Why PPC Ads Are a Game-Changer for Higher Education Institutes in 2025
- harsh.lakhotia
- April 18, 2025
- 6:12 am
Remember the days when college admission advertising meant big, flashy hoardings and stacks of pamphlets distributed outside schools? Those days are long gone. Today, students spend the majority of their time scrolling through social media, searching on Google, and watching videos. So, a marketing mix is required between offline and online marketing to get attention. In 2025, student decision-making continues to be shaped by digital touchpoints.
That’s where Paid Search Advertising for Colleges comes in. Whether on Google, Facebook, or Instagram, PPC ads ensure your target audience sees your ads at the right time. In this blog, we’ll cover the types of paid ads, strategies, and tips for running successful university PPC ads to help boost inquiries, enrollments, and ROI.
Types of Paid Ads in Higher Education Digital Advertising
Paid advertising is crucial in Higher education digital advertising, helping institutions attract the right students at the right time. Here are the different types of paid ads and how they can be used effectively in PPC advertising:
Search Ads (Google Ads for Universities)
These are the text-based ads that appear at the top of Google search results when students search for terms like “Best online B. Tech colleges” or “Top engineering colleges in India.” Paid Google Ads for universities ensure your institution appears above organic results, increasing visibility and click-through rates.
Socialee launched a Google Search ad campaign for DA-IICT to promote admissions for its B.Tech program, yielding exceptional results in just two months. The Brand Search campaign for the B.Tech landing page achieved the highest conversions, with nearly 1,000 registrations completed.
This proved to be one of the biggest success stories in PPC campaign strategies for DA-IICT, effectively driving student admissions and maximizing ROI.
Display Ads (Brand Awareness in Higher Education Digital Advertising)
These are banner ads that appear on websites, blogs, and mobile apps. They are great for increasing awareness about your institution, especially for students who may not yet be actively searching for programs but are exploring options.
For DA-IICT, Socialee launched a 2-month display ad campaign (April–May) to attract students interested in its M.Sc. IT program. With a cost-per-click (CPC) of less than ₹3 from display ads and a CTR of over 6% from Performance Max and display ads, the campaign proved to be highly effective in driving student enrollment while maintaining cost efficiency.
Social Media Ads or Meta Ads (Engaging Prospective Students)
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are where students spend most of their time. PPC marketing for universities on social media allows institutions to run targeted ads based on age, location, interests, and behaviour.
DA-IICT’s 2-month meta-ad ad campaign for admissions of M.Tech programs generated a high number of leads and applications. The campaign showcased the power of cost-effective PPC campaigns for colleges, delivering strong results at an optimized budget. Moreover, these platforms are also good for remarketing users who visited website or landing page, but could not complete the application.
Video Ads (Boosting Engagement in University PPC Campaigns)
Video is a powerful storytelling tool in online advertising for higher education sector. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook allow universities to showcase campus life, faculty, and student experiences in an engaging way.
Socialee leveraged YouTube marketing by creating compelling testimonial videos featuring alumni of DA-IICT, both national and international, to persuade potential applicants. Additionally, they produced faculty podcasts and immersive campus tour videos, providing a deeper insight into university life. This approach boosted visibility and audience engagement, helping them connect with the right audience and improve their visibility.
Retargeting Ads (Re-engaging Interested Students)
Ever visited a website and then seen ads for the same product everywhere? That’s retargeting, a must-have for paid search advertising for colleges. It helps them reconnect with students who visited their website but didn’t complete an inquiry form or application.
Socialee launched a retargeting ad campaign for DA-IICT’s M.Sc. in Data Science program, targeting students aspiring to build careers in Data Analysis, Data Management, Machine Learning, and Data Modeling.
This campaign successfully re-engaged prospective students, reinforcing the impact of remarketing advertising and improving ROI on university-paid advertising.
Best PPC Strategies for Higher Education Marketing
Looking to boost student enrollment and admissions? Implementing the right University PPC campaign strategies can help you reach prospective students effectively. From targeted keyword selection to optimized landing pages and remarketing tactics, these proven PPC strategies for higher education marketing ensure better visibility, higher engagement, and increased conversions.
Create a Student Persona
A well-defined buyer persona is the foundation of high-performing marketing campaigns for universities. Go beyond basic demographics. Analyze students’ motivations, career aspirations, preferred learning formats (online vs. in-person), and financial constraints. Use data from previous campaigns, website analytics, and social insights to refine audience targeting. Align your messaging, ad creatives, and landing pages with these insights to improve impressions, engagement, and conversions. A data-driven persona helps allocate budgets efficiently, ensuring your PPC ads reach high-intent students and ultimately maximizing ROI.
Smart Keywords, Better Results
Keywords are the foundation of PPC marketing for universities and colleges. Choosing the right set of keywords ensures your ads appear in front of students actively searching for courses.
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMRush to find high-search-volume keywords relevant to your programs. For example, instead of a broad keyword like “MTech course,” target “best universities for mtech in India” or “m tech for working professionals” to attract the right audience. The more specific and relevant your keywords, the higher your ad ranks on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), leading to better visibility and more student admissions.
Ads That Speak, Ads That Convert
In PPC advertising, clarity drives conversions. Apply the KISS principle (Keep It Simple & Straightforward), and eliminate jargon/complexity. Your ad copy should immediately capture attention, communicate value, and differentiate your institution. Avoid vague or generic messaging that fails to engage potential students.
Highlight USPs like industry-recognized certifications or financial aid options. Strong, benefit-driven messaging enhances engagement, improves CTR, and ensures higher ROI in your university PPC campaign strategies.
Direct Students, Don’t Distract Them
Never direct potential students to your website’s homepage when they’re searching for a specific course. If someone clicks on an ad for a Mass Communication degree but lands on a general homepage filled with multiple programs, they may feel lost and leave, leading to a higher bounce rate.
To keep engagement high and increase conversions, create dedicated landing pages for each course or degree. This ensures students find exactly what they’re looking for, with relevant details, admission requirements, and a clear call to action like “Apply Now” or “Download Course Brochure.” A well-optimized landing page improves user experience and boosts enrollment rates. Have a look at DA-IICT’s PhD landing page.
Hire PPC Experts
Running a successful PPC campaign requires more than just setting up ads, it involves keyword research, appealing ad copywriting, audience targeting, continuous optimization, and campaign performance tracking. That’s why it’s best to rely on performance marketing experts who specialize in paid advertising.
Hiring a PPC expert or working with a digital marketing agency like Socialee ensures your campaigns are well-structured, budget-efficient, and result-driven. We have worked with numerous educational institutes includes Amity University, DAIICT, Univo, Rangoli Group of Schools and many more.
Our in-house performance marketers analyze data, track performance, and make necessary adjustments to drive the best results. Instead of trial and error, let professionals handle your PPC efforts for maximum impact and student registrations. Contact us today!
