Smarter, Tailored PPC for Your Appliance Repair Business Growth

What You Get with Green Search Marketing

• Cross-platform keyword research and budget mapping
• Complete Google ads strategy and holistic pathways to customers through Google Ads, LSAs, Elocal, and more.
• Migration support from retired PPC formats to modern opportunities
• Directory PPC inclusion on industry-related platforms
• Full tracking and smart audience layering with geo-targeting
• Campaign-level reporting that breaks down the numbers
• Focus on LSAs related to your business model and style

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Pay-Per-Lead Pricing

A Quick History of PPC: From Bidding Wars to AI-Driven Local Growth

Why does all this talk about PPC matter so much? It used to be that you could automate a simple PPC campaign on Google and sit back while the search engine did all the work. That may have been successful in the early 2000s, but today, paid search ads in a sidebar won’t do the trick anymore.

Almost 25 years later, PPC has morphed into search, shopping, video content, local service listings, directories, TikToks, Reels, and even map content clusters. The platforms have expanded, resulting in changes to the PPC formats.

The Early Days: When PPC Was Simple (1996–2000)

Google wasn’t the father of pay-per-click advertising. It began way back in 1996 when Celine Dion and Tupac ruled the music charts. There was a desktop-based program called Planet Oasis that allowed advertisers to pay only when users clicked on their ads. That’s how PPC was born.

In 1998, the search engine GoTo.com (later Overture) tried a new concept: paid search listing. Marketing managers would bid on keywords, pay only for clicks, and appear near the top of the results. It was a “payola” system that acted as the first direct-response ad format. The problem was that only those with deep enough pockets could reach the top of search results.

Google Changes the Game (2000–2010)

Once Y2K was over, Google launched AdWords in 2000, completely changing the playing field. Instead of letting Mr. Big Spender win, Google introduced auctions, quality scoring, and a system designed around better ads. Although things have changed significantly, the same basic idea remains applicable today.

In 2002, Google formally adopted Overture’s PPC model, but tried to make it more scalable and smarter. Everything was based on the user getting the best delivered ads. By the end of the 2000s, PPC had evolved from a clever marketing tactic to a foundational revenue engine, accounting for the majority of Google’s profit, which was used to eventually build the parent company, Alphabet.

From Search-Only to Everywhere (2010–Now)

Everything changed again with the introduction of the smartphone. Instead of Ads being stuck on Google-only platforms, they quickly shifted to various mobile-friendly places where people wanted to go the most. YouTube launched ads in 2006, followed by Facebook ads in 2007. It didn’t take long for LinkedIn, Twitter (now X), Google Shopping, retargeting, and display ads to take the reins.

Now, when you open search browsers or log into your preferred social media platform, you’ll find LSAs, display and video ads, AI-backed retargeting, directory ads, and more. That is why Google is now phasing out Call-Only Ads, because they don’t work as well. It’s like relying on radio ads when the majority of your users have never moved the bunny ears to get a better signal.