The magic of pay-per-click (PPC) is driving targeted buyers to your website and providing a steady flow of visitors. Though a seemingly effortless strategy, there is more to PPC than shelling out pennies. A successful PPC strategy is staying current and exploring your options. Below are the seven commandments of PPC campaigns that get your business converting.
Commandment 1 – Bid Unwanted Clicks Goodbye
Any press is good press, but any clicks don’t always mean the same. If your ads link up to irrelevant terms or show up on unwanted search queries, you’ll want to eliminate them. Refer to your monthly search terms report to determine which clicks are mounting wasted spend.
If your clicks aren’t converting, you could potentially exceed your budget by a mile. With 80% of advertisers allocating ad spend to PPC, you don’t want to end up being wasteful. Whether you decide to review your metrics weekly or monthly is up to you—just keep it consistent.
Commandment 2 – Take Advantage of Ad Scheduling
Like social media campaigns, PPC ads perform best during specific times. For example, B2B companies leveraging PPC campaigns perform best during business hours (8 am to 5 pm on Mondays through Fridays). Pare down your schedule according to audience demographics. Take note of when your customers are online and most likely to come across your ads.
Commandment 3 – Make Your Ads Relevant
Dynamic keywords and relevance are two eggs in one basket—split-test headlines with variations of the same ad copy, remarketing assets that perform best. Take note of keywords your customers use most frequently, incorporating them into your descriptions and tags.
Long-tailed, exact match keywords can improve your performance. By describing your products and services in detail, the more impactful the impression on your potential clients. Pair broader keywords with more specific ones to create a perfectly-converting recipe.
Commandment 4 – Use Prebuilt Audiences
If you’re having trouble analyzing data sets, Google is your best friend. Its prebuilt audiences range from luxury travellers to tech fanatics, all of whom you can direct your ads towards depending on what you sell. You can skew and adjust audiences accordingly.
Commandment 5 – Maximize Ad Real Estate
Your ad goals should prioritize an appearance on Google’s first Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The more space you fill, the less room your competitors have. Leverage as many extensions as possible to retain your winning spot. Consider adding site links, callouts, and snippets to increase your reach and remain competitive.
Commandment 6 – Improve Your Landing Page
Every ad should lead to a landing page. Specific, concise, and enticing landing pages are a must in any business’s digital marketing strategy. Your ultimate goal is to get visitors to convert and leave satisfied with their purchase. Never overlook the value of a strong CTA. The smoother the journey, the more fulfilling the destination.
Commandment 7 – Use Conversion Tracking
The point of PPC is to mount conversions. By carefully setting up conversion tracking in your Google Analytics account and importing them to Google Ads, the better your results. Take note of which ads are performing best, pulling high-quality elements and incorporating them into future assets.
Conclusion
Making the most of your PPC campaign is about perfecting aspects of your strategy until they function harmoniously. Your way to a steady flow of visitors has much to do with how well you understand your audience and deliver relevant information—while staying squarely within budget.
For a dedicated partner and PPC marketing consultant, give us a call at Oake Marketing. We believe in collaborating with businesses that seek actionable solutions and view us as an extension of their team. For a goal-driven PPC campaign, let us know—we’ll get those mice working in no time.
