Quick answer: PPC (pay-per-click) is advertising where you pay only when someone clicks your ad. On Google Ads, you choose keywords, write ads and set a budget. Google runs an auction for each search, weighing your bid, ad quality and expected impact. For local businesses, search campaigns with tight locations, call tracking and dedicated landing pages are usually the place to start.

SEO builds visibility over months. PPC can put you in front of people searching for your service today. For a dental practice that needs implant consultations or an HVAC company in a heat wave, that speed matters. This guide covers the basics in plain English, with the Google Ads changes that many older guides still miss.

How PPC works

You pick the searches you want to show up for (keywords), write ads, and set a daily budget. Each time someone searches, Google runs an auction among the advertisers who want that search. Where your ad shows, if at all, depends on your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page, and the expected impact of your ad's extra details (assets such as call buttons and sitelinks). You pay when someone clicks, not when the ad is shown.

What about Quality Score?

Google describes Quality Score as "a diagnostic tool meant to give you a sense of how well your ad quality compares to other advertisers" (Google Ads Help). It's scored 1 to 10 per keyword and built from expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Use it to find weak spots, not as a goal in itself.

The main PPC platforms

  • Google Ads: search, Maps, YouTube and partner sites. For most local businesses, this is where the high-intent searches are.
  • Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads): Bing and partner sites. Often worth testing once Google is working.
  • Local Services Ads: a separate Google format for many home services and some other industries, charged per lead rather than per click.
  • Social ads (Meta and others): useful for awareness and remarketing, but people aren't actively searching for you.
  • Search: text ads on Google search results. The starting point for most service businesses.
  • Performance Max: one campaign that runs across Google's channels using automation. It can work well once you have reliable conversion tracking, but it gives you less control over where ads show.
  • Display and video: banners and YouTube ads, mostly for awareness and remarketing.

Setting up a first search campaign

  1. Set up conversion tracking first. Track calls from ads, calls from your website and form submissions in Google Ads, with Google Analytics 4 linked. Without it, automated bidding is guessing.
  2. Choose tight locations. Target the area you actually serve, and choose "presence" so you reach people in or regularly in that area.
  3. Pick high-intent keywords. Start with service-plus-need searches ("emergency dentist", "furnace repair") rather than broad terms. My keyword research guide covers how to find them.
  4. Add negative keywords. Exclude searches you don't want, such as "jobs", "school" or "DIY".
  5. Write responsive search ads. You give Google several headlines and descriptions, and it tests combinations. Since June 2022, you can't create the older expanded text ads (Google Ads Help).
  6. Add assets. Call, location, sitelink and callout assets make your ad bigger and more useful. Link your Google Business Profile to show your address.
  7. Send clicks to a matching landing page, not your home page. One service, one clear next step and your phone number at the top.
  8. Review weekly. Check search terms, add negatives, and pause ads and keywords that spend without converting.

A change for call-focused campaigns

Many older guides recommend "call-only ads" for local businesses. Google has phased them out: since February 2026, you can no longer create new call ads, and existing ones stop showing in February 2027 (Google Ads Help). Add your phone number to responsive search ads as a call asset instead.

The metrics that matter

  • Click-through rate (CTR): the share of people who saw your ad and clicked.
  • Cost per click (CPC): what you pay on average for a click.
  • Conversion rate: the share of clicks that turn into a call, form or booking.
  • Cost per lead or acquisition (CPA): total spend divided by conversions. For most local businesses, this is the number to manage.
  • Search impression share: how often your ad showed out of the times it could have.

Common PPC mistakes

  • Running ads without conversion tracking.
  • Sending every click to the home page.
  • Broad keywords with no negative keywords.
  • Targeting a whole state when you serve a few towns.
  • Nobody answering the phone when the ads are running.

PPC and SEO work together

Ads show you which searches turn into customers. SEO turns those insights into pages that earn clicks without paying for each one. My SEO basics guide covers the organic side.

Want help with Google Ads?

I manage Google Ads for dental practices and home service businesses, and you talk to me, the person doing the work. If you already run ads, the free audit includes an optional Google Ads check, alongside your Google Maps visibility and what AI answers say about you.

Get a free audit · Book a 30-minute strategy call

FAQ

What is PPC marketing?

PPC (pay-per-click) marketing is online advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising are the main PPC platforms for search.

How does the Google Ads auction decide who shows?

Google runs an auction for each search. It weighs your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page, and the expected impact of your assets. A higher bid alone doesn't decide the outcome.

What is a good Quality Score?

Quality Score runs from 1 to 10 per keyword. Google calls it a diagnostic tool, so use low scores to find weak ads, keywords or landing pages rather than chasing the number itself.

Can I still create call-only ads in Google Ads?

No. Since February 2026, Google no longer lets you create new call ads, and existing ones stop showing in February 2027. Add your phone number to responsive search ads as a call asset instead.

Is PPC or SEO better for a local business?

They do different jobs. PPC brings visibility right away while you pay for clicks. SEO builds visibility that doesn't cost per click but takes months. Many local businesses use both.

Khalid Hossen has worked in SEO and Google Ads for 14+ years, with 150+ dental & local service businesses served, and helped scale two dental practices to $5M. No long-term contracts. Get a free audit of how your practice or business shows up in Google, Google Maps and AI answers.