Here is a secret about Google Ads you may already be aware of. Ads are easy to start, hard to make work well, and easy to spend a lot of time and money on. That is a dangerous combination for any business to navigate without expertise. Additionally, if there is one platform in the digital marketing arsenal that has increased in complexity over the last few years, it is Google Ads and most paid ad platforms.
A hard fact about a platform like Google Ads is that less than half of users click on them. In some cases, fewer than 30% of users click on Google Ads.
There is a reason they don’t click ads and often that reason is trust. Bait and switch language, landing on a page they didn’t expect to be navigated to or countless other reasons have trained many users to be skeptical about their click journey through paid ads.
This doesn’t mean that Google Ads, for example, can’t be utilized positively in your campaign, and depending on your current status as a business and as a website, they may be necessary. Google Ads and other pay per click advertising can help get the legs under a new site or business.
Organic traffic takes time to grow, paid advertising can often be the largest traffic source to new websites.
A secondary issue to tackle is errant user behavior. Get under the hood of an ad campaign and you will quickly realize how often users click on ads without reading the ad content. If you have the incorrect foundation built under your campaign, search intention and ad impression are easily mixed, confused, and equate to wasted ad spend.
Hawker Digital can wisely utilize your per click spend, assuring you are getting clicks from those that are seeking your services.
Most businesses that come to us about PPC have already tried it. They set up a campaign, spent a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, got clicks that went nowhere, and walked away wondering what they did wrong.
Usually, they didn't do anything wrong. The campaign was just built on the wrong foundation.
The Honest Truth About PPC
Paid search is the fastest way to put your business in front of someone actively looking for what you offer. That's its genuine strength — intent-based visibility on demand.
But here's what most agencies won't tell you upfront.
Less than half of users click on paid ads. In competitive categories, that number drops below 30%. And of the users who do click, a significant percentage click without reading the ad — landing on pages they didn't expect, bouncing immediately, costing you money without moving your business forward.
PPC isn't difficult to start. It's difficult to run well. The gap between a campaign that wastes budget and one that generates qualified leads comes down to three things: the right keywords, the right match types, and a landing page that converts the intent you paid to capture.
Without all three working together, you're not running a campaign. You're running an experiment with your own money.
Where PPC Actually Makes Sense
We're direct with clients about this because it matters.
PPC makes the most sense when:
- Your organic presence is new or thin and you need immediate visibility while SEO builds
- You have a specific offer or service with a defined audience actively searching for it
- You're entering a new market or vertical and need real data on what your buyers actually search for
- Your competitors are running ads and appearing above your organic results for your core terms
PPC makes less sense when:
- Your landing page isn't built to convert the traffic you're buying
- Your average transaction value doesn't support the cost per acquisition in your category
- You're in a market where trust is the primary conversion driver and no ad replaces it
We'd rather have that conversation before you spend than after.
What We Actually Manage
Campaign Architecture
Keyword strategy, match type structure, and negative keyword lists that prevent your budget from bleeding into irrelevant searches. The foundation determines everything that follows.
Ad Copy
Written to match the specific intent of the search — not generic headlines designed to get any click regardless of quality. The right click from the right person is worth more than volume.
Landing Page Alignment
Your ad and your destination page need to tell the same story. Disconnect between the two is the single most common reason campaigns underperform. We identify and fix that gap before it costs you.
Bid Management
Manual and automated strategies calibrated to your actual cost per acquisition goals — not platform defaults designed to favor Google's revenue over yours.
Reporting That Means Something
Not impressions and clicks. Cost per lead, lead quality, and what the traffic is actually doing when it arrives. Numbers that connect to business outcomes, not vanity metrics.
The Role PPC Plays in a Complete Strategy
Paid and organic search aren't competitors. They're complementary.
Organic search builds the long-term asset — visibility that compounds over time and costs nothing per click. Paid search provides immediate presence and generates data about what your buyers are actually searching for, which sharpens the organic strategy alongside it.
The businesses that get the most out of PPC treat it as one part of a connected system — not a standalone solution expected to carry the entire marketing load on its own.
Start With an Honest Conversation
If you've been burned by a campaign that spent without delivering, or you're considering paid search for the first time and want a clear picture of what it can realistically do for your business — start here.
We'll assess your current search landscape, tell you where paid search fits, and give you an honest read on what to expect before you commit to anything.
No cost. No obligation. Just clarity.
[Request Your No-Cost Search Assessment →]
