engine results. You only pay when someone clicks your ad. Costs are based on the keywords and competition of your campaign.
PPC works brilliantly for gyms because you can target users searching for terms like “gym near me” and drive instant website traffic. It puts your gym in front of motivated prospects.
Key PPC Terminology
Before launching your first campaign, get familiar with these key terms:
- Impressions – Times your ad appears on a search results page
- Clicks – When someone clicks your ad to visit your site
- CTR – Click-through rate, or percentage of impressions clicked
- CPC – Cost-per-click, or what you pay for each ad click
- Quality Score – Google’s rating of your ad’s relevance and quality
- Ad Rank – Where your ad appears in results based on bid and quality score
- Ad Extensions – Additional details like your address added to ads
- Landing Page – The page users arrive at when clicking your ad
Setting Up Your Campaigns
Once you grasp the basics, it’s time to set up your first campaign. Here are the key steps:
- Set campaign objectives and metrics for success. Do you want more leads or sales?
- Establish a monthly PPC budget based on your business goals. Start small as you learn.
- Choose keywords that relate to your gym and offerings. Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner can help with this.
- Design compelling ad text and visuals that showcase your gym.
- Send users to a dedicated landing page on your site with strong calls-to-action.
- Track results in your PPC platform and optimise towards success metrics.
Which PPC Platform is Best?
When it comes to PPC advertising, gyms have a few great platforms to choose from. Let’s compare the benefits of the top options:
Google Ads
Google Ads should be the foundation of any gym’s PPC strategy. It provides access to a massive search volume for fitness-related keywords on Google Search.
You can run both search and display network Google Ads campaigns to target users based on their search intent and website browsing. Key benefits:
- Broad reach across Google search results
- Tools to optimise for local customers
- Search volume for competitive keywords like “gym near me”
- Ability to track conversions from lead form to sale
PureGym run paid Google Ads for users searching for the keywords “gym near me”:
Microsoft Ads
Don’t overlook Microsoft Ads if you want to supplement Google. You can target surplus search volume on Bing along with native search ads on Yahoo and the Microsoft Advertising Network. Here are the key benefits:
- Extra reach beyond just Google
- Significantly less competition on Bing keywords
- Audience targeting options
- Powerful conversion tracking tools
Here’s an example of a paid Microsoft Ad from The Gym Group for users searching for “gyms in London”:
Facebook Ads
Facebook offers advanced targeting options beyond just keywords. You can target users based on location, interests, behaviours, and more.
For gyms, you can specifically target users interested in fitness, health & wellness, and local businesses. Facebook also makes retargeting easy:
- Granular targeting by interests and demographics
- Retargeting of website visitors
- Video and image-based ad capabilities
- Lead generation and conversion tracking
The Gym Group run paid Facebook Ads for users searching for a “gym near me”. Facebook Ads require a more visually appealing, image-based design compared to Google and Microsoft Ads:
A strategic combination of Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and optionally Microsoft Ads offers the best of all worlds for gyms getting started with PPC. The platforms complement each other to attract customers at all stages of their journey.
Ready to pump up your gym’s growth with PPC? With this beginner’s guide, you now have the foundation to get started.
Contact us today for a free consultation and check out our case studies to discover how we’ve helped gyms like yours implement effective PPC strategies.
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