Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the most integral components of any digital marketing campaign today, helping you maximize your reach among target audiences while supplementing search engine optimization (SEO) and other efforts.
To get the best results from your campaigns, it helps to have the best PPC tools on your side to streamline every aspect of your campaigns.
In this blog, Ignite Visibility’s Senior VP of Paid Media, Meghan Parsons, will review some of the top PPC tools to simplify all types of tasks.
What We’ll Cover:
- Account Management & Optimization Tools
- PPC Keyword Research Tools
- Competitor Research Tools
- Landing Page Optimization Tools
- Retargeting Tools
- PPC Protection
My Expert Insights into the Best PPC Tools
With developments like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other advanced technologies, contemporary PPC tools can meet the needs of campaigns of just about any scale.
For instance, AI-driven automation can consolidate data and complete certain tasks that help save you and your team’s time and energy. At the same time, the latest tools can help you adhere to increasing privacy restrictions, enabling you to collect the data you need from your audiences by prioritizing first-party cookies.
PPC remains essential to marketing campaigns, as it generates twice the number of website visitors as SEO, boosts brand awareness by as much as 80%, and achieves an ROI of up to $8 per $1.60 on Google Ads alone, according to HubSpot.
Many of these and other stats are achievable primarily through the proper use of the best PPC tools. The key is knowing which tools to use based on what you want to achieve at every stage of your strategy.
Choosing the Right PPC Tool for Your Needs
The best PPC tools will depend on what you need to develop winning strategies.
Some factors to consider when selecting pay-per-click advertising software include:
- Business size
- Budget
- Goals
For instance, if you’re a small business looking to maximize brand awareness with cross-platform ads, you might opt for more cost-effective tools to develop and measure your ads, such as Google Ads, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Analytics, all of which are great for businesses on a tighter budget.
For agencies and enterprises in need of more robust PPC solutions, it might be best to go with more comprehensive solutions like AdEspresso for campaign development, SEMRush for more in-depth keyword research, and SpyFu or another software competitor research.
As your needs change, you can determine what to include in your toolkit to keep your campaigns cost-effective and manageable.
Account Management and Optimization Tools
To start with, one tool you’ll want to implement is a PPC campaign builder, which is a platform that can help you streamline the process of setting up your campaigns.
There are many potential use cases for PPC automation tools in optimizing ad campaigns, such as:
- Ad Scheduling: Figure out when the best time is to place your ads based on when your audiences are most active, which could make sure the ideal audiences actually see your ads to maximize brand awareness and conversions.
- Bidding: Optimize your bidding strategy to make the most of your available budget. Automated bidding takes the guesswork out of the process by determining the best bids based on your budget and targeting needs.
- Audience Targeting: Automatically reach the best target audiences with machine learning, as PPC tools dynamically modify audience segments to get your ads in front of the right people.
Here are some of the best PPC management software you can use to build your next campaign:
1. Google AdWords
Cost: $0
Chances are, you’re already using this.
One optimal way to get the most from Google Ads campaigns is to launch a Performance Max campaign. Also known as PMax, this type of campaign can consolidate Google Ads inventory into a single campaign, which can help you connect with more people across Google’s various advertising channels.
PMax uses AI and machine learning to match audiences with the appropriate ad visuals and messaging based on the data that Google gathers. This hyper-targeting capability helps your ads reach the right people at the right time.
2. Microsoft Advertising Editor
Cost: $0
Microsoft Advertising Editor is one of the PPC management tools similar to AdWords, except, of course, it’s geared towards Bing users. I’ve made the case before for why you should be using Bing Ads, and Bing Ads Editor goes hand in hand. With it, you can sync your campaigns and accounts, make edits in bulk, and manage multiple accounts.
One of the best aspects of this PPC campaign builder is its Audience Ads integration, which allows you to place Bing Ads on multiple devices and various Microsoft and partner platforms, such as MSN, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Edge.
Additionally, you can display retargeting ads on desktop and mobile devices to reach more users who’ve seen your ads before but neglected to take the next step of engagement.
Again, it’s AdWords for Bing, and it’s a must for PPC.
3. Optmyzr
Cost: $0 for a 14 day free trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $249
Opytmyzr is a really cool tool for anyone managing both AdWords and Bing accounts. Its biggest claim to fame is its one-click optimization tool.
For example, if it recommends that you should be bidding higher on a specific set of keywords, you can adjust the bid to the recommended amount in one click.
Here are some of the other benefits of Optymyzr:
- Data extraction. Although there’s a ton of data that you could extract from Google Ads and Bing Ads, it would require quite a bit of effort to aggregate it, parse it, and analyze it. Optymyzr streamlines that process so you can focus on getting the most out of your ad campaigns.
- Deeper insights. Optymyzr gives you the ability to run the same analysis on different market segments. That empowers you to gather data that you can use for highly targeted campaigns in the future.
- Custom rule builder. Rule Engine, the platform’s custom rule builder, helps advertisers optimize campaigns, draft reports, and receive custom alerts based on specific rules in an “if this, then that” format.
The platform also supports Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for integration with Google Ads campaigns.
4. AdEspresso
Cost: $0 for a 14 day free trial
Tiered Pricing: $49/month
PPC isn’t all about search engines. As most savvy marketers know, social channels – and Facebook especially – is huge on the PPC scene.
Use AdEspresso to streamline campaign management across multiple channels, including Google Ads and Instagram as well as Facebook. In fact, AdEspresso offers 100% free Facebook Ads Tools that can help with everything from managing your Facebook pixel on WordPress to creating in-depth performance reports.
If you’re tired of switching from one ad manager to the next and you advertise on those three channels, you should take a good look at AdEspresso.
Keyword Research Tools
One fundamental step you’ll need to take to excel with your PPC campaigns is keyword research, as you try to identify high-value keywords that are worth bidding on to reach your audience.
In your research, you should look for more long-tail keyword research opportunities that your audiences are likely to search, which will be less competitive than those difficult short-tail terms. Also, try to target keywords that appeal to niche audience segments within your market, which can also give you a competitive edge.
To help you in your efforts, the following are some of the best PPC tools for keyword research:
5. SEMRush
Cost: $0 for a 14 day free trial
Tiered Pricing: $117/month
SEMRush is one of my favorite tools for SEO and PPC.
It’s excellent for keyword research; just type any keyword into the search bar, select Keyword Overview, and it will pull lists of phrase match keywords, related keywords, organic searches, and ad copy using the keyword.
And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
One great tool you can use with SEMRush is the Keyword Gap tool, which allows you to compare your keyword profile with competitors’ profiles, including both organic and paid keywords. As such, it’s one of the easiest ways to find opportunities that your competitors aren’t targeting.
SEMRush also has many integrations with Google products, social networks, and AI integrations, among others. AI integrations include AI Writing Assistant, AI Social Content Generator, and ContentShake AI, all of which can help you with AI-generated ad copy ideas.
6. Google Keyword Planner
Cost: $0
Simply put, it helps you target the right customers with the right keywords.
One cool feature is in-depth keyword performance forecasts. This tool factors in your bid, your budget, historical ad quality, and seasonality to determine how a keyword is likely to perform in your PPC campaigns.
Keyword forecasts work for specific campaigns and ad groups, helping you determine what terms are likely to help you achieve your business goals.
Plan it well, and you get the best keywords for the best price. In short, it’s a must.
7. Keywordtool.io
Cost: $0 for a 7 day free trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $69/month
This is cool PPC management software that, like most keyword tools, will pull a giant list of keywords related to one you type in.
But beyond that, Keywordtool.io will tell you each keyword’s:
- Search volume (the average number of times people search per month)
- Trend (how search volume has changed over 12 months
- CPC (avg. amount advertisers are bidding)
- Competition (number of advertisers bidding)
You can also search based on which channel you’ll be using, including:
- YouTube
- Bing
- Amazon
- eBay
- App Store
- Play Store
- X
- Etsy
- TikTok
8. Google Trends for SEO
At first glance, this one may seem pretty similar to Google Keyword Planner.
But Google Trends returns results based on search trends, which can be incredibly useful for PPC campaigns.
For example, this Google tool will highlight and suggest new keywords based on any recent rises in demand. You can also view interest over time and interest by region and subregion.
This is an especially useful tool if you happen to run any seasonal campaigns and need to choose keywords that peak at certain times throughout the years.
Competitor Research Tools
Looking into your competitors can help you see what they’re doing and what they’re neglecting to do in their PPC efforts.
To help you gain insights from competitors, there are plenty of PPC competitor analysis tools you can use. These tools come with all types of features you can use for meaningful competitor research, including keyword spying, ad performance comparisons, and budget tracking.
The following are some of our favorite PPC competitor analysis tools:
9. SpyFu
Cost: $0 for a 7 day free trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $39/month
SpyFu is an extremely popular tool used to do advanced competitor research.
Specifically, it will show you the keywords your competitors are using and how much they’re bidding on them.
And by that I mean every keyword they’ve ever bought on AdWords (ones you haven’t bought yet), every organic rank, and every ad variation they’ve run over the past 12 years.
That’s some pretty serious spy work, and it can be extremely beneficial in reverse engineering your competitor’s strategy.
Another key feature you get with SpyFu is the ability to integrate its API into your own software and workflows. With this API, you get access to 19 years of keyword data, advanced metrics on over 4 billion keywords, and other perks that make the Pro plan worth implementing.
10. iSpionage
Cost: $0 for a 7 day free trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $59/month
iSpionage is another tool aimed at helping you steal your competitor’s traffic.
By entering in a competitor’s URL, iSpionage will return entire lists of keywords and the monthly spend on each.
However, this PPC competitor analysis tool is ideal for a quick overview rather than an in-depth look into your competitors. If you want to take a deeper dive into your competitors’ performance and identify worthwhile opportunities, you can also use tools like SimilarWeb and Ahrefs.
11. AdBeat
Cost: $0 for a free plan
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $249/month
AdBeat is another comprehensive tool aimed at display ads.
A simple search for any competitor will show results on how many ads have been seen this month, which channels (direct, native, or programmatic) and what creatives were most effective.
What sets AdBeat apart is its ability to simplify complex data. Its intuitive dashboard distills detailed programmatic metrics into actionable insights, allowing you to quickly identify which creatives are performing best.
You can also take a look at their “Top Ads” section to see what the most successful ads look like, and use its “Advertiser Compare Tool” to compare two different advertiser’s ad impact.
One unique thing you can do with this PPC analysis tool is keep track of critical video ad data. See how your competitors’ video ads perform and the tactics they’re employing to get the best results and drive more engagement, which you can then incorporate into your own ads.
PPC Analysis Tools
To get the best results from your PPC campaigns, you must be able to effectively analyze and measure them.
The right PPC analysis tools can give you the kind of comprehensive insights you need to pivot your campaigns accordingly and stay on track to meet your goals.
Depending on your goals, the right PPC reporting tools should provide you with the appropriate metrics, such as:
- Clickthrough rate (CTR)
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
These metrics can help you determine how effective your ads are at converting and their profitability measured against your budget.
To optimize your analytics and reporting across your campaigns, consider the following pay-per-click advertising software:
12. Supermetrics
Tiered Pricing: Dependent on which platforms you want to connect
As one of the most robust pay-per-click management software, Supermetrics is a top marketing intelligence platform that can help with analysis and reporting, among other aspects of PPC campaigns.
One super helpful thing about this tool is its integrations with reporting tools that its users prefer, such as Looker Studio, Google Sheets, and Power BI. Easily transfer all Supermetrics data to your apps, which can streamline your workflows.
Also, you can develop custom reporting solutions to get the most from the data you gather and glean actionable insights.
13. Adalysis
Cost: $0 for free 30 day trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $126/month
Adalysis includes a convenient and easy-to-use reporting interface with periodic campaign and account “health checks.”
This powerful PPC analysis tool also provides automated alerts and monitoring so you never need to manually check your campaigns, with over 100 prebuilt checks based on your auditing needs.
Track the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are relevant based on your goals, identify growth opportunities with budget boost alerts, and determine how to optimize performance with root cause analysis.
15. Marin
Cost: One time set up fee
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $500/month
Harness the power of AI reporting with Marin, which features some of the most powerful reporting tools available for PPC campaigns.
Depending on the plan you choose, you can take advantage of various features to get real results. For example:
- Marin Connect can collect marketing data, align offline conversions, and enable AI analysis
- Ascend includes performance forecasting with AI, spend allocation, and budget management features.
Something that stands out about this pay-per-click management software is its AI advisor, which can give you some direct insights in a conversational format. Just ask some questions about your campaigns and Marin Advisor will explain.
Landing Page Optimization Tools
Even if your ads go the distance and drive plenty of clicks, your landing pages need to do even more heavy lifting to drive conversions.
The landing page experience must be relevant, convenient, and engaging to keep your audiences connected and moving along the customer journey.
Here are a couple of ways to get the most from your landing pages:
- A/B Testing: Try out two different types of landing pages, changing out either the copy or a visual component. When running both at once, you can determine which to run in the long term based on their performance, including click-through rates, session duration, and conversions.
- Dynamic Text Replacement: Certain pay-per-click management software will also allow you to dynamically change landing page text based on the audience engaging with it and the connected ad, keeping your pages relevant for optimum connectivity.
Keeping these tips in mind, the following are some of the best PPC tools for optimizing landing pages:
15. Unbounce
Cost: $0 for free 7 day trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $69/month
Unbounce was the first landing-page centric software to hit the market, and comes with an array of cool features like dynamic text replacement (which automatically swaps out keywords to match what a user searched for), A/B testing and targeted pop-ups.
One essential feature you’ll want to use with Unbound is its Smart Builder, which uses AI to help develop landing page content with conversion intelligence. This feature allows you to optimize landing pages before launching, enabling even more conversions using content that truly resonates.
16. Instapage
Cost: $0 for free 14 day trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $79/month
Instapage is all focused on all things landing page related.
One of it’s biggest benefits is its impressive array of templates and Pixel Perfect drag-and-drop editor, which lets you place elements anywhere on a page, without the unwanted guidance of pre-designed boxes.
Using these templates, you can create industry-specific landing pages that really connect with audiences.
It also comes with its own built-in analytics which allows you to set and track specific conversion goals.
A big advantage of using Instapage is the ability to develop AMP landing pages that allow for faster mobile load times, which can go a long way in boosting mobile engagement and conversions.
17. ClickFunnels
Cost: $0 for free 14 day trial
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $81/month
Another alternative you can try is ClickFunnels, which structures landing pages based on your unique sales funnel.
Many businesses have relied on ClickFunnels to develop converting sales funnels that attract audiences with initial ads and lead them all the way to conversions.
ClickFunnels includes a drag-and-drop page builder that can help you create highly effective landing pages and more in no time, making it very easy to pick up and use.
Programmatic Advertising
18. Basis Technologies
Basis Technologies, formerly known as Centro, is a comprehensive programmatic display advertising platform.
It streamlines digital ad campaigns by consolidating multiple ad exchanges, demand-side platforms, and data providers into one dashboard.
It benefits marketers and businesses by simplifying campaign management, reducing manual efforts, and delivering detailed performance insights—like ROI, CTR, and CPA—to optimize strategies.
One standout feature is its use of machine learning algorithms to automate bidding, targeting, and creative optimization, ensuring campaigns remain continually optimized across channels.
19. Simpli.fi
Simpli.fi is an innovative programmatic display technology that empowers digital marketers to reach highly targeted audiences in real time.
The platform benefits businesses by optimizing ad spend through advanced targeting capabilities, seamless data integration, and actionable performance insights that maximize ROI.
One standout feature is its leadership in dynamic creative optimization (DCO) and machine learning algorithms, which automatically adjust campaigns based on real-time user feedback to ensure peak performance.
Other PPC Tools
There are plenty of other pay-per-click advertising software to help you succeed with your PPC campaigns, including various PPC automation tools and PPC reporting tools.
20. PPC Protect
Cost: $0 for 30 days
Tiered Pricing: Starting at $29/month
This one is unique on the list in that it helps you protect your PPC campaign from click fraud.
For those unfamiliar, Wikipedia defines click fraud as “Fraud that occurs when a person, automated script or computer program imitates a legitimate user of a web browser, clicking on such an ad without having an actual interest in the target of the ad’s link.”
According to Juniper Research, advertisers across the globe lost 22% of ad spend because of ad fraud in 2023 alone, with 27% of organic and direct traffic consisting of fake users and bots. The University of Baltimore also found that an average of 14% of total clicks in paid search campaigns come from non-genuine sources.
Which is exactly why a tool like this comes into play. PPC Protect’s automated software is designed to identify and stop this kind of fraud and protect your budget from useless clicks.
Thanks to AI solutions, PPC Protect is capable of real-time fraud detection, making these efforts proactive rather than reactive. The tool is always looking for non-genuine PPC clicks and works to eliminate them as they occur.
Concluding PPC Tools
The best PPC management software differs from business to business, and it’s important to get the most from it after integration.
To supercharge your PPC campaigns with the help of experienced professionals, turn to Ignite Visibility. We can develop fully tailored solutions that cover all relevant platforms, with the ability to:
- Integrate the best PPC tools to fully equip your campaigns
- Create high-quality ads that drive conversions
- Build engaging landing page content that supplements ads
- Monitor your campaigns in real-time
- Adjust campaigns based on performance
- And more!
Contact us today to learn more about what our marketing solutions can do for you.
