Without a doubt, PPC advertising is a smart, cost-efficient way to get your brand seen and generate sales or leads; if you know how to do it, that is.
It’s no secret that PPC search ad campaigns can guzzle money, and the constant payment stream is not always reflected in the results.
The potential is there – over 40,000 searches are processed through Google every second, and adverts placed on Google Display Network reach up to 90% of internet users.
Yet, that’s not to say a campaign is guaranteed to perform. Ineffective ad copy, poor keyword selection, improper targeting and insufficient tracking and analysis can hold it back.
There’s no need to give up; minor changes can get your campaign back on top. Here, we’ve outlined the primary steps to focus on for PPC search ads to see the desired results start to roll in.
By the way, we offer PPC campaign optimisation and digital marketing services here at Webbiz, with a team of experts skilled in driving significant results.
First, let’s clarify what a PPC campaign is
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising empowers you to enhance your website’s visibility across various digital platforms. This encompasses various advertising formats, including website display ads, sponsored content on social media platforms, and prominent search engine result page (SERPs) placements.
With PPC SERPS, your website can achieve prominent visibility when users search for relevant keywords or phrases. Your ads appear alongside organic search results on the result page, directing interested users to your designated landing page.
The beauty of PPC lies in its cost structure: you only incur charges when users click on your ad, making it a cost-effective way to drive targeted traffic to your website.
1. Decide What You Want
Uncertainty is not your friend in PPC advertising. From the get-go, you need to map out what you want to achieve from your return on investment. Are you aiming to drive traffic to your website, boost sales or generate new leads? Clearly outline the objective and use it as your first stepping stone to centre your strategy and content. Precision is key for performance, and it is best to create multiple campaigns with one clear goal rather than one campaign with multiple objectives.
2. Background Check Your Audience
Selecting a few different job titles or industries is no good – you need to know your A-Z on your intended audience. A thorough background check will ensure you know their problem areas, desires and behaviours. This is crucial information that will direct and strengthen your content and messaging. That way, you can optimise your PPC ad spending by going after potential customers who are already interested in your business, leading to cost efficiency.
3. Choose Keywords Wisely
Tapping into what your audience is already searching for will only make your job a million times simpler. But it’s still important to execute correctly. Get rid of the weak, low-performing keywords and incorporate terms people often use that aren’t always obvious. According to backlinko.com, keywords between 10-15 words receive 1.76x more clicks and URLs that contain terms similar to a keyword have a 45% higher click-through rate. That being said, always be careful not to overdo it or let SEO tick-boxes stump the creativity in your messaging.
4. Be Different With Your Copy
Want to really make your advert stick? You have to get creative and personal with your copy. Avoid those cliches everyone’s heard repeatedly, and show personality through your words or an emotive story that resonates with your target audience. Remember that people will only click if it connects with them. If your ads are struggling, consider adding an incentive or offer to entice your target audience further. Regularly test your copy through A/B testing or try the responsive search ad format to ensure it delivers – think of this as a test run where you can try out various options to find the one. Adapting your copy based on insights refines your message and enhances overall PPC ad performance.
5. Create a Landing Page
You’ve managed to win that click – but where does your customer end up? To push them through the conversion funnel, direct them to a personalised landing page that mirrors your PPC Ad to drive home the objective. It needs to be optimised to ensure your potential new customer will remain on your site instead of bouncing back to the search page – and several factors contribute to this, from enhanced user experience to displaying the necessary information clearly. Your landing page is the front door to the rest of your business – ensuring it’s fast and user-friendly will make stepping through that door more inviting.
6. Quality Score
Quality Score serves as a valuable tool for enhancing ads, keywords, and landing pages, providing insights into areas needing improvement rather than solely focusing on optimisation. First things first, it’s important to review your quality score components:
- Expected click-through rate: Measures ad click likelihood.
- Ad relevance: Evaluates ad alignment with user search intent.
- Landing page experience: Assesses landing page relevance and utility for users.
Referring back to your ad quality score will provide insights into potential updates for ad text, keyword selection, or landing page content, with status indicators like ‘Below average,’ ‘Average,’ and ‘Above average’. Think of it as a diagnostic tool, helping you to refine the user experience and achieve long-term goals.
7. Optimise Campaigns Weekly
Only 10% of advertisers dedicate time to weekly optimisation of their Google Ads accounts, while a significant 20% take no action on their accounts throughout the entire month, according to wordstream.com. Allocating just a few minutes per week keeps a closer eye on user behaviour shifts and ensures that selected keywords stay aligned with evolving search trends and adapt to algorithms. This proactive approach aids in improving your quality score, utilising insights for optimisation, and conducting regular competitor analysis to stay well-informed about their strategies.
8. Ad Extensions
Think of them as bonus features – and if you invest, they’ll enhance your overall performance. They allow you to deliver supplementary information alongside your ads, including site links, callouts, and location details. These extensions augment the appeal of your ads and actively encourage increased user interaction. They are also more attractive and favourable from Google’s point of view, as the search engine has a better chance of giving users what they are looking for with your additional information. Be sure to include ad extensions in your strategy for a more comprehensive and engaging advertising approach that can significantly boost campaign effectiveness and user engagement.
9. Bidding Strategies
A bidding strategy involves establishing the maximum amount you are willing to invest in a click for your ad – in other words, marrying up your strategy with the economics. But, rather than setting the amount to your budget or under, go slightly higher – as remember, you only pay when the ad is clicked on. This higher amount will increase your ad’s visibility and, therefore, more opportunities for conversions. The more conversions, the higher your return on investment will eventually be. Begin with automatic bidding, allowing Google to set the bid amount and eliminate guesswork – without requiring manual adjustments.
Want more? There are several bidding strategies to choose from, from maximise cost per view (CPV) to targeting cost per acquisition (CPA); the suitable strategy depends on your campaign goals.
Finally
But it doesn’t stop there. Post-launch is even more important. PPC campaigns require just as much attention after you’ve hit the publish button, as this is the perfect opportunity to boost performance further. Through regular testing and optimisation, you can use the results as a compass for future decision-making – refining your campaign and strategy based on proven success.
Ready to elevate your PPC search ads? Contact us, hello@webbiz.com.