A PPC campaign has loads of benefits. The entry costs are low. Results are easy to monitor. The return on investment can rival most any other advertising source. Plus, companies get a competitive advantage because their ads top the list of search results.
Every day, businesses increase brand awareness, visibility, and website traffic with PPC campaigns. However, not every company gets these results. The reasons range from lack of experience and budget mismanagement.
We assure you that running a successful PPC campaign is not complicated. They do require some expertise and attention to best practices.
PPC stands for pay-per-click. The premise is that you only pay for advertising when someone clicks on your ad. It’s a genius plan. When a person engages with your ad, the platform charges you. If your ad doesn’t get clicked, you don’t pay.
For marketers, PPC is fantastic because you can test multiple ads on various sources and get measurable results. However, the reality is that you also pay for all your mistakes. A $1,000 monthly budget quickly evaporates if you’re not careful.
This article explores five costly PPC mistakes and how you can avoid them.
PPC campaigns center on keywords. There are four common pitfalls with keywords that can hang up even the most sophisticated marketers.
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TIPS:
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The first step in planning a PPC campaign strategy, the first step is selecting the best keywords to bid on. Keywords have the potential to make or break your PPC campaign. They designate who sees and who doesn’t see your PPC ads.
The Google Keyword Planner is 100% free to use and super helpful for research. You can access the Planner using your primary Google account.
Here are the steps:
You have two options:
Listed are about 855 keyword ideas. The tool also suggests some relevant keywords to add for broadening your search. You can add up to 10 single words, phrases, or URLs at a time for extensive keyword research.
We get 1,688 keyword ideas generated for those 10 words and phrases we used.
For each keyword suggestion, you see:
To get the search volume and forecast volume for keywords:
TIP: Go to the “Historical Metric” tab and notice the average 12-month search volume for selected keywords. It’s the same range you see while researching keywords using “Find New Keywords.” |
At first, each PPC campaign requires some babysitting and testing. You can’t just set it up and let it go. With this in mind, you need to allocate enough budget to learn which keywords and messaging produce the best results.
Here are a few budget-related mistakes you need to consider.
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A carefully crafted PPC campaign delivers results almost immediately. On the other hand, limited research and hasty planning usually spell doom.
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TIP: Focus on essential attributes and parameters like leads generated, traffic boost, brand awareness, and conversions to understand each campaign’s outcome.
Different analysis, like statistical, exploratory, associated, historical, and comparative analysis, shape the best PPC campaign strategy. |
TIPS:
Ad copy markets your products and services. But ad copy also sells your brand name. Consequently, restrain yourself from the following perils.
Example
If the user is searching for plumbing services, they may see these results.
The first PPC ad headline, Find Home Repair Contractors,” does not include “plumbing” or “services.” The person will most likely see the first ad but skip it. The ad doesn’t match the intent.
On the contrary, the second ad grabs attention with the matching text “Plumbing Services.” Also, the ad copy builds credibility by including “By Certified Professionals” in the headline.
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When done right, PPC ads are powerful lead generators. But to measure lead volume accurately, companies must look beyond clicks. Phone tracking calls is a an essential and often overlooked sales metric. Every time a potential customer calls about your product or service, it’s important to know if your PPC ad triggered the action. Without this data, it’s impossible to gauge the ad’s real return on investment (ROI).
The goal of PPC is to connect potential consumers to a custom landing page that eventually leads to a purchase. One of the best indications that a person is ready to buy is the old fashion phone call. Customer phone calls are the most valuable leads because they are further down the sales funnel.
Call tracking helps you understand the actual leads and conversions, but also helps in analyzing the keywords that worked in your campaign and are drawing leads. Therefore, overlooking the five points summarized here might cost your PPC campaign dearly.
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Google Ads and Microsoft Ads can incorporate a unique phone number on the ad. Customers can manually dial or simply click-to-call (CTC) via a mobile phone. Because the number is unique, Google and Microsoft digitally track call metrics and conversions directly from the ad. This data also can help you compare and optimize multiple ads’ performance.
But what if you want the ad to send customers to your website? Google can track calls made through a landing page after a customer clicked the Google Ad ad. This free feature places a unique number directly on your website. When customers call you, Google tracks the phone number’s data and keyword performance so you can attribute calls back to a PPC ad.
The most intuitive, detailed, and dynamic call tracking comes from third-party software. With such technology, unique phone numbers and call conversions are just the tip of the iceberg. Convirza tracks and analyzes what happens before, during, and after the call.
The data and reports include lead quality, close rates, missed opportunities, and much more. Convirza’s call analytics help to increase conversions and uncover new revenue. Additionally, this software is easy to install and pair with other technology, such as Salesforce and Google Analytics.
To learn the rest of your PPC story, you need a fellow actor that can decipher the action. You need Convirza’s call tracking software. Schedule a time to see how call tracking can boost your ROI and PPC campaign results with a custom demo. Or get a free, 21-day trial by signing up today.
All the five mistakes discussed in this blog are the aggregation of much research and personal experience. The advice and recommendations will save you a ton of grief. Remember, even innocent errors in your PPC campaign will cost thousands of dollars.
It does not matter whether you are launching a new product, selling services, or rejuvenating old failed PPC campaigns; avoid these mistakes.
Good luck and happy marketing!