Pay per click (PPC) advertising can be a major boon for any business.
For example, there’s a 50% higher chance of PPC visitors making a purchase versus organic traffic.
Clearly, running these ads doesn’t deliver any old traffic to your site. It sends high-converting traffic that can have a direct impact on revenue generation.
But only when you do it well.
As you may know, PPC success isn’t guaranteed. It’s all too easy to launch ineffective campaigns that deliver minimal ROI.
PPC campaign management mistakes are usually at the heart of the problem.
Mastering the complex world of Google Ads is no mean feat! However, knowing the most common mistakes to avoid should help you do it.
Looking to minimize PPC mistakes and maximize ROI?
Read on for 7 PPC campaign mistakes to avoid at all costs!
1. Lack of Clear Goals
‘Success’ in anything is largely dependent on knowing what you want to achieve first.
The same goes for PPC.
Too many marketers enter into the process without formulating their goals beforehand. Without quality goals, though, there’s no reference point from which to assess ad performance.
You might read that and think:
“Not me, I’m trying to get more leads and revenue for my business!”
That’s better than nothing, but you need to push things further. Be as specific as possible. Think about how many leads you want, and the exact nature of those leads (their needs, wants, and demographics).
Think about your budget as well. Reflect on your margins for a particular job/service/product and how much you can afford to pay per lead.
2. Lack of Analysis
Setting and forgetting your PPC ads is a recipe for disaster.
We understand the temptation! After all, the process of setting up these campaigns isn’t easy. The time and effort involved can make any additional work unappealing.
The bad news is that launching a campaign is really only the first step.
Imagine letting your new campaign run for a few days without checking it.
The CPC could have shot up, racking up serious costs and ruining your ROI in the process. There might be a dismal CTR for your chosen keywords or a general lack of conversions.
A continued process of tracking, analyzing, iterating, and optimizing is the real secret to PPC success. Check what’s working and what isn’t. Make alterations according to preliminary results and refine them as you go.
3. Confusing Keywords
Confusion around keywords can be the bane of any PPC campaign.
Imagine bidding for the term ‘New York carwash’.
You run a carwash in New York, so it makes logical sense. What you don’t realize, though, is that users are searching ‘how to start a New York carwash’.
In other words, their search term contains your keyword, but they have no intention of using your carwash! A heap of useless (and expensive) clicks could come your way.
Conduct research ahead of time to find the irrelevant terms that contain your keyword. Including them in negative keyword lists will tell Google not to show your ad for these searches.
4. Aiming Too Broad
Less is often more in terms of PPC campaigns.
That’s a lesson some newbies to Google Ads learn the hard way. They’ll jump excitedly into a campaign and bid on every keyword under the sun.
The results can be catastrophic! They suffer awful CTRs, low relevancy scores, and massive costs.
It’s usually better to narrow your focus. Instead of bidding on any keyword that seems relevant, hone in on a specific product/service you’re trying to sell. Focusing on one or two epic keywords will be 10x more rewarding- especially when you’re on a tight budget.
The best PPC advertising campaigns stick to long-tail keywords (those with 3 or more words) that are relevant and demonstrate buyer intent.
5. Ignoring the Search Term Report
Many small businesses fail to leverage the search term report that Google provides.
They shoot themselves in the foot as a result!
This is where Google tells you every search term that’s costing you money! Click through from ‘Campaigns, to ‘Keywords’ and onto ‘search terms’ to see it.
You’ll see the phrases/words that people are searching in Google, clicking on, and costing you money for in the process. You want to ensure these terms are relevant to your goals!
Exclude any terms that are costing you money and delivering no value.
6. Using Automatic Bidding
Overspending on your PPC campaigns?
Well, it might be time to switch from automated bidding to the manual variety.
The automatic tack allows Google to bid whatever it likes for your chosen keywords. It’s easy for you and recommended by them. But it’s also a one-way ticket to overspending!
It’s always worth remembering that it’s in Google’s interest for you to pay more. A better PPC strategy is to use manual bidding. Switching over puts you in control and can save you hundreds of dollars in the process.
7. A Lack of Landing Page(s)
Successful campaigns rely upon a quality post-click experience.
And, frankly, your website might be letting you down! After all, your homepage might be beautiful.
It isn’t, though, necessarily geared to converting on the specific action detailed in the ad. There’s often irrelevant images, copy, and tabs that distract people who’ve clicked through.
Confused, they’ll click back and look elsewhere. Your conversion rate suffers.
Keep in mind that people who click on your ads are looking for one thing in particular! Creating high-quality, relevant, and designated landing pages for every campaign is the best way to give it to them.
Avoid These PPC Campaign Management Mistakes
PPC campaigns hold significant promise for small businesses looking for high-converting traffic.
Unfortunately, the mass of possible PPC campaign management mistakes can minimize the ROI that’s available. Learning about these mistakes (and how to avoid them) should help you turn the tables.
Hopefully, this article will help you do exactly that!
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