Working in the PPC industry is incredibly rewarding, as you will usually be making a huge difference to both small and larger businesses (especially when you work in an agency). As paid media results are often quicker than organic marketing, this industry is much faster-paced and can also be competitive to get into, especially in higher roles. So, how do you get a job in PPC?
To get a job in PPC, the following factors and skills are incredibly beneficial:
- General marketing knowledge and skills
- Google Skillshop Certifications & Meta Blueprint
- Creativity
- Data analysis
- Keeping up-to-date with the latest industry news and trends
PPC is the perfect mix of creativity and analytical processes and is a fast-paced industry using brand-new machine learning technologies to support advertiser growth. Working in an agency, such as Wildcat Digital, is a great way to begin your climb to the top of the PPC ladder.
Read on to discover tips and tricks when applying for a job in PPC, as well as your potential career path.
How to Get a Job in PPC – 5 Key Tips and Considerations
General Digital Marketing Skills
PPC falls under the overall “marketing” umbrella, so there is a lot of overlap in these skills. Even if paid advertising isn’t your background and you lack experience, you will find that the skills you may have already acquired will help massively. These skills could have come from a qualification or previous work. Examples of this skill set include:
Marketing Funnel Comprehension
Knowing where your users are joining the marketing funnel, (whether it’s at the top, middle, or bottom) is key to knowing how to capture these users’ attention, and how to retarget them. With previous digital marketing experience, you may also find it easier to look at the funnel more holistically, such as retargeting to users who came in through email or social media marketing.
Understanding the User Journey
Within PPC, it’s vital to know how users interact with landing pages. Conversion rate optimisation is a great skill to have, especially when you have the opportunity to implement quick wins. Identifying areas of frustration for users after they land through an ad can improve performance across the board.
A/B Testing
A/B testing is a must in any kind of marketing position and is no different in PPC. Whether it’s ad copy, landing pages, placements or creative (the list is endless), it’s important to demonstrate your understanding of this core subject.
Data Analysis
The ability to identify trends within your data is priceless. Data analysis is one of the most important skills in PPC as you need to showcase your decision making, as well as the effectiveness of your campaign. Working in PPC, you will, at some point, have to present your findings and your reasoning for making changes – having basic skills in data analysis will make this a breeze.
Google Skillshop Certifications & Meta Blueprint
Two of the main paid advertising platforms, Google and Meta, have qualifications that you can work through and achieve to showcase your proficiency. When applying for PPC jobs, we’d recommend to stay on top of these certifications and redo them when necessary (some expire after 1 year). Not only do they teach you the basics (and more intermediate) of Google Ads and Meta Ads, but they also touch on broader topics such as data analysis and copywriting. The Google Skillshop Certifications are also free and a requirement for becoming a Google Partner.
PPC is a Mix of Creativity + Analytics
If you love a bit of creativity but still want to apply logic and analysis in your line of work, then a job in PPC will be perfect for you. With the data that you have available and analysing trends in reports, you can plan creative campaigns to further improve performance.
For example, let’s say you’ve had a very broad targeting campaign live for a few months. Within the data you’ve found that women are more likely to click through to the landing page. This creates the opportunity for a brand new, women-targeted campaign with tailored creative and ad copy.
Platform Updates & Staying Ahead
With privacy policies constantly being updated, algorithms changing and new machine learning, the world of PPC is always changing. It’s best to keep on top of it, but as there’s so much information, we recommend subscribing to a few PPC newsletters and connecting with industry professionals on LinkedIn. This way you can get all the information you need in advance without researching for hours about a new campaign type coming to Google Ads.
Some great newsletters that we love are:
- PPC Live UK – https://www.ppcliveuk.com/ppc-newsletter
- Search Engine Land – https://searchengineland.com/newsletters
In-House vs Agency
Like any other marketing position, a job in PPC will have you working either in-house or in an agency. Not sure what you would prefer? Here are some pros and cons of both positions:
Agency:
Pros –
- Typically a huge variety of clients in many different industries.
- Agencies are great for starting out in PPC as you’ll learn and gain experience very quickly
Cons –
- Usually more stressful than in-house as you will handle a greater amount of clients, rather than one dedicated account
- Less potential to learn other skills in the agency, such as other digital marketing types like SEO.
In-House
Pros –
- You have the chance to work in an industry that you’re passionate about
- In house roles will typically pay more than agency, as they have a dedicated budget towards a marketing team
Cons –
- Depending on the size of the company, you’ll be doing a little bit of a lot. It’ll be difficult for you to specialise in one area of marketing
- You will gain experience and skills slower when working in house as teams are typically smaller
What is the Career Path of a PPC Executive?
When you start a job in PPC in an agency, you will be mainly helping Account Managers while you learn the basics and get to grips with the different platforms and campaign types. As you progress, you’ll be given your own dedicated accounts to manage and have the opportunity to develop your own strategy for big brands with even bigger budgets.
You will also eventually have the opportunity to specialise in different areas of PPC, such as Paid Search or Paid Social. There are also specialisations in different types of advertising on these platforms like Shopping, Video and Display.
Climbing higher on the ladder, you’ll have the potential to be handling huge accounts and leading a team of PPC Executives and Account Managers.
Does PPC Pay Well?
Based on statistics from Glassdoor, you’ll realistically be earning at the lower end of £20,000/year when you begin to work in PPC. Working up the ladder and Paid Search Specialists and Account Managers could potentially earn over £50,000/year.
Salaries will depend on the size of accounts that you manage, whether you work in an agency or in-house and the city you’re working in. Experience and specialisation will also see a higher rate of pay, such as specialising in Paid Socials or Paid Search.
What’s the Future of PPC?
If you’re active in the digital marketing space, you may have seen discussions about whether jobs in PPC and marketing will be non-existent in the future due to the advancements in AI.
We think (and although we may be biassed) that this is a really exciting time to join this industry. AI has the potential to aid our campaigns in so many ways rather than replace those who work in PPC.
Machine learning has been an important part of optimisation in Google Ads (and other paid advertising platforms) for quite a while. Responsive Search Ads, which were introduced in 2018, have relied on machine learning since their inception. More recently, automatically generated ad copy, audiences, placements and even AI-powered campaign types have been introduced.
The next few years will be an exciting time for those working in PPC. Google is looking to introduce AR shopping ads for fashion and beauty brands, further expanding the scope of PPC. Although nothing has been confirmed, we should also be seeing new campaign types that allow for more interaction between users and advertisers.
On the flipside, digital data privacy laws are getting tighter, so leveraging consumer data will be more difficult. This could result in a lower focus on demographic and interest analysis, and a greater emphasis on search trends and how users interact with ads and search patterns on a larger scale.
Join Wildcat Team as a PPC Executive
We are always looking for new talent here at Wildcat Digital. If you’re interested in PPC, apply for one of our vacancies today.
With us, you’ll get:
- A strong salary
- Career development potential
- Large focus on training & development
- Hybrid working with flexible working hours
and so much more.
We are an award-winning digital marketing agency helping businesses punch above their weight online. Take a walk on the wild side and get in touch with us today.
Libby Oldale
Senior PPC Account Manager
